Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange
Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange

Most Popular

more tags
1500 questions
16
votes
2 answers

Should trees be staked when they are planted?

Horticultural practices do change and research can be a driving force. It wasn't too long ago that standard practice to stake a new tree was a six foot T bar and and a strand of wire. Should all trees be staked when they are planted? How should…
kevinskio
  • 57,927
  • 9
  • 76
  • 157
16
votes
4 answers

Will my avocado tree produce fruits in my non-tropical climate region?

I have successfully germinated an avocado seed and am now willing to bring it outside and plant it in the soil. I live on the coast in Northern Portugal, so we never get negative temperatures. Minimum would be 4°C (40°F), on an extremely cold night.…
Fred Rocha
  • 447
  • 4
  • 11
16
votes
1 answer

Is it too late to pinch back my avocado plant?

I'm growing an avocado plant from the pit (started with the toothpicks and glass method). Unfortunately I was out of town when it hit its growth spurt and therefore was not there to pinch back the first set of leaves when it was 6 to 12 inches…
netnichols
  • 261
  • 2
  • 3
16
votes
4 answers

How do I repair a soaker hose?

I laid out a soaker hose system for my garden this year. Unfortunately a few weeks ago I went to turn it on and noticed a loud spraying sound coming from one area, when I removed some mulch the water shot approximately 10 feet up in the air. It…
wax eagle
  • 5,148
  • 6
  • 34
  • 70
16
votes
6 answers

Why are my tomatoes cracking and what can I do?

(Memphis, TN. Zone 7) First garden. I'm growing tomatoes in two parts of the yard. One gets more sun than the other: the partially-shaded area is producing well, but in the the sun-baked area they're cracking before they can fully ripen. Cucumbers,…
AndrewG
  • 543
  • 4
  • 9
16
votes
4 answers

What are some good plants to put in a guild built around plums/stone fruit?

I'm starting a small orchard of stone fruit trees -- just a few hundred square feet. I will be putting in plums next spring, and I'm thinking about what to plant between/around them. In the lingo of permaculture, I'm building a guild. I'm in New…
bstpierre
  • 41,452
  • 7
  • 111
  • 235
16
votes
1 answer

My composter has developed a sour smell and a lot of bugs. What am I doing wrong?

I set up a 7 cu ft rolling composter in my garden about 3 weeks ago and filled it about halfway with 1/3 food scraps and 2/3 cardboard/leaves/finished compost. My kids added more food scraps, so it's probably 50-50 now. I've kept it wet and turned…
RichardG
  • 163
  • 1
  • 5
16
votes
1 answer

How should I store my chili seeds for planting next year?

Should I let the chili mature on the plant, cut it open and take the seeds, dry them and store in a cold, dark and dry place? Or is there more to it than that.
Dan
  • 4,351
  • 8
  • 33
  • 50
16
votes
2 answers

Is Mike McGrath correct when he says vegetable scraps shouldn't be added to compost?

I'm composting for the first time this year, in a back-yard composter. I have some leaves in there, and I regularly throw in my coffee grounds. I also occasionally throw in vegetable and fruit scraps. When I look online (websites, TED talks, etc.)…
gammapoint
  • 339
  • 1
  • 7
16
votes
2 answers

What do the numbers in the names of indoor liquid fertilizers mean?

I went to pick up some liquid fertilizer for the plant I keep at work and I saw several varieties : Liquid Growth Indoor Plant 4-12-9 Food; All Purpose Liquid Concentrate Plant Food 12-4-8 with micronutrients; All Purpose Liquid Houseplant Food…
Adam Lear
  • 377
  • 1
  • 9
16
votes
5 answers

How do I remove dandelions and bull thistle from my lawn?

My backyard is completely (seriously, completely) infested with weeds -- bull thistles (or spear thistles) and dandelions (the common yellow-flower weed), to be specific. Bull Thistle (source: Wikimedia commons) Dandelion How do I get rid of these…
ashes999
  • 2,303
  • 5
  • 27
  • 39
16
votes
2 answers

How can I tell if my apples are ready to harvest?

I have a young apple tree (Spartan) with a small number of nice sized apples. How can I tell if they are ready to harvest?
Twisted
  • 947
  • 1
  • 6
  • 13
16
votes
1 answer

Do I need to correct the pH of my newly re-potted citrus tree?

I tried my hand at making my own soil for my citrus tree re potting. See below for the long story reasoning. I mixed EKO store bought (I live in an apartment) organic compost with coco coir and perlite. Its about equal parts of each, maybe a little…
startoftext
  • 473
  • 2
  • 8
16
votes
1 answer

How to help a Jade plant heal?

I have a couple of Jade plants ( Crassula ovata ) that I have grown from leaf pieces over the course of the last 10 years or so. This year, for the first time, they appear to have been attacked by squirrels or something. Hunks of bark have been…
baka
  • 2,740
  • 1
  • 24
  • 32
16
votes
2 answers

What is the proper technique to hand pollinate an eggplant?

I have an eggplant that has thus far produced several flowers, but no fruit yet. I have read that hand pollination is often necessary for eggplant to produce fruit. How do I go about hand pollinating the plant? Do I need any special equipment?
wax eagle
  • 5,148
  • 6
  • 34
  • 70
1 2 3
…
99 100