6 replies to this topic

[velma]

Being raised up in a green environment as a child, the constant moving around curbed any greening of the fingers But yesterday while on a stroll, I came across a man selling some plants and on an impulse I bought myself a tray and 3 flowering plants... Now the problem is that it has been so long since I tended to a garden of mine... So I decided to get some tips from members especially sheepdog

Firstly I have no idea what I picked up and secondly there was an obvious language barrier thing going on so the only tips I got from the man were :-

• Water twice a day - morning & eve.
  
• Can be kept out in the sun.
  
• No vegetable compost(peels & so on) but tea leaves on the sides are fine.
  
• Requires fertilizer every 15 days.

But he didn't cover topics like soil maintenance, fungicides/pesticides and size or maybe he did and it just flew over my head . But my main concern is the size of the plants, I don't wish for them to grow too big and cramped in the pot.. I specifically asked for short plants which is why I got these three. He showed me some petunias which I might pick up if these babies last for more than a month.

Help?
Plant number 1


Plant number 2



Plant number 3

[sheepdog]

First plant is Dianthus, or commonly called sweet william. Watering twice a day sound pretty extreme to me. If they are planted in the ground, just water before the ground drys completely out. I believe these are perinial (grows back each year in the spring), I had some for several years at the base of an oak try, but they did actually finally die out just this year. These are actually one of my favorite flowers.

Not 100% sure on the second plant, but pretty sure they are some type of Zinnas. Full sun, an annual plant, (dies out in the winter and has to be reseeded.) When the flowers start to fade, clip off the flower heads and dry them, then you can harvest the seed to replant. Make sure you don't let these get too wet, they can suffer from a rot or mildew fungus.

That third one really looks familiar, but at the moment, I can't put a name to it. I never was very good at plant names.

[velma]

Thank you sheepdog for all the information

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First plant is Dianthus, or commonly called sweet william. Watering twice a day sound pretty extreme to me. If they are planted in the ground, just water before the ground drys completely out. I believe these are perinial (grows back each year in the spring), I had some for several years at the base of an oak try, but they did actually finally die out just this year. These are actually one of my favorite flowers.

This was a plant I actually selected because of the flowers, I think they look darling and I am waiting for the new blossoms since the current flowers seem to be withering. The thing is that the three plants share a trough so I am not sure how to prevent excess water from reaching the orange flowers. And my mum saw a caterpillar today, She drowned it after panicking

So that is another important question, is there a way I can prevent bugs or are caterpillars fine? The man offered a pesticide but I want to stick to natural fertilizers and protection methods if possible. A cousin recommended I add powdered egg shells to the soil.. She also recommended vinegar as a pesticide but I am not sure whether it is safe for these plants. And I am taking your advice on watering habits, I won't water them until the soil looks dry, I have a plastic tube in the tray so that I know whether the tray is dry only on the superficial levels or dry even at the bottom.

[sheepdog]

That 3rd plant is still bugging me. I know I've seen it and it is a fairly common plant, but I just can't put a name to it. I tried googling a few names I thought might be it, but came up empty. I know this spring I'll see it in a nursery somewhere and will go Oh, crud, why didn't I remember that name!

For no more plants than you have, hand picking the bugs would probably be the best bet, if you want to avoid pesticides. There is some that say to spray with a bit of garlic, hot peppers, and water, and a tiny squirt of dish soap. I haven't ever tried it so don't know if it works or not. The only bugs we have a serious problem with are those huge fat tomato horn worms, the big green nasty ones. They can decimiate a tomato plant in a matter of what seems like just a few hours. They are big and usually it's easy to find all but one of them. And of course, the one you leave is the hungry one.

[velma]

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That 3rd plant is still bugging me. I know I've seen it and it is a fairly common plant, but I just can't put a name to it. I tried googling a few names I thought might be it, but came up empty. I know this spring I'll see it in a nursery somewhere and will go Oh, crud, why didn't I remember that name!

Could it be some sort of weird daisy or something? Or one of those weeds that look like a daisy?

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For no more plants than you have, hand picking the bugs would probably be the best bet, if you want to avoid pesticides. There is some that say to spray with a bit of garlic, hot peppers, and water, and a tiny squirt of dish soap. I haven't ever tried it so don't know if it works or not. The only bugs we have a serious problem with are those huge fat tomato horn worms, the big green nasty ones. They can decimiate a tomato plant in a matter of what seems like just a few hours. They are big and usually it's easy to find all but one of them. And of course, the one you leave is the hungry one.

>_< No more bugs and I don't think I would try any recipe unless it has been tried and tested caterpillars **shudders**, a long time back when we had a vegetable patch... We gave up because of pests, they'd eat through so much and despite every effort, me and my grandfather failed to keep a healthy patch I don't think I've ever picked a tomato for consumption.

[sheepdog]

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I don't think I've ever picked a tomato for consumption.

OH My! That is sad! There is absolutly nothing like the taste of a real fresh, completely ripe home grown tomato! The ones you buy in the store are basicly tasteless cardboard if you've ever had a real one. You really should try a tomato plant, just once, so you will know how good they really are. But of course, then you would be like me and never want to eat store boughten tomatoes again.

[velma]

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OH My! That is sad! There is absolutly nothing like the taste of a real fresh, completely ripe home grown tomato! The ones you buy in the store are basicly tasteless cardboard if you've ever had a real one. You really should try a tomato plant, just once, so you will know how good they really are. But of course, then you would be like me and never want to eat store boughten tomatoes again.

You know what's worse? Buying one shady tomato who stealthily gets into a bag of healthy tomatoes and then comes back home to ruin a complete kg of not only the tomatoes but every other vegetable it shared bunker space with .Not only was the stink horrifying but all those yummy veggies dead and dying was heart breaking... My vegetable stew & steamed veggie rice lacked a lot of veggies

We usually get lots of vegetables, flowers and fruits from a farmer's market but it still doesn't feel as great as picking one from my own garden.