What is that white foamy stuff I saw dripping off all the leaves in a forest in Northern California and then again on some of the plants around Whistler, Canada? My first thought was bird droppings, but it seems a little too insubstantial for that. A few people thought maybe it was sap or pollen. Does anybody know for sure?
posted by willnot
on Jul 12, 2007 -
9 answers
It's July, I'm in central North Carolina (Zone 7 or 8 depending who you ask), and I have an unused, mostly shaded 3' x 6' dirt plot at the side of our front lawn that I'd love to put some color in to brighten the neighborhood. What can I plant there now that'll give me the most color through the fall? Annual or perennial, bonus points for drought-tolerant but that's not essential).
posted by mediareport
on Jul 2, 2007 -
5 answers
Curtain-like, wall hanging, transparent plastic, self watering planter I can no longer find on the internet.
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posted by machaus
on Jun 21, 2007 -
1 answer
PlantFilter: Can someone suggest a way for me to keep the surface under my house plants dry?
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posted by zackola
on Jun 20, 2007 -
7 answers
would my window sill plants benefit from enclosing them and ramping up co2 levels?
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posted by nihlton
on Jun 17, 2007 -
6 answers
After years of renting apartments, I have moved up in the world: I am now renting a house. Strangely, the house comes with small organic green things projecting from the ground. Having never been responsible for a lawn before, I don't really know what to do with it. I also have two, I don't know, shrubs (I think). One is low growing, thick, with branches that kind of double as rhizomes, and one might be a juniper. As you can see, I'm pretty clueless. What do I need to know/what must I do/what must I buy to take good care of my lawn and it's various planty inhabitants?
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posted by arcticwoman
on Mar 31, 2007 -
17 answers
I recently purchased a three- to four-foot Dracaena Massangea, or corn plant. I have a moisture meter gauge that I use to determine whether my plants need to be watered or not (it has two metal prongs that you put into the soil, and a red, yellow or green light goes on to signal whether the soil is moist or not.) The gauge works great with all my other plants, but with the corn plant, the gauge never indicates that the soil is dry. I have now gone weeks without watering the corn plant, and the gauge still says the soil is sufficiently moist near the roots. The plant looks fine, but what gives? How often should a corn plant of this size be watered?
posted by zembla3
on Mar 9, 2007 -
5 answers
Could you water plants with heavy water? What would be the effect? Would they survive/thrive?
posted by barrakuda
on Feb 22, 2007 -
5 answers
Any help identifying
this plant? It's a shrub about 10' high and the photo shows what it looks like in October in New England. Bonus points if you can provide a reference about whether it's poisonous or not.
posted by cocoagirl
on Oct 30, 2006 -
9 answers
I'm looking to buy a few dwarf citrus trees as a gift. Can anyone offer tips on what/where to buy online?
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posted by veggieboy
on Oct 13, 2006 -
8 answers
Help me make my new basement room feel like a non-basement room. Specifically, paint, lighting, and other decorating ideas.
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posted by PercussivePaul
on Aug 30, 2006 -
10 answers
Lawn alternatives! Has anyone here tried replacing their high-maintenance grass lawn with an alternative lawn? I've read about some of the no-mow lawn grass types, and I understand other people simply let the moss and clover grow. Have you seen a lawn like this? How did you like it?
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posted by agropyron
on Aug 7, 2006 -
28 answers
I've been battling a spider mite infestation on my Angel Datura tree, which lives outside year round. I've tried a few different remedies, but nothing seems to work for very long.
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posted by unknowncommand
on Aug 2, 2006 -
7 answers
A two-parter. Is it _really_ possible to train a cat? And if not, what kind of houseplants should I get that my cat can chew on and not regurgitate (as much?) ?
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posted by rexruff
on Jul 31, 2006 -
24 answers
Is my rose bush dead? Last fall I didn't prune back my rose bushs. This spring 3 of them finally turned green after I pruned back some of the dead wood, but the last one (a climbing rose) is still seemingly dead sticks. Each one has successfully grown for years, never w/ much consistency in pruning, but now I have 2 feet of dead sticks on the remaining bush. How do I know if I should give up on it? Does it have a chance next year? I'm in Colorado in zone 5, for what it's worth.
posted by artifarce
on May 30, 2006 -
4 answers
Houseplant recommendations, please. I want a "columnar" plant to sit in front of my floor-stand-mounted speakers, hiding the ugly black-poled void. In other words, what houseplants a) sit in a ~10" pot and b) have a "columnar" display rising straight up for 2.5-3 feet? The plants will get bright reflected light, but almost no direct sun.
posted by Moistener
on Mar 29, 2006 -
6 answers
Dumb gardener filter: What can I do to help protect my big hibiscus plant from the frost tonight? This is the first frost all winter. I've been told to just throw a twin sized bed sheet over the whole plant. Is it that simple?
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posted by cavalier
on Feb 13, 2006 -
8 answers
Given an airtight room with bright enough lights to fuel photosynthesis, how many plants would it take to provide an average person, at rest, with sufficient oxygen (assuming it is possible at all).
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posted by lucasks
on Jan 12, 2006 -
7 answers
I need seed catalog suggestions for my mom. She just bought a few acres in New Mexico and is trying to find a worthwhile activity to occupy her time, so I suggested gardening. She's not online, so I need catalogs from companies from which I can request print catalogs to be sent to her. Personally, I'm interested in obscure/rare, heirloom, and medicinal plants. I need suggestions. Thanks!
posted by theperfectcrime
on Dec 31, 2005 -
20 answers
Certain palm trees in the San Francisco area tend to have their palms tied upwards for a while after they're replanted in an urban setting (they're full grown already). I think this has to do with encouraging the roots to grow downward rather than sideways (and disturbing the concrete around them) by not allowing the palms to drip water in a wider circle around the base of the tree but I can't find any information to corroborate this theory. Can anyone with tree-fu help me out with a link or two?
posted by authenticgeek
on Dec 11, 2005 -
3 answers
If someone were interested in building a greywater wetland on their property, what sort of plants would be required?
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posted by purephase
on Oct 13, 2005 -
5 answers
I'm trying to get rid of some ugly, dying ferns in my backyard. I'm digging them up the best I can, but should I be worried about the coming back and what hints and tips do you have about removing ferns?
posted by my sock puppet account
on Oct 8, 2005 -
8 answers
What do you call this
thorny plant I found growing outside the Smithsonian Castle in DC? My Google-fu fails me.
posted by brownpau
on Sep 24, 2005 -
7 answers
