Gardening and Plant Thread

[AnOminous]

Anyone here have any basil advice? I have a small indoor plant that's doing ok, it's frail but still kicking. I water it and try to get it sunlight, planter is normal sized for how big the plant is so I don't got a clue why it's so weak.

Fish emulsion. Bitches love fish emulsion. I also usually try to use either newspaper or some other kind of mulch, or even plastic trash bags, to keep any other plants away from the basil. Last year my basil suffered tragically because of unseasonable weather but it generally thrives.

Don't overdo the fertilizer. You can easily dilute small amounts of fish emulsion and get explosive growth. Unlike the pure nitrogen-based chemical fertilizers, you won't really burn the plants with too much, but it doesn't help. Also it stinks like Satan's asshole.

Oh and needless to say you should probably save the fish emulsion for after it's outside because you seriously don't want the stench of this stuff indoors.

 

[Alex Hogendorp]

For Christmas 2021. I got seeds for Jalapeno, Habanero and Ghost Peppers. I am planning to buy more seeds and I am thinking about starting a garden.
I might have to place my Christmas Projectors on the other side of the yard.

 

[River possum]

I have a big mimosa tree in my backyard that I really love, and I was thinking about getting seeds from it when the pods form and making a bonsai tree from them. Do any of you have experience in this?

 

[NoReturn]

I have a big mimosa tree in my backyard that I really love, and I was thinking about getting seeds from it when the pods form and making a bonsai tree from them. Do any of you have experience in this?

Not me, but bonsai-express has a whole article on it: https://www.bonsai-express.com/bonsai-species/bonsai-trees/mimosa-bonsai-care/

 

[River possum]

Not me, but bonsai-express has a whole article on it: https://www.bonsai-express.com/bonsai-species/bonsai-trees/mimosa-bonsai-care/

Perfect thank you!! Gorgeous vid as well so relaxing

 

[thyme]

Wanted to share my setup since it's been working well for me. No yard plus a cat that eats plants, so I had to get creative. Used an old 29 gallon aquarium we had lying about (sidenote, water from freshwater aquarium water changes is great for your plants- only wish my resident fish person would remember to save me some more often)


They're a bit scrappy looking since I had moved them from a 10 gal to the 29 not too long ago, but they've been perking up since. Aquarium light with a built in timer so I don't forget to give them light. Reptile mister for easy watering access. My cat knows to sit and wait in front of the tank every morning for her daily blade of cat grass.

It's not a real garden, but you can always start up with what you can and still learn and get enjoyment out of it. Next time I would use a bigger water drainage layer at the bottom, I didn't have enough stones on hand when I transferred to the bigger tank

 

[Spitz]

I'm three weeks in to growing some pepper starters. I've got Habanero, Joe's Long Cayenne, Ausilio Thin Skin, and Georgia Flame. The emergence rate wasn't what I had hoped for, but that's because I packed the soil too tightly and let it harden too much on top in the beginning. I've been hardening the plants outside for the past ten days and they're handling the transition well. I should be transplanting to slightly larger containers in a few more weeks.

 

[AnOminous]

I'm three weeks in to growing some pepper starters. I've got Habanero, Joe's Long Cayenne, Ausilio Thin Skin, and Georgia Flame.

I'm probably going to punk out like I did last year and just buy from a nursery. I'm thinking ghosts, habaneros, jalapenos, and in honor of nool, banana peppers (actually I usually grow those). That and a couple basil plants.

(The ghost from last year I tried to overwinter died because I waited too long to bring it inside and it got hit by a light frost. It seemed to be turning the corner after a couple of weeks but then just all of a sudden completely died. I think my choice of location had poor lighting too.)

 

[Spitz]

I'm probably going to punk out like I did last year and just buy from a nursery. I'm thinking ghosts, habaneros, jalapenos, and in honor of nool, banana peppers (actually I usually grow those). That and a couple basil plants.

(The ghost from last year I tried to overwinter died because I waited too long to bring it inside and it got hit by a light frost. It seemed to be turning the corner after a couple of weeks but then just all of a sudden completely died. I think my choice of location had poor lighting too.)

I'm going to buy cayenne, reaper, and banana pepper plants from a nursery once they're in stock because I couldn't get any seeds locally. I've never tried over-wintering any pepper plants, but I might try it depending on how things go at the end of the season.

The herbs I over-wintered went to hell with the exception of my marjoram. I couldn't get my rosemary to flower, and now it's drying up mere weeks before I'd be able to get it back outside and properly nourished. The thyme plants look terrible.

The cayenne will get turned into powder in the fall, and the rest will be fermented for either hot sauce or to put in bread and other dishes. I'm looking forward to fermenting banana peppers.

I'm not a big enough fan of basil to grow it, but I have grown Thai basil in the past, and it turned out really well. It didn't have any problems with bugs or disease, and it had a tangy, almost spicy flavor that is lighter than traditional basil after being dehydrated.

 

[AnOminous]

I'm not a big enough fan of basil to grow it, but I have grown Thai basil in the past, and it turned out really well. It didn't have any problems with bugs or disease, and it had a tangy, almost spicy flavor that is lighter than traditional basil after being dehydrated.

I have a sentimental attachment to basil, so generally grow it every year even if I grow nothing else. I usually go for sweet basil, as it is the specific herb I love. I will throw in a Thai basil if I am growing many basil plants, but I usually just grow one or two.

 

[Aunt Carol]

Every year I remind the mint it's supposed to be invasive, and yet I still don't have my 100% mint lawn. It's doing better than the grape hyacinths and the lilies of the valley and the St. John's Wort, but that's not saying much. I buy the "naturalizers" that have the longest "will not ship to" lists, but nope, everything just stays where it's planted and the grass is still in control.

Lemon balm might be making a go for it, though. I keep finding little lemon balm plants in the middle of the yard, so I've been moving them to the edges so I can semi-avoid mowing them. One day.

 

[River possum]

Wanted to share my setup since it's been working well for me. No yard plus a cat that eats plants, so I had to get creative. Used an old 29 gallon aquarium we had lying about (sidenote, water from freshwater aquarium water changes is great for your plants- only wish my resident fish person would remember to save me some more often)
View attachment 5066404
View attachment 5066403
They're a bit scrappy looking since I had moved them from a 10 gal to the 29 not too long ago, but they've been perking up since. Aquarium light with a built in timer so I don't forget to give them light. Reptile mister for easy watering access. My cat knows to sit and wait in front of the tank every morning for her daily blade of cat grass.
View attachment 5066414
It's not a real garden, but you can always start up with what you can and still learn and get enjoyment out of it. Next time I would use a bigger water drainage layer at the bottom, I didn't have enough stones on hand when I transferred to the bigger tank

I never thought about using my aquarium water for my plants, great idea!

 

[Freya]

Kabocha squash germinated today. squash is easy

 

[SphinxItOver]

Garden update: Will be adding six more 12ft beds to the 500sqft garden and building a 2ft x 26ft bed along the fence line for melons. Harvesting mustard, spinach, lettuce, mint and onions every other day or so. Peas are flowering so I expect to add them, radishes, and kale to the mix soon. Re-seeded peppers are popping up along with basil, parsley, 7 kinds of corn, honeydew, cantalope, rattlesnake watermelon and my first time trying brussle sprout. Tomatoes, tomatillos, beans, potatoes, zucchinis, and squash are enjoying the rain. Will need to transplant egg plants soon. Celery, cabbage, cauliflower, chard are doing meh, but I expect them to perk up after a few days full of rain. The white bok choy is full on bolting/dying and I'm probably just going to pull and replace them with more purple bok choy or something else. Pests ate my pumpkin seeds and peanuts that I was stupid and direct sowed so now I'm restarting them inside and reconsidering my plans to direct sow cukes.

Spoiler: plant pics

harvest: hand sized spinach and arm length mustard next to mint.

4ft and growing pea plants putting out flowers. mint with a 1ft and 2ft tall mammoth sunflowers in front.

eggplant starts, parsley, basil, peppers with brussels sprout

peas on fence, spinach, radish+turnip, multiple lettuce varieties, kale, bok choy, and zucchinis and squash along fence.

tomatoes, potatoes, beans, radish starts and a celery

raspberries coming back up, near decade old sage I keep pulling starts and seed off of is flowering. I use the stones to weigh down supple new limbs into the soil to force rooting. Then i can cut the attached limb and give the 'new' start away.

already killing sugar ants looking to farm aphids with my traps. 5 part sugar to 1 part borax.

Every year I remind the mint it's supposed to be invasive, and yet I still don't have my 100% mint lawn.

If you want it to spread: lay the edge plants of the mint flat on the ground in the direction of desired spread then bury them and several inches outwards in loose moist compost+mulch. I've noticed that peppermint is more aggressive than spearmint and chocolate or lemon mint is content to just stay in place if you don't assist.

Kabocha squash germinated today. squash is easy

Do you hear the squash bugs yet? They are coming....

 

[Freya]

are squash bugs that bad?

 

[NoReturn]

I never thought about using my aquarium water for my plants, great idea!

You can also use watered-down blood and milk!

 

[SphinxItOver]

are squash bugs that bad?

They will kill your plants, ruin the flowers, stunt or kill the produce. They reproduce like motherfuckers and once you get them it's very difficult to get rid of them. If you're the one house in the neighborhood with a garden or your fellow gardeners don't control for them, you WILL get squash bugs. Chemicals are expensive, cause irritation, kill beneficial insects and barely work. I haven't found a predator that prefers them over other pests. I grow every cucurbita plant up a fence or trellis (that will let me) and go out every morning with a pooter to check the plant bases and flowers for the damn things because I don't have the space for trap crops and the weather is fickle with helping.

Sucks bugs up into a trap. Be careful to not confuse the pooter with a pooner, flatulence, or computer.

 

[HERE YOU GO]

i cut the top of a pineapple from the store and started growing it.
pineapple tops carry a lot of moisture that cause mold, this was the first one i've kept dry enough to take root.
( plant is not purple, the purple is a light from a grow tent )


growing trays of strawberries, they stopped flowering for awhile but i fixed the problem.
i let bananas fruit and skins soak in closed gallons of water for a few days, then i sieved the bananas out.
i watered the strawberries with it and they have promptly started making flowers again.


grew a handful of radishes from one seed packet from the store. how much does one packet make?
only about 6 of them produced radishes while every other seed flowered without making any radishes.
i'm waiting for the radishes to make more seeds so i can have a solid amount of young seeds that wont flower next season.

I'm going to buy cayenne, reaper, and banana pepper plants from a nursery once they're in stock because I couldn't get any seeds locally. I've never tried over-wintering any pepper plants, but I might try it depending on how things go at the end of the season.

The herbs I over-wintered went to hell with the exception of my marjoram. I couldn't get my rosemary to flower, and now it's drying up mere weeks before I'd be able to get it back outside and properly nourished. The thyme plants look terrible.

The cayenne will get turned into powder in the fall, and the rest will be fermented for either hot sauce or to put in bread and other dishes. I'm looking forward to fermenting banana peppers.

I'm not a big enough fan of basil to grow it, but I have grown Thai basil in the past, and it turned out really well. It didn't have any problems with bugs or disease, and it had a tangy, almost spicy flavor that is lighter than traditional basil after being dehydrated.

i dry peppers from the store or garden on a window sill and end up with a looooot of pepper seeds, more than they give you from small store bought packets.
if you do this, don't store them until they -completely- dry or you'll get mold.
once the top dries like a rock, it can be stored for a couple years and seeds preserve best in a dark area without light.

Fish emulsion. Bitches love fish emulsion. I also usually try to use either newspaper or some other kind of mulch, or even plastic trash bags, to keep any other plants away from the basil. Last year my basil suffered tragically because of unseasonable weather but it generally thrives.

Don't overdo the fertilizer. You can easily dilute small amounts of fish emulsion and get explosive growth. Unlike the pure nitrogen-based chemical fertilizers, you won't really burn the plants with too much, but it doesn't help. Also it stinks like Satan's asshole.

Oh and needless to say you should probably save the fish emulsion for after it's outside because you seriously don't want the stench of this stuff indoors.

fish emulsion is very stinky and very good for plants.
i've seen people use fish flakes or fish food pellets as an alternative fish emulsion.
drying and shredding a fish would also work if raw emulsion is difficult, however drying fish is also stinky and takes more time than raw emulsion.

 

[Spitz]

i dry peppers from the store or garden on a window sill and end up with a looooot of pepper seeds, more than they give you from small store bought packets.

I dry peppers out at the end of the season for powder, and I've saved seeds in the past, but since I keep all of my plants in the same area then those seeds are probably hybrids instead of original strain. I might find a spot for one of the reapers that's away from the other plants so I can collect seeds.

I got some more starters to emerge and a Georgia Flame came up with a tricotyledon. I'd never seen that before.

 

[NoReturn]

I dislike this spinich I have. It doesn't grow very fast and I don't much like spinich anyway.
Any fun experiments I could learn?