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1500 questions
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What is this bonsai tree with serrated elliptic leaves and why has it lost all its leaves?
My son bought me a bonsai tree for Father's day in June last year.
It grew new leaves and shoots for a while and has been watered regularly.
It has now dropped all its leaves and there does not seem to be any new growth.
I would like to know how I…
Geoffrey James
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How to start a bulb bed so that it doesn't need weeding?
When I bought my house (in southern Minnesota), one of the things I loved about it was a flower bed along the side of the garage that requires very very little maintenance. At the end of the summer, I pull the dried stems of the flowers that it put…
cabbey
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When to plant chili seeds in the UK?
When is the best time to start germinating my chili seeds (various varieties) in order to make the most of next years growing season?
I think I started too late this year and my crop has suffered. I live in London,UK and the last frost according to…
Dan
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My hydroponic lettuce is mega bitter. Can I fix it?
Preface: I don't really know what I'm doing.
So I decided to grow some kweik lettuce in my ebb & flow hydroponic setup. In addition to that, I'm growing a variety of chili peppers, mostly superhots.
It's been about 40 days, and I've had good growth…
Ryan Anderson
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Mixing Alcohol Solution for Paperwhites to Prevent Legginess
This year's order of Paperwhites came with the advice to make a 5% solution of alcohol (drinking and rubbing both work; the latter is much cheaper!) in water, and use that once the stems are 1-2" high to prevent legginess. I'm willing to try but…
kajaco
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12
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Resloping Around Foundation With Mulch Bed
I am getting small amounts of water in my basement after large quantities of rain. I think the issue is related to a slight negative slope around part of the foundation where water is seeping in. I want to try to build the slope up around this…
Jakkwylde
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What is considered a "cool climate" for cool climate plants? Can these plants better survive temporary frost?
Is a "cool climate" one that doesn't freeze? Is it one that doesn't freeze until such-and-such a month? Or is it one where the temperature almost always stays above freezing?
Related to this, would "cool climate" plants have a resistance to…
Peach
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What are some quick growing, flowering, climbing/vine plants that can be grown from a container garden (USDA zone 6)? What is a good time to start?
My main gardening space is a paved area in front of my house surrounded by a white picket fence. I planted a few vegetable and herb seeds in containers there this summer, and from seeing the failing-yet-still-pretty pumpkin vines creeping along the…
Sarah
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Can anybody identify these small, red insects?
What kind of bugs are these? Are they good or bad for plants? Do they bite?
xpda
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How do I get tender green beans?
We have successfully grown a nice crop of green beans this year, but in contrast to store-bought beans the skin is quite tough.
Is there a trick to cultivating more tender beans? Or is it a matter of which breed we use?
Alex Feinman
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2 answers
What should I do after a pepper plant has partly broken under its own weight?
So, I'm sitting here on my computer and get the life scared out of me by a horrible cracking, rustling, thudding sound. I turn to find one of my peppers plants has broken - apparently one of the upper sections has just ripped off under it's own…
DMA57361
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3 answers
What are some tall, narrow perennials suited for dry soils, sun & shade?
I have an herb garden that stays quite dry. Although this garden is in the notoriously wet Pacific Northwest (USDA zone 8a), it is against a two story south-facing brick wall, under a large overhang, and in a sandy soil. Combining that with our…
Eric Nitardy
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What are these blemishes on the skin of my bell peppers?
I've noticed the following on two of my oldest bell-peppers, also called capsicum (the third pepper of that "batch" had almost finished going red and ripening instead):
It's not "on" the surface - I can't scrape it off - but it can be felt on the…
DMA57361
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12
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What is the best time and method for planting cauliflowers / broccoli in a southern US climate with frosts?
Inspired by the various brassicas questions, I was thinking of trying to grow some. Choosing something that I would eat, I'm thinking of either broccoli and/or cauliflower.
From what I have been able to read about growing them in a N.Texas climate,…
winwaed
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3 answers
How much time does clover need to establish before winter?
I'm planting Mammoth Red Clover as a cover crop -- it will grow all next year in a couple of my garden beds, and I'll plow it under the following spring (~18 months from now). I'd like to get it started this fall, but I'm wondering: how much time…
bstpierre
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