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Dear Plant Pimp

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and here's a shot of the new ficus. I'm not repotting it for at least 6 months.

Let me know if it looks "light" enough in there. This is a pic of afternoon light. windows face east, with a covered porch about 12 feet outside the window so no "direct" sun through the window.

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The ficus looks good. This is a very nice plant. Things to keep in mind is that no matter how good the light is in your house, it's going to be less light than in a shadehouse, so expect to lose some leaves from the center of the plant. It's normal for a recently moved ficus.

When trimming this plant, be careful not to let the white sap (latex) drip onto your skin or furniture. It is staining, and a major skin irritant. If it gets in your eyes, you'll wish you had some pepper spray to wash it out.

Loose rule of thumb: yellow leaf drop means underwatering, green leaf drop means overwatering. This is a loose rule, as you are going to have some green leaf drop soon, no matter what you do.

Try to trim it to keep it 'lollipop' shaped. If it goes in all directions, it will lose all the foliage in the center and look kind of bleh. Also, a ficus likes to be turned. Rotate it 90 deg or so every week or two.


(cut that tag off the nice braid!)
 
wiffledaddy said:
(cut that tag off the nice braid!)
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I was going for the modern hiphop style of leaving the tag on??
 
Bad Dad said:
1833408-bike-plants_008.jpg
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Right after you water this, does it perk up for a little bit?

The plant doesn't look bad, just a little wilty. I think it's either not getting enough water, or the roots haven't had a chance to really establish yet.

If this continues to be a problem, this plant should probably be moved into a wider pot, with a nice, large, saucer beneath it.

How's the Sac water? Is it hard or soft?
 
You din't answer if it perks up right after you water, or it it's always wilty looking.

Since the water is hard, you are going to want to flush out the soil every once in a while. At least every other month. Take the saucer out from under the pot and let the water run through the plant for 5 or 10 minutes. As the plant takes the water back up from the saucer, it also takes up the salts, which collect in the soil. So, you want to wash those out from time to time.
 
wiffledaddy said:
You din't answer if it perks up right after you water, or it it's always wilty looking.
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I don't usually wait around to notice.:( I'm kinda oblivious to little details. I'll strive to pay better attention.... But everytime I"ve looked at it, it's been wilty.


I've also tried talking to it. THings like

"Hey buddy, it's ok, drink the water up. you'll be fine"

"awww, how cute your are little plantieplant!"

and

"Listen cocksucker, you're pissing me off, either get better or get replaced with plastic."
 
Can you recommend a good fertilizer for my ummm, tomatoes. Ah fuck it, my weed, I want my weed to be huge!
 
Dear Plant Pimp,

The wife and I would like to grow some jasmine along a 6'x6' trellis on the concrete balcony of our apt. to create some shade for our living room. We would eventually like full coverage of the trellis. :teeth

I'm curious as to how large a planter you might suggest I install so that the jasmine will have enough soil to flourish.

At first I was going to place 1 gallon nursery pots every foot or so at the base of the trellis. Now I am debating placing two 1'x1'x3' planters side by side.

Lastly, can you suggest a better flowering, fast growing vine that might be better suited for our purpose?

Looking forward to your thoughts!

Thanks in advance!

Michael
 
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MAYP:

I need to know what direction your balcony faces. I'm going to guess West, based on the need for shade. But West or South makes a difference.

Depending on exposure, the growth rate will determine what size container and alternatives to jasmine.

Also, are you or your wife allergic to bees?
 
In the late afternoon, we get blasted by the sun so I'd say West.

No allergies to bees, but my wife is terrified of spiders.

Thanks in advance!
 
For just about anything you want to trellis, I'd say the box is a better bet. And, get whatever size box pleases the eye. The smaller the box, the more frequent watering it will need, and the growth will be less vigorous.

Jasmine is a good plant.

Some other plants you might consider:

a bougainvillea will give you cover, and flower, but it can be kind of messy and is pokey/thorny

If you want decorative cover for the summer only, you can plant grape vines. As a bonus, you get grapes!

You might also consider planting any variety of peas or peppers - or mix it up. With that exposure, you'll get good, quick growth, and a nice edible product as well.

If drainage is going to be a problem, ie, water dripping on neighbors pisses them off, then you might want to go terra cotta pots on big saucers. Otherwise, the planter boxes are a better bet.

Lemme know if this is helpful.
 
:wow

That is all good info--thank you!

Couple of follow up questions...

Do you know of any types of planters that have a catch system for water? Although, I like the idea of terra cotta pots--very attractive.

If the balcony is ~10 long--what size and how many terra cotta pots and would you place along the base of the trellis (assuming the trellis is ~10' long also)?
 
plant pimp..

I've got a dwarf orange tree.

We found "scales" on the branches.

Help!
 
Dear Plant Pimp,

I'm not sure if this counts as an 'indoor' plant or not but if you know what this is or how to bring it back from the path of the dead, please advise.

I had a round of snail problems and some of the chemicles took their toll on the plant. Also, it was getting huge and was above the water line so I hacked it in half which was probbly not the right thing to do. It used to get nice white blooms underwater but it was blooming right up against the light and was getting really cluttered looking.

The root structure was started by me shoving it in a hole in the rock and it really took off.

Now that the chems have damaged the plant is there any way to stop it from kicking the bucket? How about ammount of time with the light on? Is more better or should I stick to a schedule...any tips?

thx!

1845829-tankplant.jpg
 
whoah, sorry for the delay. dint know this thread was still alive. I thought it had dropped off the end.

I'm not quite sure what's going on in this picture. I'll need more info, a better angle, name of plant, something.
 
please keep plant questions in the plant thread.

Also, there will be a drunken plant clinic at my house tomorrow afternoon. Bring your sick plant and a six pack for free advice.
 
I have no idea what that plant is called. I'll take another pic but I think it's going to bounce back. It dropped all it's leaves but now has new leaf growth at the base so I'm hoping this is a good sign. If it's still not looking so hot I'll take a better pic and see if you've got any ideas.
 
I've given out loads of free advice today, and am now settling down to relax with all the 'gratuities' I've garnered.

Don't forget to water your plants on such a hot day.
 
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