12
votes
Accepted
Plant only flowers after rain, and not from being watered. What plant is it?
This plant is Zephyranthes carinata, a bulb with the common name Rain Lily. There are lots of hybrids these days, but the reason they're called rain lilies is because they flower after rain. Some only ...
- 129k
10
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Sudden Outbreak of Yellow Leaves on Tomato (and Other) Plants
That is Early Blight, Alternaria solani. The earlier you treat, the better the control, as a strong infection will build up resistance to the fungicide.
Here's what to do:
Remove all leaves showing ...
- 51.5k
8
votes
To be effective, how long does Glyphosate weed killer need to be applied before it rains?
From pioneer.com:
"Foliar absorption of herbicides occurs in a liquid phase only; once a water droplet has dried on the leaf surface and herbicides have crystallized little to no additional ...
- 181
6
votes
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Treating AC condensate water to make it good for plant watering
It is essentially pure water but has absorbed gases from air . The only gas that has an affect in this situation is CO2. It dissolves and makes carbonic acid, I forget the pH, it may be about 4.
The ...
- 7,931
5
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to avoid rain making my flowers and decorations look muddy?
Raindrops can hit the ground with a surprisingly large force. If there is bare soil then you will get muddy splatter. As you mention in your question ground cover is the way forward. This could take ...
- 2,235
5
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To be effective, how long does Glyphosate weed killer need to be applied before it rains?
Glyphosate is a systemic herbicide. It really only needs a few hours to get into the plant before a rain. It is not a quick killer in basic formulation, but absent resistance, it kills the whole plant....
- 51
5
votes
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What kind of mushroom is this and should I get rid of it?
This looks like typical wooden-linked mushroom. They come here to feed on the wood you put to feed your earth and this is a good thing: It shows that life is working around your plants in your garden. ...
- 3,709
4
votes
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How to handle insects in standing water
A light vegetable oil. A miniscule amount can float on the water surface and totally gum up larval mosquito breathing. Put enough drops in to produce an oil sheen on the water surface.
BTI Mosquito ...
- 3,873
4
votes
Accepted
How can I add drainage to an area with shrubs already there?
You need somewhere for the water to go. If there is anywhere close by that is lower than the planting area then:
dig a trench to the lower area about six inches wide and at least six to twelve inches ...
- 56.4k
4
votes
Is there a way to keep hardy geraniums upright?
I found this alternate solution that might be easier, less visible, and possibly more attractive. (That is, if your geraniums have not already grown too tall for this to be feasible this year. Of ...
- 1,111
4
votes
Is there a way to keep hardy geraniums upright?
I only do this for peonies, but I don't see why it wouldn't work for geraniums.
Stake around the plot (whatever sort of "garden stake" you typically use should be fine.) Tie string around the ...
- 18.8k
4
votes
Accepted
Should rain water be allowed to flow directly into greenhouse?
One of the cool features of greenhouses is that you have more control. Storing water makes more sense rather than hit or miss by rain...to include over watering. Our gardens are always going to be ...
- 39.9k
3
votes
Should rain water be allowed to flow directly into greenhouse?
Two things: Most rainwater collection systems have a diverter to allow the first few minutes of rain to NOT go into the collection barrel, or what have you. This first water tends to have a lot of ...
- 3,198
3
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How much accumulated rain within 24 hours is considered a "normal" watering for grass?
It depends a lot about the type (species) in your grass. I estimate that there is more than a factor 20 between ideal dry grass and ideal wet grass. Unfortunately being above 3-5 time the ideal value ...
- 13.9k
3
votes
Accepted
How do we deal with abnormally heavy rain?
More nitrogen, IMO, is not going to help in a waterlogged situation like this. It will most likely contribute to root rot instead.
Potassium, while perhaps not the answer to your problem (it might be ...
- 17.3k
3
votes
Is it possible to avoid rain making my flowers and decorations look muddy?
Thanks for the extra information. Because the plants you have in the bed already aren't big plants, adding ground cover won't look so good, so I'd be inclined to use gravel or shingle or small stones ...
- 129k
3
votes
How long can rain water be stored in tanks?
If you're collecting rainwater via guttering round the roof of your house, ensure the gutters are kept clear of debris and clean - water from dirty or clogged guttering kept stored for even a ...
- 129k
3
votes
How do you adjust watering based on rain in the forecast?
If the plants are in containers, you water as normal - unless rain is torrential and persistent, it doesn't make much impact on potted plants, especially as the season progresses and topgrowth/foliage ...
- 129k
3
votes
Can I use rainwater captured in Los Angeles to grow plants?
Let's ponder the concept of "so you put some plants out in the yard and they get rained on" - it's the same water - so it really should not be any worse.
If you incorporate a standard trick of roof ...
- 18.8k
3
votes
Can I use rainwater captured in Los Angeles to grow plants?
Safety is really difficult and/or expensive to attest as J. Musser has pointed out. Your storage containers and gutter material will determine the nature of what is in your water (Roof quality does ...
- 3,566
3
votes
Sudden Outbreak of Yellow Leaves on Tomato (and Other) Plants
My goodness...based on the two pictures, pruning would definitely help the air-flow. Make sure you clean your pruners with alcohol between each plant pruned. FYI, it takes ONE fungal spore to infect ...
- 39.9k
3
votes
Treating AC condensate water to make it good for plant watering
During the hot summers, I put water tanks under the end of the AC water runoff pipes of the building. Most of the water is otherwise wasted, and I save lots of water when I irrigate.
Recently, I've ...
- 1,434
2
votes
To be effective, how long does Glyphosate weed killer need to be applied before it rains?
Glyphosate must penetrate the leaf surface to provide effective weed
control. While absorption occurs relatively quickly, rain after an
application can wash glyphosate off before it has a chance to ...
- 21
2
votes
Is there a way to keep hardy geraniums upright?
I wonder if this "Flexible Tie" would work for you. It's really useful! Very bendable, and has a really soft rubber coating that doesn't cut into plant stems. It's almost like a stronger, longer ...
- 1,111
2
votes
Why do pink rain lillies flower after rains, but not from being watered? How to make them flower?
It's not the rain as such, it's the high humidity when it rains that triggers flowering. As said previously, they need periods of drought and they are bulbs, which means they may repeat flower, but ...
- 129k
2
votes
Accepted
How long can rain water be stored in tanks?
As far as plants go, forever. For ingestion by humans two years is tops as long as 1/4 cup of bleach has been added to that amount 3X3X3 feet? The chlorine evaporates rapidly when the tank is opened ...
- 39.9k
2
votes
Accepted
How to prevent mulch from moving
There are a few reasons that mulch will move:
If it's small enough, wind can blow it.
In an area with movement (e.g. people walking, bikes, hand-carts, golf-carts) then that traffic can push the ...
- 1,349
2
votes
How do you adjust watering based on rain in the forecast?
I wouldn't recommend the habit of giving any plant "just a bit of water" if that means "less than it really needs". Over time it can lead to poor development of the plant, like a shallow root system ...
- 11.2k
2
votes
saving baby grass which is starting to wash away in the rain
Depending how much washed away, reseed and cover with something like this and don't forget to water https://www.homedepot.com/p/4-ft-x-112-5-ft-Single-Net-Seed-Germination-and-Erosion-Control-Blanket-...
- 1,136
1
vote
Is it possible to avoid rain making my flowers and decorations look muddy?
Mulch will cut back the dirt splashing up significantly
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