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The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby fantasia » May 04, 2011 4:20 pm

Kat wrote:I don't have a clue what's wrong with this plant. I'm thinking that I may have overwatered. I watered yesterday and I'm waiting until tomorrow to water again. With the repotting, I wasn't sure how much to water and for how long. If there's something else wrong, could you let me know and what to do to try to fix it?

It just looks stressed to me. Nothing wrong with it at all. The one I snapped off a few weeks ago looked the same on the lower leaves but the top ones look fine. :)
Kat wrote:So maybe some fertilizer and some bug spray?
Didn't you tell me you fertilized them just a couple weeks ago? Make sure you're reading the directions so you don't over-fertilize (very easy to do) which can burn the plant roots and kill the plant.
Also, if you don't see bugs munching on the leaves, no need to apply bug spray either. I've successfully killed more plants applying spray than I have just letting the bugs eat the plants. 8-|

ETA: My sister is informing me that I am incorrect about the leaf blight. :P She says they're leaf miners which I've never heard of before. She may post here shortly to fill you in on all the gory details. If not, I'm sure Google can help you out.
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby Aravanna » May 04, 2011 5:18 pm

They are indeed leaf miners. They're bitty bugs that eat around in distinctive curvy patterns in a leaf. They're not usually not fatal to a plant... I'm not actually sure what product to suggest for this actually, most systemic insecticides aren't safe to use on anything edible. You could try seven dust but since the insects are physically inside the leaf you probably won't get good control.

I think Bayer has one systemic product marked for orchards and vegetables that would work but I can't remember the name of it, just where it is on the shelf at work. :ymblushing:

I hate pesticides anyhow. Just let the plant tough it out. :P

Aslanisthebest, I'm not actually familiar with that product. But from looking at their site, it's pretty much like starting your own plants from seed all in one kit. So it's most definitely just "instant" like they claim. It would just be fun to watch everything growing if you don't want instant gratification. :)
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby starkat » May 04, 2011 5:46 pm

I fertilized before I transplanted. I did a very light coating in the new pots, but not very heavy.

Thanks guys. As it's not a big deal, I'll leave it at where it is and go from there. I don't remember when they actually sprouted at this point.... mid March. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess they will reach maturity sometime between now and the end of this month?
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby DiGoRyKiRkE » May 04, 2011 6:56 pm

You might start getting some flowers by the end of this month, Kat (judging by the pictures you posted) but that's a big maybe. Even if you do get a good batch of flowers blooming, that first group of tomatoes to harvest seems to take FORVER, but once they start, they just keep coming and coming and coming. I'm not sure what the growing season is like down there, and how it compares with the one up here. But if a plant your size was in Ohio, it would have flowers within one month's time, and ripe tomatoes within two months time.

Just make sure that you water that thing like crazy once it starts making tomatoes. During 90 degree weather up here, I had to give each plant at least two gallons a day or they just wilt up, and those had in ground root systems, and weren't in pots!

Yours are definitely big enough to go into the ground at this point, Kat. Is that an option for you?
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby starkat » May 04, 2011 7:19 pm

Nope. I don't really have a location to plant them that would be full sun. The home owners association would likely fuss if I put them in the front flowerbed.

Thanks Digs.
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby DiGoRyKiRkE » May 05, 2011 8:29 am

Well then you might want to consider upgrading to larger pots. Because I can tell you right now that those pots will cause your tomatoes to become root-bound within a few weeks. Tomato plants have very deep long roots, and if they can't stretch out you'll never get anything off of them. The smallest tub that I've ever been able to grow a tomato in is a 25 gallon barrel. . . you might be able to do it with a smaller one, but I'm not sure.
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby fantasia » May 05, 2011 9:06 am

Depends on the tomato plant and the size of the tomatoes I think. I've seen tomatoes grown quite successfully in pots/planters MUCH smaller than 25 gallon barrels. But I'm no expert on what you actually need.
I too am going to try growing my two tomato plants in pots this year due to the fact that last year they got a TERRIBLE case of tomato blight and barely made it through June. Should be interesting. :)
To show off the awesomeness of the tomato plant, I thought I'd share a couple pictures.

A few weeks ago, I discovered one of my tomato plants had some pretty significant damage on its stalk and was causing the rest of the plant to look sick. I cut off the tomato just above the damage and stuck it in a jar of water....

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Here it is just over two weeks later....

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;))

In other news, the pepper plants in the greenhouse are putting on baby peppers like mad. My goal is to get them in the ground this weekend, along with the tomatoes, eggplant, and tomatillos. Don't know if I'll have enough time to plant all of them, but I'll sure give it a try!

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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby wolfloversk » May 05, 2011 9:32 am

:-o Tomato plants can do that?!! :-o I knew that works with lots of stuff but I never thought it worked with tomatos...

Unfortunately for me my parents forgot to water my plant at home which means its pretty much dead... :((

One of my plants here is also withering, but it's resprouting, cloning, whatever you want to call it too, so I'm trying to figure out the best thing to do for it... I'll try and attach some pics later, for advice. :-s

At least my cactus is doing well, that's what I like about cacti, you don't have to worry so much about forgetting to water them...
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby starkat » May 05, 2011 10:48 am

Digs, the guy I talked to about the pot size at Home Depot said that the only influence it would have would be that it may not grow as tall or produce quite as much as if it were in a bigger pot. I really can't afford anything larger than what I bought and the only place to plant anything in the backyard is in the shade or right in the path of the lawn mower where there is no possible way to get around it. That area also spends 80% of the day in shade.

So we shall see what happens.

Yeah wolfloversk, I have a tomato plant that I suspect got decapitated due to a tail wag. I probably should have put it in water longer, but I put it in water overnight and replanted it the next day. It's now growing again and producing new leaves. I think it had sprouted a few short roots just overnight. Or at least washed the dirt off what was left.
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby Aslanisthebest » May 05, 2011 6:01 pm

Digs, thank-you for that! There's a pretty little Garden store not far so I suppose I'll check with them.

Aravanna, from seeing the vegetables, most were kind of instant. (except for the cilantro, which took ages to sprout a tiny greenling.) So, they're the ones that have instant gratification or are they more wait and watch to grow?

After reading that tomato plants need bigger plants, it suddenly explains my faliure with one last summer. I cared for it for two or three months and it grew nearly 3 ft, but had a thin stalk and the leaves browned quickly despite the plant food I put in it: the biggest tub it was in was one of those family-pack ice cream tubs, which doesn't seem very big since we're talking 25 gallon pots... :P I'll try them again since I can transplant them out of doors safely, and with more valid seeds than the Buzzy's...
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby starkat » May 09, 2011 7:05 am

Got home yesterday to discover blooms on my two roma tomato plants. :)
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby DiGoRyKiRkE » May 09, 2011 9:08 am

Congratulations, Kat! That's awesome!!!! Got any new pictures?

I was finally able to spend some time gardening this weekend, and if felt SO good to get my hands in the soil again! Friday when I got home from school, Mom, Dad and I went to a huge local greenhouse to by some flowers. We bought 32 Impatiens plant (8 white, 8 pink, 8 red, and 8 purple). Six red wave petunias, six red and yellow pansies, and a Pam's choice Foxglove

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This greenhouse was much larger than the one that we usually frequent. So I decided to go out on a limb and ask them if they carried any Monkshood. The clerks had no idea what I was talking about, and couldn't find it in their directory. I told them to check under the scientific name Aconitum, and bam, there it was! I got the last one in stock!!!!!!!

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

I have been looking for this plant for YEARS, but people don't like to carry it because it is so highly toxic! Absolutely gorgeous though!

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I'm so thrilled that I've finally got one of these beauties!

Any ways, after that, we went to the greenhouse we usually visit. We got some white, pink, and purple cosmos, some pink and white begonias, some red salvia, some victory blue salvia, and some red verbena.

Later that weekend, I also went up and bought my mom a miniature pink rosebush for Mother's day.

Most of this stuff is still in our garage (most of the annuals at least). But the cosmos, begonias, one of the verbena, the monkshood, the foxglove, some dahlia bulbs we'd been storing, and the rosebush all got planted and mulched! I was happy, and the flower bed looks GREAT!
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby starkat » May 09, 2011 6:50 pm

Cool Digs!

Here ya go!

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This is the plant that was damaged and I ended up getting it replanted after a night in water.

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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby Aslanisthebest » May 09, 2011 8:26 pm

Digs, the foxgloves are sooo pretty! So's the Monkshood.

*admires starkat's tomato bloom pictures*

Yesterday I got the opportunity to go visit the Garden House nearby fully. The greenhouse was lovely and so were the trees. I officially want a Weeping Cherry tree. It's so pretty and pink. :ymdaydream:
I felt a thrill of happiness reading the scientific names and being able to know some. :P
The gift shop had scores and scores of seeds! I'm trying to decide what to get.
To those who plant and have cats--what kind of plants/flowers are not harmful to cats? I remember ramagut gave a link to all the ones that aren't, but I lost the link... :"}
Preferably, I mean the perennials and stuff that are more for beginning gardeners, unless flowers are child's play in gardening or something.
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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby DiGoRyKiRkE » May 10, 2011 7:09 am

As a vet student, I should probably know more of the poisonous plants, but I don't.

The two I listed above (Monkshood and Foxglove) are both highly poisonous. Monkshood contains a neurotoxin that causes paralysis and death if ingested. Foxglove is actually harvested and used to make the heart medication digitalis. It's poisonous if ingested, and causes cardiac arrest. All varieties of lillies are also toxic to cats, so steer clear of those.

Echniacea (also known as Purple Cone Flower) is non toxic. It's a perennial, and it's quite easy to grow (just make sure it gets PLENTY of water). It comes in a variety of colours (purple, white, yellow, orange), and can even attract birds such as goldfinches, chickadees, and other small seed eaters.

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Re: The thread for people who have Green Thumbs (Gardening)

Postby fantasia » May 10, 2011 8:05 am

Here's a really good website, Aslanisthebest, that covers which animals are toxic to which plants....
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/plants/
I'm sure that doesn't cover every single plant in the universe, but it should be a good start. :)
I know that as far as vegetables are concerned, onions, garlic, and tomato plants (though tomatoes can be ok if only one or two are eaten) are toxic to dogs. Interestingly enough, my dog avoids them. Makes me wonder if she ate one at some point and it made her sick....

At any rate, the farm garden is coming along swimmingly. (Not literally... we need rain badly.) I think the only things left to plant are the green beans, slicer cucumbers, okra, and the rest of the corn. :D So I am HOPING that I can finish up this next weekend. *crosses fingers*

Here is one picture of the big weekend project... building fences and planting tomatoes and cucumbers....

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We decided this year that instead of round tomato cages or stakes, we'd try an angled wall. So there are all but two of my tomatoes (forgot to take the Roma tomatoes with me) and where you don't see tomatoes on that second set of fencing, we planted pickling cucumbers. :D
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