For questions about a plant that's failing to thrive, and where the cause is unknown.
2
votes
1answer
177 views
What is the white powdery substance on my Dracaena's leaves?
I bought a Dracaena about 3 months ago. I water it 1-2 times a week and make sure the soil is moist, but not too damp. About 3 weeks ago, it started developing a white powdery substance on the ...
5
votes
1answer
1k views
What is causing the bark on my crabapple to crack and peel off?
I have a flowering crabapple in my yard whose bark has several large areas where it cracks and curls away from the wood underneath:
Hover over any image for description / click for full size
I ...
8
votes
2answers
2k views
Why does my lime tree drop its fruit early?
I have a kumquat and a Mexican (or Key) lime tree in pots right next to each other. The kumquat has been flowing and fruiting like a champ nearly as long as I've owned it. The lime hasn't yet ...
7
votes
2answers
3k views
My indoor plant has an orange mold-like substance growing on it and has tiny white bugs. How can I remove it?
I have my very first plant in my cube and it seems to be doing just fine.
However, there is an orange mold-like substance growing on the top of the soil, and I can see a few tiny white bugs crawling ...
4
votes
1answer
109 views
Why does my holiday cactus have a three cornered stem segment?
I noticed some new growth on my Schlumbergera, and when I looked at it, I found a three cornered stem segment. Is that a disease, a sign of nutrient deficiency, or a genetic defect?
6
votes
1answer
136 views
Basil: cold or disease?
A few days ago I put my basil outside. In a couple of days, the temperature fell considerably, and I think it got a shock, despite moving it back inside as soon as I could. I think this is the reason, ...
4
votes
1answer
166 views
What are these black spots on white splotches appearing on my tomato seedling?
Here are pictures of the infected leaves. I cut them off the plant as soon as I saw them today.
Click for full size
Here are close-ups of the most infected leaf:
Click for full size
What can ...
4
votes
1answer
79 views
Perpetually unhealthy tree. Suggestions? [Pics]
I'd like some help figuring out what the cause of my unhealthy tree is in addition to suggestions on how to fix it.
The tree is at least 3 years old; I've lived in the house 2 years and each year it ...
8
votes
1answer
499 views
Why are the tops of my Brussels Sprouts turning purple?
What does it mean when the tops of the Brussels Sprouts start to turn purple?
6
votes
1answer
65 views
Is this a fungus?
I was doing my daily inspection of my plants I noticed this weird glob of stuff in the pot of one of my trees. I'm trying to figure out what exactly this is, because I've seen the same thing in ...
12
votes
3answers
3k views
How should a lemon tree with yellowing leaves, peeling bark, and small fruit be saved?
Our lovely lemon tree is in trouble... We live in Northern California. Starting mid-last summer our tree began yellowing.
We've called an arborist out to the house but the advice has been pretty ...
8
votes
1answer
100 views
Jade: Can I repot and/or take cuttings?
I've read other questions on this and other forums on Jade plants, and haven't quite found an answer.
My Jade plant is 20 years old and about 3" in diameter at the base and 4' high. It seems to never ...
6
votes
1answer
2k views
Zucchini leaves yellowing - but not powdery mildew
I have about 8 zucchini plants, about 6- 8 weeks along, which are starting to show signs of disease on the leaves.
It's definitely not powdery mildew, but the end result is quite similar. Leaves are ...
7
votes
2answers
2k views
How can I revive wilted water basil plants?
I bought these basil plants from the store. They looked a little droopy and wilting. They came with several bunches and they were half off and discounted because they've been there in the store so ...
12
votes
1answer
281 views
What are these red cocoons in my trees leaves?
The tree In my garden as lots of red cocoons on its leaves, I assume these are insects, do I need to be concerned or are they harmless?
6
votes
1answer
129 views
What is this discolouration of the skin of my pepper?
One of my peppers is showing some strange discolouration of its skin. You cannot feel that it's there, so presumably this is underneath the outermost membrane of the fruit. As far as I can tell there ...
14
votes
2answers
960 views
Why are my apples rotting on the tree?
I recently bought a home that has an apple tree in the backyard. I don't know much about apples (or gardening in general for that matter) and I need help with a couple of things.
I'd like some help ...
8
votes
2answers
2k views
My basil had a shock after transplanting. What did I do wrong?
First a little backstory: I bought the basil at a supermarket, where it came in a small plastic vase. I kept it in this vase for three weeks. During these three weeks, I did the following:
kept it ...
12
votes
1answer
406 views
Why didn't my forsythia cuttings root?
In May, I took some greenwood forsythia cuttings, dipped them in a hormone rooting powder and planted them in rooting mix. The mix was kept moist all year. I had thought they had rooted because they ...
6
votes
1answer
46 views
How do I control blight in lantanas?
All my Lantanas have this blight on their leaves. What is causing it and how can I cure it?
7
votes
2answers
277 views
What is the problem/disease that causes bobbly peach tree leaves?
What is the likely cause of the bobbly forms on the leaves of a peach tree? Does it matter or is it just some natural anomaly that doesn't affect the tree's health? If is it a concern how can it be ...
12
votes
2answers
502 views
Why did my orange bell pepper smell of ammonia?
A week ago I harvested an orange Bell pepper from my garden. It was still halfway green, so I put it on our kitchen counter to ripen. When I finally cut it open for a salad after a week of ripening, ...
9
votes
1answer
92 views
Why are my persimmons black beneath the hull?
My mother's persimmon tree is producing fruit that tastes good, but the area at the top beneath the leaves (the hull/calyx) is black. The local nursery suggested the fruit may be getting too much ...
10
votes
2answers
620 views
Why are my squash's leaves drooping?
This past growing season (2011) I was growing squash. Often I would find that the leaves had drooped (lost rigidity). Watering the plant seemed to help; but I'm not sure if there is a causal link ...
9
votes
1answer
746 views
Are the yellow leaves on my Massangeana due to root rot?
I bought my Massangeana (Dracaena fragens) 15 months ago, and he's be doing really well. Started off with a few burnt ends, but I switched to filtered water and he was good again.
In the last couple ...
5
votes
3answers
490 views
Cherry sapling has wilted leaves, dried trunk; is it dying?
I've posted earlier about my diseased cherry seedling.
Since then, all the leaves have wilted and curled to some amount and the trunk of the seedling itself looks like a dried stick.
Is this ...
10
votes
3answers
712 views
Why is my pepper plant dying?
I planted a capsicum/pepper plant about 5 months back and it's been growing well and producing a few fruits.
I live in Melbourne, Australia and it's now Winter, and the plant now has lots of fruit, ...
8
votes
1answer
262 views
Why did the stem suddenly weaken in my oriental poppy?
I have an oriental poppy 'Patty's Plum' growing in new potting compost in a pot with good drainage. It sits in full sun, and I water it as needed in the recent dry weather. I purchased it from a ...
5
votes
1answer
3k views
Why does my blueberry bush have brown/scorched leaves?
I recently purchased a dwarf Northsky blueberry bush from a mail order company. When I recieved it, roughly 15-20% of its leaves had the appearance of being burned or scorched; the bad leaves were ...
1
vote
1answer
327 views
My plants are dropping leaves suddenly and dying. Are they being poisoned?
We have got a Japanese maple plant in the back garden in a pot that has suddenly seemed to have died. There are absolutely no leaves on it at all now. I asked my dad who said this is perfectly ...
6
votes
2answers
397 views
Why are my basil seedlings failing to thrive?
I have grown basil from seeds in a large pot. They have germinated but are now failing to thrive. They are now about 3 weeks old.
They get the afternoon sun and are watered daily. I applied Seasol ...
10
votes
1answer
3k views
What causes black spots on my apples?
I've got an apple tree in the garden which has produced a good crop, but most of the apples are covered in black spots:
What is this? It seems to be some sort of fungus, but what's the best way to ...
9
votes
1answer
987 views
How to stop my courgettes (zucchini) rotting?
I've tried growing courgettes (zucchini) for the first time this year and the plants have been delightfully easy to grow. (For reference, I'm in NE England, UK, btw.) However, many of the fruits ...
10
votes
1answer
515 views
Strawberry plants brown & brittle - is it disease, climate conditions, or bugs?
Most of my strawberry plants have leaves that first turned red, then brown and brittle. Leaves often snap off when harvesting what berries remain after the critters get them.
I'm trying to balance ...
8
votes
2answers
263 views
Why are there kinks in my aloe vera leaves?
On several of my aloe vera plants, the leaves suddenly became kinked. The leaf would get very thin in a spot and bend over. It starts near the tip and is most noticeable on older leaves. What is ...
14
votes
2answers
378 views
Why don't my radishes swell up?
When I grow radishes, I find that some of them don't swell up to form the globe I expect; instead the root stays thin. These are planted in the same bed and at the same time as radishes that do ...
3
votes
1answer
155 views
Why did my grape hyacinths put out leaves in the fall?
Normally my grape hyacinth only puts out leaves in the spring, but this year they all are vigorously growing leaves in the fall. Why do they do that? Is it diagnostic of a problem?
8
votes
3answers
2k views
Why does my cilantro have thin leaves? Why is my parsley not growing? When will they be ready for harvest?
My cilantro (planted outside, full sun from about 11am to 6pm) doesn't have the broad leaves that I see when I buy it in the store. I planted it in May. When should I expect it ready for harvesting?
...
6
votes
1answer
468 views
Why didn't my maple leaves change color in the fall after transplanting?
I just bought and planted an October Glory maple sapling with a trunk about 1.5" in diameter. I did everything the nursery worker told me to while transplanting it:
I dug a hole twice as wide as the ...
6
votes
1answer
254 views
Why does my sweet potato have stunted growth with wide, flattened stems and dense leaves?
My sweet potato plant has a severely widened and flattened stem and grows like a band, with dense leaves and stunted growth. What is wrong with it?
15
votes
3answers
4k views
What do purple tomato leaves mean?
Sometimes the leaves of the tomato seedlings we grow in pots gain a purplish shade on the bottom; the plants themselves (don't know if this is a coincidence) also seem to turn out stockier, shorter, ...
5
votes
1answer
1k views
How do I keep oak trees from sprouting?
I have a lot of nice sized oak trees. I have pin, black, and chestnut. Every once in a while one of them puts out sprouts all over the trunk and starts looking like a green pillar. How do keep that ...
8
votes
1answer
872 views
Why does my pepper plant have yellowing, drying and curling leaves?
One of my pepper plants has so far suffered from pests, blossom end rot and odd skin blemishes. Unfortunately, the plant is now taking a turn for the worse and looking rather unhealthy.
The leaves ...
9
votes
3answers
421 views
Cherry sapling has orange dots on its leaves and the tips are wilting. What could be wrong?
I recently planted a cherry tree sapling about two weeks ago. It's about a handspan high, and has four leaves. I noticed that it had orange spots on one of the leaves when I planted it.
Click on ...
3
votes
2answers
551 views
Why does my English walnut lose its leaves early?
I have an English walnut sapling that grows vigorously all summer, but at the beginning of Fall the leaves dry up and fall. It has been two years now. Is that a problem with the tree?
6
votes
1answer
419 views
What are these red spots on the leaves of my boysenberry plant?
Previously, I had issues with the sun scorching the leaves of my berry plants. Now that the heat has cooled down, those leaves are back to normal. However, a lot of the leaves on my boysenberry plant ...
9
votes
1answer
292 views
How do I prevent my berry leaves from getting scorched in the sun?
Raspberries are plants that require good exposure to sun. However, my black-raspberry plant has been getting scorched of late. Typical signs of sun-scorching are when the older leaves start drying out ...
14
votes
1answer
3k views
Why did my jalapeños turn black?
Last year I grew jalapeños. The fruits were tiny, but I was able to harvest a few handfuls. I noticed that many of them started to turn black on the plant. They were still edible, and they weren't ...
7
votes
1answer
136 views
Why does my sinningia have yellow spots?
Click below images to enlarge...
This is probably Sinningia Ozark Coral Freckles. I put it in a aquarium with artificial light on from 8:00am to 0:00am. The distance to light is about 20cm.
The ...
5
votes
1answer
294 views
Why is my hosta shrinking?
I have a blue giant hosta. It is in fertile soil and gets plenty of water. I had been dividing it every few years but lately it has started to shrink. I don't want to lose it. How can I get it back?
