Your houseplants and gardens - Yellow leaf means underwatered AND overwatered?! What a country!

[MightyMorphin'Willbender]

This year is going too crazy for new gardening initiatives on my part but at least I'm still dreaming/researching about my goal of growing a real victory garden.

So as I look into one day planting more perennial vegetables, I stumbled recently across a farmer's market selling some Stinging Nettle and Sorrel. Bought them because hey, saves me the disappointment of growing something I end up not enjoying eating.

Sorrel definitely has some good potential (eastern european grandmas can't be wrong) but stinging nettle just had a awful texture overall stupid unkillable weeds need to taste good, goddammit .

 

[NoReturn]

stinging nettle just had a awful texture overall stupid unkillable weeds need to taste good, goddammit .

It's good as a painful-painkiller but you only need a handful of leaves to do that.

 

[bliblblblbbllb]

Today I found two varigated leaves while cutting back some sort of viney shit that is taking over the side of the house. I'm pressing the leaves in a book. I left the vine in hopes it'll grow more. Wild varigations make me hoot and holler like a caveman.

I walked around the whole yard like an autist in search of more pretty shinies.

For your admiration:

 

[GothicGalLover]

Look at this dude.

 

[Magicicada_septendecula]

I've rarely done well with plants, but there are a few that even thrive under my care. Currently I have a money tree and some other house plant I forget the species of (it sometimes grows a tiny deep red flower). Both survived the winter and I even repotted both because they're actually growing.
I also got some prickly pear cactus to grow from seed. The cactus I got thee seed from is one that has grown at my parents' place since I was 13 and itself was grown from a single pear taken from my grandfather's garden. Since seeing their flowers, I've been hoping to get one to grow from seed and finally got a few to sprout. Even up here they can grow like weeds so if I can get one to survive past being one of those little sprouts, I'll have one more plant I can't possibly kill.

 

[Londo]

I've rarely done well with plants, but there are a few that even thrive under my care. Currently I have a money tree and some other house plant I forget the species of (it sometimes grows a tiny deep red flower). Both survived the winter and I even repotted both because they're actually growing.
I also got some prickly pear cactus to grow from seed. The cactus I got thee seed from is one that has grown at my parents' place since I was 13 and itself was grown from a single pear taken from my grandfather's garden. Since seeing their flowers, I've been hoping to get one to grow from seed and finally got a few to sprout. Even up here they can grow like weeds so if I can get one to survive past being one of those little sprouts, I'll have one more plant I can't possibly kill.

A general piece of advice to help plants is to introduce small amounts of recyclable materials like egg shells or things like dry animal feed (avoid raw anything due to chance for fungus/bacteria outbreaks/attraction of insects).

I normally take my egg smells and put through a food processor and add the dust to the top layer.

Light and water are important but you also need to remember that in nature the soil constantly has a flow and additions of new nutrients that can't be emulated in artificial settings.

 

[GothicGalLover]

Speaking of natural flow of new nutrients that can't be emulated in artificial settings; I burn a lot of wood/woody plants that I clear from my property. Sometimes add in a bit of green/fresher plant matter like lawn trimmings
Should I be adding that in my soil mix every now and then? I've dumped a small amount of the ashes into my garden and other plants and they seem to be growing just fine.

 

[NoReturn]

Should I be adding that in my soil mix every now and then? I've dumped a small amount of the ashes into my garden and other plants and they seem to be growing just fine.

Yes. That's apparently how you made terra preta, too.

 

[Jacinda Ardern IRL]

Here to brag: I've picked DOZENS of dollars worth of raspberries from my backyard so far this year, and more are ripening as we speak! I also successfully grew some peas this year. Considering the inflation of food recently, maybe this year I'll break even on my garden expenses.

 

[anliteralidiot]

My manifesting worked, and today I found a piece of a string of pearls at a home improvement store. I got six pearls from it, and now I have them set up in my room to propagate. They're on spaghum moss, with my pothos rooting water, in a sealed container so it stays moist. And they're where I won't fuss over them and meddle them, which is the most important part.

I also found one string of dolphins? One dolphin? Just the singular little guy. I put it in with the pearls, just in case.

I should get a string of turtles and start a little aquarium.

 

[bliblblblbbllb]

I don't get it. My string of turtles hates life and grows incredibly slowly and I can't even touch it for fear it'll come apart, but my string of bananas grows like a weed. Planted in the same soil mix.

The string of bananas was sold as string of dolphins, but isn't. They're basically the same though: string of dolphins have the dolphim fin bump, the bananas are just one piece, like, wull, banana-shape.

What I've learned about both is, despite being succulants, they like humidity- but not being wet.

 

[Lichen Bark]

Here to brag: I've picked DOZENS of dollars worth of raspberries from my backyard so far this year, and more are ripening as we speak! I also successfully grew some peas this year. Considering the inflation of food recently, maybe this year I'll break even on my garden expenses.

I hope you are adjusting your estimation to account for organic raspberry prices. And then add another 10% on the price, because a home-grown berry probably has zero sprays used on it, versus an organic berry which could still technically have certain pest control compounds used on it. I bet you're into the hundreds of dollars if you account for this. Who knew these kinds of savings could taste this good. And, and don't forget your berries are picked at the peak of ripeness maximizing the potential nutrition....
Home Gardeners RISE UP!

 

[anliteralidiot]

...I have a pretty big collection of succulent bits I've found on the ground from my local Walmart and Home Depot. I'm just going to wait for them to grow legs, but I feel like a little crow, just picking them up and walking away

 

[bliblblblbbllb]

"THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME THIS CROW HAS DEALT WITH KNIVES" lol

I have never proplifted but I was at a coffeeshop with a ton of succulents and felt a little lingering urge.... I had traveled out of town and was there on a whim. I thought to myself, it would be a cool memento. I thought, I could probably just ask and they wouldn't probably care, just think I'm weird- but in the end I didn't. I don't like succulents that much, and it is weird they are the "trendy normie plant", I find them to be atypical in terms of care, picky, AND slow-growing. But people say the same about begonias and my begonia loves me and I love it and it has been nothing but an easy plant.

My bathroom shelf single-leaf cutting pothos, after growing feet and feet of roots that circle the mason jar, has finally succeeded in growing a second leaf, with a third on the way. I think I had the node too deep, it didn't like being underwater. Now I am on the lookout for a cool glass to transfer it to.

 

[Jacinda Ardern IRL]

"THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME THIS CROW HAS DEALT WITH KNIVES" lol

I have never proplifted but I was at a coffeeshop with a ton of succulents and felt a little lingering urge.... I had traveled out of town and was there on a whim. I thought to myself, it would be a cool memento. I thought, I could probably just ask and they wouldn't probably care, just think I'm weird- but in the end I didn't. I don't like succulents that much, and it is weird they are the "trendy normie plant", I find them to be atypical in terms of care, picky, AND slow-growing. But people say the same about begonias and my begonia loves me and I love it and it has been nothing but an easy plant.

My bathroom shelf single-leaf cutting pothos, after growing feet and feet of roots that circle the mason jar, has finally succeeded in growing a second leaf, with a third on the way. I think I had the node too deep, it didn't like being underwater. Now I am on the lookout for a cool glass to transfer it to.

I'm convinced there's two main types of plant people: the ones who are good at forgetting about their plants and neglecting them, and thus FANTASTIC at caring for succulents, and those who can't forget and like to fuss over their plants. These end up caring well for the fussy tropicals that need constantly moist soil. I guess there's also a third type in black thumbs who manage to fail at every plant regardless of its care needs.

Over time someone can become good at both, but I think everyone starts as one or the other.

 

[bliblblblbbllb]

I definitely like tropicals and begonias because of the amount of fussing there is to do. For some people plants are just decor and that's fine, but for me it's a hobby, so I like to dedicate a few hours per week, not a few minutes.

I'm not one of those "uwu I rescued a plant by purchasing it" people, but they had a bunch of begonias on fire sale because they looked like shit, so I bought one. I'm not super sure what type of pot is correct for it's habit. It's really spilling out of the nurserypot. Tuberous begonia. They say it's a shade plant, I never buy that. Or rather, "shade tolerant" doesn't mean it won't do better with more light.



I got some organic soil...... I'm planning to make a potted Walstad tank. First step is to repeatedly gravity-filter organic soil (must be organic so no additives leak into water)
Not going to have fish.... going to have little tiny shrimp. After the plants establish.

 

[Spitz]

It's put up a new shoot only five times in 30 years. This is from a 7' Norfolk Island Pine.

 

[glioblastoma multiforme]

tor is being janky as fuck for me so can't quote rght now, but i'm super interested in the forest leaf mulch stuff. i have a bag of leaves that are hoepfully turning into mulch right now, if i go to a forrrested area can i literally grab a few handfuls and mix them in with the rotting leaves?

parts of my gaarden are in desperate need for organic material so any other tips are gratefully received.

 

[NoReturn]

tor is being janky as fuck for me so can't quote rght now, but i'm super interested in the forest leaf mulch stuff. i have a bag of leaves that are hoepfully turning into mulch right now, if i go to a forrrested area can i literally grab a few handfuls and mix them in with the rotting leaves?

parts of my gaarden are in desperate need for organic material so any other tips are gratefully received.

You can always @ people like this: Hey @Lichen Bark! Glio wants to talk about leaves!

 

[glioblastoma multiforme]

You can always @ people like this: Hey @Lichen Bark! Glio wants to talk about leaves!

thanks for the heads up. i absolutely do want to talk about leaves with @Lichen Bark!, they seem much further along than me in understanding how the old generations bring in the new. i'd never considered bringing outside organisms to my little leaf mulching experiment but it makes so much sense as laid out here.

i'm currently experimenting with full cover plants, that will take up any space given to them, to avoid weeds. but i still have many weeds growing. i'm trying to grow mindfullly with a respect for all life and i hope my endeavours in mulching will encourage the 'good' plants to grow.

i feel like its important to grow my garden with nature, rather than fight against. i see many more pollinatng insects than i did my first year of having a garden, so i think that means my efforts are working.