Ask me anything you want to know about Gardening

a reply to: JAGStorm

I wonder if the marigolds will keep the aphids away.....

Nice to hear of fellow gardeners. I've been gardening on the same couple acres for twenty years and still masses to learn.

Four years ago, I started work in a nursery and was amazed that though I have books of trees and shrubs memorized, I knew almost nothing of veggies, herbs, and annuals. My knowledge of perennials was thorough but also, entirely memorized from books. In fact, I hardly grew any, unlike the massive collection of rhodos, camellias, trees and roses I gathered in two decades.

A little bit of latin, and suddenly I became the plant doctor at work and to be honest, half the time I don't know what is going on from the wimpy samples and descriptions people bring in and I fully admit it, but I should spend more time learning of local pests, soil conditions etc. I've always done a wing it approach, let a plant sit and sulk for a decade if need be, like one huge camellia I transplanted. Garden of tough love.

I hope lots of people take you up on the offer and that this becomes an interesting thread.

a reply to: JAGStorm

My mom has a lot of fruit trees. Her apples come out wrecked and inedible. They look like they have the pox. The cherries are great, sweet and bountiful. The fig tree is highly producing and my treasure. The peaches are always hard. The plum tree is also a fail.

ok. solve my problem. lol

originally posted by: Macenroe82
a reply to: JAGStorm

I have a prickly pear cactus sharing a 1.2 ft planter with hens and chicks (succulents)

My cactus turned purplish on some of its arms, but my succulents look phenomenal.
What is the best watering schedule for them? Can they all be watered at the same time?

I’m currently watering them about once every week to week and a half.
Do I need to water more often?
Or even less in the winter?

They are both succulents and can be watered in the same manner, but I think you are watering too often.
I water mine about once a month. I actually put it in the sink and absolutely soak it and let it drain out.

As far as prickly pear they are actually quite tolerant of cold. I got my first one in Northern Illinois, they grew outside year round without any issue. Weird right, even with all the snow and cold.

originally posted by: TheAlleghenyGentleman
a reply to: JAGStorm

My mom has a lot of fruit trees. Her apples come out wrecked and inedible. They look like they have the pox. The cherries are great, sweet and bountiful. The fig tree is highly producing and my treasure. The peaches are always hard. The plum tree is also a fail.

ok. solve my problem. lol

Apple trees are a lot of work. You can do it organically but it is a ton of work. You have to use clay and do preventive things all season. If not going the organic route they absolutely need to be sprayed. Also, do they have scab looking things on them, or actual holes? If just on the surface it might be OK, fruit used to look like this in the old days. Ugly but still edible.

For the peach tree, reduce the number of fruit, and make sure the tree is well fertilized. You should have softer, larger fruit.

a reply to: JAGStorm

Yeah, I picked mine in Windsor Ontario, Canada.
They grow wild there as well.
It snows in the winter. They get about 2 months of freezing temps.

Okay , so watering too often.
Should I change it to ever 2 weeks? Once a month?

a reply to: igloo

Four years ago, I started work in a nursery and was amazed that though I have books of trees and shrubs memorized, I knew almost nothing of veggies, herbs, and annuals. My knowledge of perennials was thorough but also, entirely memorized from books. In fact, I hardly grew any, unlike the massive collection of rhodos, camellias, trees and roses I gathered in two decades.

If you ever get the chance, there is a garden in Florida called The Leu Gardens. It has the most impressive collection of camellias, lots of older ones. The botanical garden is very enchanting.

originally posted by: Macenroe82
a reply to: JAGStorm

Yeah, I picked mine in Windsor Ontario, Canada.
They grow wild there as well.
It snows in the winter. They get about 2 months of freezing temps.

Okay , so watering too often.
Should I change it to ever 2 weeks? Once a month?

Yes, water less and make sure you are using soil for succulents/cactus. Water should drain right out.

originally posted by: snowspirit
a reply to: JAGStorm

I wonder if the marigolds will keep the aphids away.....

Yes, but it must be the heirloom kind with scent. You can also use catnip to ward off aphids.

a reply to: JAGStorm

The trees look a million years old, yes.

I feel it is a lost cause I have no idea how to proceed.

Should I trim the branches of the peach tree or just the fruit itself? What type of fertilizer do I use? I was raised in Los Angeles in the 80's. I'm surprised I even know what a fruit tree is.

originally posted by: olaru12
I'm only allowed to grow 8 cannabis plants. What strain is the best for a large harvest to maximize my efforts?
And is Foxfarm all it's cracked up to be? And is worm castings, molasses and fish emulsion a good tea recipe as opposed to a compost tea?

S&F for a subject near and dear to my heart. My GF only grows asparagus for sale at the local farmers market on her 1/2 acre she only allows me a very limited space.

I’ve never grown cannabis. Wisconsin used to be one of the worlds producers of hemp. It still grows in some ditches, very similar.

This sounds crazy, but I think some of these plants do better with less “fussing”.

originally posted by: TheAlleghenyGentleman
a reply to: JAGStorm

The trees look a million years old, yes.

I feel it is a lost cause I have no idea how to proceed.

Should I trim the branches of the peach tree or just the fruit itself? What type of fertilizer do I use? I was raised in Los Angeles in the 80's. I'm surprised I even know what a fruit tree is.

Probably both. Most fruit trees respond well to pruning.

If it is a tree you want to keep/save I highly recommend going much further than advice I can give you.
Watch YouTube videos on how to hard prune.
You might even want to hire an arborist to come out and give you advice. Some old old fruit trees are not salvageable, some are but need massive pruning.

a reply to: JAGStorm

awww your advice was to hire advice.

That makes me sad.

Gotcha. Lost cause.

burn it down.

on it. When the police ask I will just say Jagstorm on ats said

BURN IT DOWN

originally posted by: TheAlleghenyGentleman
a reply to: JAGStorm

awww your advice was to hire advice.

That makes me sad.

Gotcha. Lost cause.

burn it down.

on it. When the police ask I will just say Jagstorm on ats said

BURN IT DOWN

Yup unfortunately even for me for some trees I have to pay for advice. Trees are not necessarily like growing a carrot or a flower. Some trees are worth saving, and you have to decide if it’s worth it to look into it.

a reply to: JAGStorm

thanx

a reply to: JAGStorm
I've let my rose bushes get too leggy. I need to prune them back, a good bit. When is the best time to do this? In cold weather when they're dormant, or in spring when they just start to grow?

originally posted by: new_here
a reply to: JAGStorm
I've let my rose bushes get too leggy. I need to prune them back, a good bit. When is the best time to do this? In cold weather when they're dormant, or in spring when they just start to grow?

Roses are my absolute favorite. I’m obsessed.

You can prune either time, but if you do it while dormant, protect the wound or bugs end up inside.

One year a worker ran over my most favorite rose with their truck. The entire bush went flat on the earth.
You know what happened? It grew bushier than ever, stems popped up vertically from the downed branches. I couldn’t believe it. So that might be another option. Pin some of the branches down, and cover them.

originally posted by: JAGStorm

originally posted by: new_here
a reply to: JAGStorm
I've let my rose bushes get too leggy. I need to prune them back, a good bit. When is the best time to do this? In cold weather when they're dormant, or in spring when they just start to grow?

Roses are my absolute favorite. I’m obsessed.

You can prune either time, but if you do it while dormant, protect the wound or bugs end up inside.

One year a worker ran over my most favorite rose with their truck. The entire bush went flat on the earth.
You know what happened? It grew bushier than ever, stems popped up vertically from the downed branches. I couldn’t believe it. So that might be another option. Pin some of the branches down, and cover them.

Thanks! How do I "protect the wounds?'

a reply to: new_here

How do I "protect the wounds?'

I thought I would jump right in and help here.

Bandages. Small ones. With nice small bows.

P

a reply to: new_here

White glue