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

[Lichen Bark]

if i go to a forrrested area can i literally grab a few handfuls and mix them in with the rotting leaves?

The way I figure it is that the fungus in the forest has adapted to breaking down leaves, so if you go to a forest and find a nice undisturbed spot that looks covered in leaves, then move them aside and grab the rotting sticks, some leaves, and a scoop of dirt, then put that as a base, before the new leaves go on top, it might help speed up leaf decomposition overall by seeding the new area with the right life. If your soil needs some organic matter leaves are a good source. Of all the mulches leaves are really good at suppressing weeds. Even if they didn't have all the other benefits, the weed suppression alone is a good reason enough for me to use them.

I think our gardening philosophies are similar. I usually grow bush of chamomile to attract pollinators early on in the spring, and then a borage bush to bring them in during the summer. Chamomile tends to self seed every year in the same area you planted it in. Although you can save the really mature flowers (almost falling apart) as they contain all the teeny, tiny seeds and replant those later. You can also make tea with the younger flowers if you feel so inclined. Borage seeds are easy to save, they appear exactly where the nice blue flower was, you just need to wait for them to be black before you collect them. You can use the flowers in summer drink as a garnish, or to decorate a cake if you like that girly stuff.

Borage


Chamomile

The chamomile will also feed adult parasitoid flies, these flies lay their eggs on aphids, and the larvae eat them once hatched. The adult fly only eats nectar though.

 

[Jacinda Ardern IRL]

Two questions:
1) anyone ever let their front lawn go to native plants and just give up on grass?
2) does it make you an asshole neighbor if you do?

Grass HATES my front yard. It's okay in the back where we have shade, but it does not tolerate drought-like conditions in the front - for what's it's worth, my plant that thrives in the front yard most is a cactus.

It is a constant effort of weeding and lots of water to keep grass alive in the front. However lots of the "weeds" are actually native wildflowers that grow close to the ground, cover the ground, and can be mowed like grass. I kind of want to just let them do their thing and stop wasting so much energy on grass I don't care about, but is that socially acceptable? I have some neighbors who clearly also don't care about their yards, but some are still putting all the effort in to weeding and caring for their grass. I'm conflicted.

 

[NoReturn]

Two questions:
1) anyone ever let their front lawn go to native plants and just give up on grass?
2) does it make you an asshole neighbor if you do?

Maybe it's just me, or maybe the sentiment is changing more generally, but I think if you DON'T do that, then you're kind of an asshole if you live in certain areas.
Not all parts of the country have the environment or water supply for lawns. Xeriscaping and natural plants are far better, for example, in desert environments, than trying to grow shitty dry grass and pissing away water on it for no goddamn reason.
In other climates, if you're unwilling to go "full garden" with natural plants, you can still do things like a clover lawn instead. I have one I go by on a regular basis and it always looks much better than the neighbors' yards, and stays nice and green later in the year. (I also think the little flowers look cute, and add a nice "texture" to the space.)

 

[Jacinda Ardern IRL]

Maybe it's just me, or maybe the sentiment is changing more generally, but I think if you DON'T do that, then you're kind of an asshole if you live in certain areas.
Not all parts of the country have the environment or water supply for lawns. Xeriscaping and natural plants are far better, for example, in desert environments, than trying to grow shitty dry grass and pissing away water on it for no goddamn reason.
In other climates, if you're unwilling to go "full garden" with natural plants, you can still do things like a clover lawn instead. I have one I go by on a regular basis and it always looks much better than the neighbors' yards, and stays nice and green later in the year. (I also think the little flowers look cute, and add a nice "texture" to the space.)

I think it's times changing, but slowly- the people who still spend effort on the grass tend to be boomer aged - but also whenever construction companies do work and tear up a lawn, they always replace it with fresh, boring sod afterwards. It still seems like the default still.

I definitely like the look of the different assortment of plants as ground cover instead of the Kentucky bluegrass monoculture that doesn't want to be there.

I've seen a lawn the owner gave up on by putting down astroturf instead of any real plant at all, and it looks significantly worse than even a patch of dirt would.

 

[Aunt Carol]

Two questions:
1) anyone ever let their front lawn go to native plants and just give up on grass?
2) does it make you an asshole neighbor if you do?

Kind of, in stages. I don't water, I transplant self-heal in the wet months, and overseed with clover. Still gotta mow to keep the grass from going to seed, but the self-heal stays low (and still blooms) and has deeper roots. Also planting squills and snowdrops and star of Bethlehem in lawn holes from digging up the bad weeds (anything that will turn into prickly seeds later).

I said it before but I really should have sacked up and killed the grass with plastic and later cardboard first, but by the time I realized this I had already sunk a ton of plants and time into edging the grass out. Oh, well.

If you're worried about your neighbors getting on your case, there are tons of yard sign options, in various degrees of sanctimony, that you can put up to get ahead of them.

 

[AnOminous]

Two questions:
1) anyone ever let their front lawn go to native plants and just give up on grass?
2) does it make you an asshole neighbor if you do?

Do you actually talk to your neighbors? I'm lucky enough to live somewhere that's still normal, but it's always worth asking.

 

[anliteralidiot]

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.

See, I'm OK about meddling when they're big and not showing obvious signs of problems. My string of hearts is getting too long, my hawthornia cuspidata looks splendid, and my black rose aeonium got knocked over by a cat, so some leaves are bent but he's alive!

But seedlings, and my ping? They're so small I'm constantly hovering. I'm already a terrible meddler when it comes to chicken eggs. I take the eggs out of the incubator to check them, I stress over hatch dates, and until I see a sure sign that they're OK I worry. Same thing with my plants: I'm gonna worry until I'm sure they're OK.

And my succulent picks have started growing legs!! I don't know what most of them are, but I know one is an echeveria!

 

[SlaanyChaser]

If anyone is wondering what borage flowers taste like, it's like cucumber. You can eat the leaves too if you rub the little spines off.

I saw this fucking massive unit of a toad in my garden after seeing some little ones so I put out a saucer of water and tipped a few pots over so they have little homes now. Hop on, toad frens.

 

[one_time_user]

SOOOOOOO, I am not allowed to get new plants right now and the next new plants I get will likely be fall plantings outdoors. However, the place I get the majority of my indoor plants is having one of their ridiculous sales. 40% off new arrivals (and they're pretty cheap to begin with).
https://planterina.com/collections/new-arrivals-new?page=1 enter code BREATHE at checkout. They've always shipped really well, none of my plants from there have died so far (and I have moved since my last purchase) and no buggies.

 

[Jacinda Ardern IRL]

Do you actually talk to your neighbors? I'm lucky enough to live somewhere that's still normal, but it's always worth asking.

I talk to a lot of them - I've apologized for my weedy yard before, and none of them have had any problem with it. I might be overthinking, but I'm worried they might just not say something out of politeness when it actually does bother them.

 

[Aunt Carol]

I might be overthinking, but I'm worried they might just not say something out of politeness when it actually does bother them.

If you're really worried, you could go after anything pointy or prickly, and also pop the heads off of dandelions before they go to seed and blow into your neighbors' yards. Actively plant native wildflowers to make it a little obvious that it's intentional.

 

[Lichen Bark]

Two questions:
1) anyone ever let their front lawn go to native plants and just give up on grass?
2) does it make you an asshole neighbor if you do?

1. Yes, all I hear is bees when I walk to the garden, I love watching them, one of my neighbors keeps bees. I almost want to make my own honey, almost...but I think I have enough to deal with right now, (maybe in the future). Sometimes it's nice to keep the borders tidy still, so you could cut, and do the trimming along the fence/edge of the lawn, but let the middle grow out. You can also get creative and have "grass" at different heights. Partly cut, partly native flowers, kind of ease into it. Leave some circles uncut as "gardens." I do eventually cut things, but I wait until the native flowers have gone to seed. That way you can get even more next year!

2. I don't think you're an asshole, God help you if there is a home owners association though.

 

[Aunt Carol]

2. I don't think you're an asshole, God help you if there is a home owners association though.

Some city bylaws also specify a height that grass and weeds can get to before the City comes out and charges you for an abatement.

Usually it's at least a couple of feet, though, and there isn't a weedwacker cop driving around with a yardstick. Your neighbors would have to actively rat you out to Code Enforcement.

 

[NoReturn]

pop the heads off of dandelions

And make them into tea! It's really good tea.
You can make dandelion jam, too.
If you pull the whole dandelion out you can roast the roots to make an earthy tea-ish drink (kind of like Mormon coffee) and the leaves can be salads.

 

[s0mbra]

Pineapple update. Banana for scale.

The stem snapped right at the base of the fruit before it got too big, but despite it's size it was actually pretty tasty! A little more tart than sweet, but reallllllllly juicy!

I snipped the crown and am going to try and propagate it again! I was also gifted a tiny pink decorative pineapple. I'm assuming it propagates the same way and snipped the fruit off and peeled a couple leaves off but I don't see the little root nubbins like on the big one. Guess time will tell.

I plan on trying sweet potatoes next food wise.

PSA: poison ivy can fuck off. Praise to the tecnu gods.

I don't have poison ivy around here but I've removed an epic fuckton of Virginia creeper. Total Virginia creeper death. Poor poison on Virginia creeper, decapitate Virginia creeper, stomp Virginia creeper into the dirt, set fire to.........

Pothos and wandering jew + anything you want to propagate = Faster root growth

Does this work with water propagation too? Or just in dirt?

look for fallen leaves when you're at plant store. If it fell off naturally, it's free game. Don't pick them or hurt the plant, but if it's been knocked off naturally it's a gift from the faeries. It would be rude to reject it.

One of my favorite succulents came from exactly this. Found a big ass leaf at the bottom of some scummy water filled barrel at Walmart or something, it's huge and beautiful now! I enjoy growing succulents this way so it's actually my preferred method of getting succulents.

Also anyone have tips for snake plants? I water mine every other month and each time I do it kills a leaf. Just turns it to mish when I barely dribble water on it. So I just stopped watering it. I've done both watering from the bottom up, and just regularly from the top. It's indoors. I also snapped a leaf when replanting it. Almost all my other plants are props, gifts, or from the $1 racks at home Depot and stuff, but this big boi was a gift from someone special and it's so huge it goes up to my chest! I'd be devastated if something happened to it.

 

[glioblastoma multiforme]

The way I figure it is that the fungus in the forest has adapted to breaking down leaves, so if you go to a forest and find a nice undisturbed spot that looks covered in leaves, then move them aside and grab the rotting sticks, some leaves, and a scoop of dirt, then put that as a base, before the new leaves go on top, it might help speed up leaf decomposition overall by seeding the new area with the right life. If your soil needs some organic matter leaves are a good source. Of all the mulches leaves are really good at suppressing weeds. Even if they didn't have all the other benefits, the weed suppression alone is a good reason enough for me to use them.

I think our gardening philosophies are similar. I usually grow bush of chamomile to attract pollinators early on in the spring, and then a borage bush to bring them in during the summer. Chamomile tends to self seed every year in the same area you planted it in. Although you can save the really mature flowers (almost falling apart) as they contain all the teeny, tiny seeds and replant those later. You can also make tea with the younger flowers if you feel so inclined. Borage seeds are easy to save, they appear exactly where the nice blue flower was, you just need to wait for them to be black before you collect them. You can use the flowers in summer drink as a garnish, or to decorate a cake if you like that girly stuff.


The chamomile will also feed adult parasitoid flies, these flies lay their eggs on aphids, and the larvae eat them once hatched. The adult fly only eats nectar though.

do you have any theories on the type of forest? there's one i go to regularly that is a managed monoculture for timber, i feel like that's probably not the best. we must have some ancient foest nearby but i'd need to figure out where. am i overthinking this.

definitely going to try the borage and chamonile. i know borage grows in my locale cos i've seen it around. and anything that helps with aphids and/or blackfly is a big help. i was going mad spraying with water/washing up liquid to get rid of them. have seen a few ladybirds about, i think those help too so i'll have to look up how to encourage them.

one of my new dahlias has finally flowered!! and loads of buds ready to go, some of the other varieties are close to flowering too. i think the ones that flowered earlier were from last years tubers that i stored carefully over winter, so i guess just being a bit further on in their development might have made them flower earlier? gave them all a feed yesterday to help them along.

i actually hate being so into dahlias just cos it reminds me of the protagonist from Travels with my Aunt by Graeme Green who was just completely unlikeable. can anyone suggest a likeable person who'se into dahlias so i can have a better assoviation?

hopefully this pic works, attach files/insert images buttons still don't work for me on tor.

Edit: attach files works from my phone, but for some reason I can't see my failed bbcode attempts to remove so sorry for the slightly messy post.

 

[Trananarama]

Also anyone have tips for snake plants? I water mine every other month and each time I do it kills a leaf. Just turns it to mish when I barely dribble water on it. So I just stopped watering it. I've done both watering from the bottom up, and just regularly from the top. It's indoors.

Watering seems too infrequent - mine get watered every two weeks inside year-round and my environment is very dry. It's possible the roots are drying out for you so much that when you water they are shocked and waterlogged leading to the dropped leaves.

 

[s0mbra]

Watering seems too infrequent - mine get watered every two weeks inside year-round and my environment is very dry. It's possible the roots are drying out for you so much that when you water they are shocked and waterlogged leading to the dropped leaves.

When I first got it that's about how often I watered it. I can give it another go

 

[NoReturn]

Does this work with water propagation too? Or just in dirt?

100% works in water. I'm doing another "boquet" of cuttings in water as we speak, actually.

Also anyone have tips for snake plants? I water mine every other month and each time I do it kills a leaf. Just turns it to mish when I barely dribble water on it. So I just stopped watering it. I've done both watering from the bottom up, and just regularly from the top. It's indoors. I also snapped a leaf when replanting it. Almost all my other plants are props, gifts, or from the $1 racks at home Depot and stuff, but this big boi was a gift from someone special and it's so huge it goes up to my chest! I'd be devastated if something happened to it.

Try bottom-watering in a big bucket or tub.
I use a big collapsible bucket like this for mine:

I've got my snake plants in terracotta planters, and I put them in the bucket and let it soak for 1/2 or longer whenever they dry out and the leaves start looking wrinkled.
So it goes: Fully watered, fully dried out (pot feels light), fully soaked with saturated soil, repeat.

 

[Friend of Dorothy Parker]

I don't have poison ivy around here but I've removed an epic fuckton of Virginia creeper. Total Virginia creeper death. Poor poison on Virginia creeper, decapitate Virginia creeper, stomp Virginia creeper into the dirt, set fire to.........

Ha, I love Virginia Creeper! I think it's pretty. I'm unwisely letting some crawl up the side of my house rn. Do you know that in some locales (Virginia, ffs) , you can pay $15-20 for a little quart plant of it? I laughed, because I've got that shit growing everywhere. But I think it's nice so I just manage and redirect it when it gets out of hand (really gotta pull it off my house - it's on a shingles section, not stone/brick).

Question: rabbit and deer deterrents? Fucking deer demolished a couple of hydrangea (that were in the best, most flower-producing condition they've been in in 10 years, motherfuckers), and the bunnies who are here in full force now that my bunny-eating good boy doggo died last summer are decimating my hostas.