13 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 ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 133k
10 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 ...
Danijel's user avatar
  • 221
6 votes

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....
Tony's user avatar
  • 61
6 votes
Accepted

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 ...
blacksmith37's user avatar
  • 8,704
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 ...
George of all trades's user avatar
5 votes

What can I do if last year's crocuses did not bloom?

Given that you're in zone 9, you're too warm for crocuses to successfully bloom; they're rated no warmer than US zone 8. You could get them to bloom by giving them a cold treatment for the winter. ...
Jurp's user avatar
  • 19.2k
5 votes
Accepted

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. ...
J. Chomel's user avatar
  • 3,740
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 ...
Diane's user avatar
  • 1,121
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 ...
Ecnerwal's user avatar
  • 23.8k
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 ...
stormy's user avatar
  • 40.3k
3 votes

Something's wrong with my tomato plants

I am not sure what the problem is - I hope it's not the first signs of tomato blight, see here https://www.finegardening.com/article/how-to-identify-and-combat-tomato-blights. If it is blight, the ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 133k
3 votes

Something's wrong with my tomato plants

I think this is leaf mold, as described at this link, which it says is commonly confused with powdery mildew: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/IPM/english/tomatoes/diseases-and-disorders/leaf-mold.html It ...
Brōtsyorfuzthrāx's user avatar
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 ...
Brōtsyorfuzthrāx's user avatar
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 ...
Christmas Snow's user avatar
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 ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 133k
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 ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 133k
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 ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 133k
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 ...
Tim Nevins's user avatar
  • 3,218
3 votes

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 ...
Giacomo Catenazzi's user avatar
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 ...
Diane's user avatar
  • 1,121
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 ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 133k
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 ...
TeeC's user avatar
  • 21
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 ...
stormy's user avatar
  • 40.3k
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 ...
greggles's user avatar
  • 1,434
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 ...
alephzero's user avatar
  • 11.4k
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-...
Joseph Wit's user avatar
  • 1,166
2 votes

What can I do if last year's crocuses did not bloom?

Nothing you can do yourself, as you left the greens to ripen last year properly. Leaves without bloom mean the plants are not going to rebloom further. I've had 12 tulip bulbs bloom 12 in Spring 1, 3 ...
Yosef Baskin's user avatar
  • 1,242
1 vote

Where should grow my echeveria?

Echeveria are pretty cold resistant, but what they can't cope with is lots of rain and cold together, so best brought in at the end of summer (I use the term summer laughingly because we seem to be ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 133k
1 vote

Is it possible to avoid rain making my flowers and decorations look muddy?

Mulch will cut back the dirt splashing up significantly
Akhen's user avatar
  • 84
1 vote

Is it possible to avoid rain making my flowers and decorations look muddy?

Lay down some kind of a mulching layer, even in your flower box. The bare soil/dirt will spray from the impact of the raindrops. Some shredded bark mulch or whatever else you use, left over from ...
PoloHoleSet's user avatar

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