The Plant Thread

[Ponyfan]

Poor Ben.    I hope you can save him. Can the bumps be bugs of some kind? I had trouble with little green bugs on Mint 1 at first until I moved it outside. I googled "bumps on basil stems" but came up with a lot of different things it could be. 



I had an end of a branch on Mint 2 that the leaves shriveled like that and I took that part off because I assumed that part was dead. 

I'm a bit worried that Mint 1 has outgrown its pot.  One of the runners comes out of the pot, circles all the way around and runs back in to the pot.  I'm pretty sure that's not good but I don't want to repot anything right now because the weather here is crazy and we're going at or below freezing almost every night.


Ponyfan

[BlackCurtains]

I Googled it too and got different answers. It might be natural growth, it might be scales (but it doesn't look the same). It's not aphids, those I know. I tried to pick one off but it seems to be connected to the stem, so maybe it is just a natural thing.

I clipped all the dead stems off that had wilted leaves.

[Taffeta]

Ooh. I forget what they're called, but I think I've seen them, or something like them, before. They sucker themselves to the plant stem, and they're not great for a plant. I'd try and get rid of them if you can. If they are the things that sometimes bother mum's orchid and which I used to see on my hypoestes, they should scrape off with dish soapy water.

[Lady Frostbite]

I repotted a sad discounted pink Anthurium. It was still more pricey than I would have liked, but I've wanted a pink one for a long while after getting rid of my epic 50p red one. I don't have orchid bark for soil so I'm using compost with a lot of perlite, I've snipped off the dead/dying/diseased leaves, tidyed it up a little and given it a good drink, hopefully it should feel better in my warm home.

Another chilli has spouted, a Blue Ghost this time. It's been potted up, and I'm sad to see I think something has happened to one of the Peach Ghost Scorps as it's keeled over and is limp, I've given it a water and moved everyone back into the radiator to see if that fixes anything, but if not then I'll have to count that seedling as dead.

[BlackCurtains]

I got as many of the bumps off as I could. They never moved or anything, so I still don't know if they were bugs. 

[Lady Frostbite]

The PGS was indeed dying so I popped one that I was growing for myself in its place, and it looks like everyone has sprouted but I'm out of perlite and almost totally out of compost, emergency supply run this weekend once I'm feeling better!!

[Ponyfan]

Here's this week's pics of the mint plants. 

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Mint 1


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Mint 2


Baby Mint is growing.

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BC, I'm glad you were able to get most of the bumps off of Ben.

Walmart is putting out plant and garden things already but I don't want to buy new plants until I'm sure we're past the last freeze.  I'm sure the mints will need to be repotted by then.

Ponyfan

[Ponyfan]

Here's this week's pics of the mints.  I took Mint 1's pic at a different angle because I was trying to show all of the thick growth.

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Mint 1


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Mint 2


I'm thinking about planting this strawberry plant when it gets warmer.  I think they were sold at Target about 3 years ago.  Does anyone know if the seed will grow?  I haven't opened the package.


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Ponyfan

[Taffeta]

Old seeds can be hit and miss. You might want to soak the seeds before planting them.

We did once have luck with seeds that were 15 years old, but they were lavatera xD.

Three years doesn't seem too bad. Seeds do often have advisory sow by dates on, though - at least they do here. Maybe check the box/paperwork?

[Lady Frostbite]

Just chuck 'em in and see what happens! I never soak seeds before growing, I just pop them in soil and water them in.

Repotted the last of my baby chillies since the perlite FINALLY arrived, and of course I tipped one over the moment I potted it 

[Ponyfan]

Thank you Taffeta and LadyFrostbite.

I checked the website on the package and it states "guaranteed to grow no matter what."  The website also has detailed planting instructions some of which contradict the ones on the package. For example, the box says to add some water to the growing medium pellet, but the website also says "fluff growing medium with fork after adding water."

I might just wait until the stores start putting plants out and see if they have a strawberry plant for sale.


Ponyfan

[Lady Frostbite]

Thank you Taffeta and LadyFrostbite.

I checked the website on the package and it states "guaranteed to grow no matter what."  The website also has detailed planting instructions some of which contradict the ones on the package. For example, the box says to add some water to the growing medium pellet, but the website also says "fluff growing medium with fork after adding water."

I might just wait until the stores start putting plants out and see if they have a strawberry plant for sale.


Ponyfan

That sounds like it's a compressed coir puck; coir is coconut fluff, used a lot in invert keeping and the like. You soak it in water to let it hydrate but you don't want the end result soggy, and the fluffing up part is making sure it's all moist.

Here's a link about it, there's also a great video about a spider-keeper rehydrating his coir but I didn't want to link that in case you were arachnophobic! 

[BlackCurtains]

I get those little disks in the cat grass kit. I think it's neat I like watching it expand


Ben is soaking. There are still brown stiff stems, including the main one, but it doesn't seem to be getting any worse. I looked up when basil is supposed to mature and it's about 10 months. I got Ben in May of 2022. So it's right around the corner. Maybe it has something to do with that?

Speaking of the cat grass, I need to plant some more.

Some other expenses came up and I wasn't able to get the spider plant and parlor palm this month. Hopefully next month

[Ponyfan]

Thanks for the link, LadyFrostbite.   

The instructions said to wait until warmer weather to plant the strawberry plant so I might try it in the spring and see what happens.

Here's this week's pics of the mint plants.  I'm starting to worry that they're getting too crowded in their current pots.

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Mint 1


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This runner is growing up instead of down.  It keeps getting taller.

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Mint 2


Ponyfan

[Beth3346]

i haven't posted on this thread in a while. the cold has not been kind to the backyard. the herbs are mostly hanging on. my basil didn't make it through the late fall but the mint is doing much better. i'll bring the plants inside tomorrow since they're predicting another freeze. mild this time though.

the ones in the front are a different story. i think i'll need to plant some new ones in the flowerbeds. there are a lot of pretty, drought resistant plants so i'm looking into those.