Recent content by DaveG

I've considered an automatic watering system for my potted plants in the past. (I will probably eventually build something with a moisture sensor and control valve for each pot.) But my experience has been that this sort of thing generally requires a lot of setup time, calibration, and testing...

I'm considered this. But since I haven't formed a relationship with any local nurseries, it would be an issue of figuring out who to use without having personal experience with them first. Without knowing them, I'd be worried I'd go back to pick up my trees only to discover they died, were lost...

No, I cannot.

To those of you who are very good with trident maples, I have an important (to me, anyway) question. Brent Walston (of Evergreen Gardenworks) recently granted me the opportunity to purchase a few specimens of Acer buergerianum 'Evergreen's Rough Bark'. Given the historical supply of this tree...

For all the difficulties I've gone through in learning to turn my thumb green, I don't think I've ever had a time in my life when I actually wanted fake houseplants. The closest I've ever gone is fake aquarium plants and I only did that because the real ones can make almost as much mess in the...

I'd feel worse about this video if not for the fact that I know squirrels would be doing this kind of thing to us non-stop if they could. A bigger version might also be good for making raccoons and possums think twice about raiding the garbage. And for added fun, target the open window...

If they're so eager to take handouts, it probably wouldn't be too difficult to trap them in a live trap. Then you could just dump them a few miles out of town. They'd never return and they'd be forced to fend for themselves. However, for the sake of anyone living nearby, I'd recommend NOT...

I suppose there are a few questions I have too: * What sort of thing would an experienced collector usually offer to the owners of the property to get them to part with a couple of these trunks? It should be kept in mind that individual plants aren't usually considered precious here, as they...

I have access to an older variegated pittosporum that has put out several adventitious shoots. The shoots from the lighter layer, of course, are nearly a cream color, but still show the faintest bit of green. Has anyone here tried keeping a plant that is at least half or even all formed of...

Haha, if I could pick any two or three of them to take, that one would likely make the final cut.

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There are about thirty or so of what I'm pretty sure are Japanese privet (Ligustrum japonicum) planted around our apartment complex. More and more, I get tempted by the notion to ask if the owners would let me know when they finally decide to rip them out and let me collect at least one or two...

You probably want to keep them around. They tend to eat a lot of small pests, such as aphids. I have always guessed that they generally hang around where their food source is. If you're seeing a lot of them in one place, try to figure out what they're eating. But try to keep the daddy long...

So far I've found it to be good for sprouting seeds. But when I use it, I try to remove nearly all of it when I transfer them to a bigger pot. It usually gets moldy in about 3 or 4 weeks. Otherwise it seems to have some good properties, but I wouldn't want to try to plant a tree in it long-term.