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9 votes

How big a lemon tree can I grow indoors?

We get a lot of questions about member of the citrus family. Some varieties will flower and set fruit indoors. So, yes, you can grow citrus indoors but they are challenging to keep looking nice at ...
kevinskio's user avatar
  • 57.6k
8 votes

Solar driven LEDs to offset electricity for mass growing in a basement

The cost effective solution for quite some time is and has been and probably will be to move further "towards the equator" and ship "away from the equator", or for a few things that don't ship well ...
Ecnerwal's user avatar
  • 21.2k
8 votes

Best mosquito repellent plant for a sunny terrace?

On the assumption you mean plants suitable for pots outdoors, lemon scented plants such as Citronella and Lemon Balm are good. Plants offered for sale under the name citronella vary - the one to look ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 131k
8 votes
Accepted

Do young plants prefer their pots be rotated?

Do they prefer it? No, not really. Plants have evolved to grow and orient themselves to get the most light in any given conditions. It could even be argued that turning them away from this orientation ...
Robert Cartaino's user avatar
7 votes
Accepted

How should I grow Moneymaker tomato plants in indoor containers?

Two in a 5 gallon pot is going to be pretty cramped. If they are going to live in the pot their whole lives they will choke each other and you'll potentially get less production than you would from a ...
Anubis's user avatar
  • 1,043
7 votes
Accepted

How should I take care of a Hyacinth bulb growing in a vase of water?

On the assumption you mean indoors in the sun, it would be best if it wasn't in full, hot sun all day because it might affect the roots - the glass may magnify the sun's rays and cause burning, and ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 131k
7 votes

Direct sunlight measuring device?

I don't know how accurate it would be, but if you download 'Google Earth' you can make it show you the passage of the sun and shadows based on it's rendering of buildings and trees. It would be ...
Dalton's user avatar
  • 5,072
7 votes
Accepted

Direct sunlight measuring device?

There are various devices on the market for measuring sunlight - the link below contains three or four different ones, although I can't speak for the accuracy of any of them. Although it's easy to ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 131k
7 votes
Accepted

What's the fastest way to dry peat before re-potting an overwatered succulent?

Well I wouldn't worry about drying it out first - simply tip it out of its pot, preferably wearing gloves, carefully, and with any luck, most of the wet soil will fall off immediately anyway. The ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 131k
6 votes

Is a screened in porch full sun or partial shade?

Well it's filtered sunlight, so that counts as partial or dappled shade, just about. There may be increased ambient light levels because of the reflected light off the pool, and possibly from the hard ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 131k
6 votes

Saving sun-scorched succulents

I'm sorry I don't know the cause of your damage, but I have a lot of experience with sedums, and can reassure you that a healthy plant can grow even if the top is damaged, dead, or broken off; and ...
Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL's user avatar
6 votes

Best mosquito repellent plant for a sunny terrace?

If you can manage to get a few marigolds, plant those. They thrive on a lot of sunshine, can be grown in pots, and are good at repelling mosquitoes and most other insect pests. The beautiful flowers ...
tulyukbay's user avatar
6 votes

What's a good full-sun groundcover for Zone 6A?

I'm also in zone 6A (Massachusetts, USA), and have something that works perfectly for me. It is vinca, also called periwinkle. I think mine is vinca minor, but there are a number of varieties, so it ...
Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL's user avatar
6 votes

Will reflected light, from a mirror, work on plants?

It's not going to help. As the sun apparently moves across the sky you're going to have to track where the sun light falls into the room and position mirrors to focus the reflection on your plants. ...
Graham Chiu's user avatar
6 votes

Why do some plants need an "open" position?

Some plants may be susceptible to root rots and perhaps fungal problems on the upper parts, and thus need good drainage and airflow around them; an open position, not closed in or crowded by other ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 131k
5 votes

What color should a greenhouse be?

Several of the answers here are incorrect. Green plastic absorbs green light or reflects it which is why it appears green. Green is chosen because if you want to reduce the light intensity to the ...
Graham Chiu's user avatar
5 votes
Accepted

What is the effect of intense sunshine on vegetable plants?

Both peppers and tomatoes require as much sun and warmth as they can get, but with one caveat - if your overnight temperatures do not fall below 30 deg C, so that they have a sustained period where ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 131k
5 votes
Accepted

Problem with pot roses

I'm presented with what looks like two completely opposite issues - the flower has suffered balling, and that is usually caused by damp cool conditions, in particular, rain, but the leaves appear to ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 131k
5 votes
Accepted

Which direction should I face my garden?

There are different variables and it depends on what season but generally speaking to get the most light, assuming a rectangular garden. rows should run east to west and your taller plants should be ...
OrganicLawnDIY's user avatar
5 votes

What is the ideal Daylight Time for Herbs, Tomatoes and Peppers?

It depends on which plants and which part of their cycle you are trying to emulate. Tomatoes as a tropical perennial will always benefit from 12 or more hours of direct sunlight every day. However ...
Escoce's user avatar
  • 6,336
5 votes
Accepted

Can I transplant a shade-growing lilac into a sunny spot?

No, doesn't need to be in shade - lilac does prefer full sun, but that doesn't mean it won't cope with any shade. It may be getting more sun than you're aware of, but whether you can move it ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 131k
5 votes
Accepted

How much sun do peaches need to fruit?

From experience, in the hot summers of northern Portugal, peaches fruit even under partial shade but the fruit is not very sweet. The more direct sunlight the sweeter the fruit seems to be.
Organic's user avatar
  • 544
5 votes

Best mosquito repellent plant for a sunny terrace?

I read that in Malta it is frequent to use basil to repel mosquitoes. It likes sun, but it should be watered often to maintain the green leaves and smell (though it is also resilient to dry periods).
Giacomo Catenazzi's user avatar
5 votes

How important is full sun for a Blue Spruce tree?

In my opinion, it is not a big deal. Six hours are enough. You can cut some branches of the other tree, and wait the spruce to grow, so it will get more sun. In nature, young tree tend to grow in ...
Giacomo Catenazzi's user avatar
5 votes

Did my aloes sunburn?

Haworthia do not like direct sun, especially when kept as a houseplant - I agree with the ID of Haworthia attenuata, so yes, it does need a different situation from a true aloe, so somewhere with good ...
Bamboo's user avatar
  • 131k
5 votes

What's a good full-sun groundcover for Zone 6A?

Lowbush AKA "wild" blueberries. Vaccinium angustifolium Lignonberries Vaccinium vitis-idaea Otherwise, 3-6 inches of pine needles and don't worry about growing much of anything (though I find that ...
Ecnerwal's user avatar
  • 21.2k
5 votes

Could I grow a fruiting plant in my office?

If the lights are extremely close to the plants, you could do a lot more kinds of plants, but I imagine they're on the ceiling, which is very far away. You might experiment with a Grandpa's Home ...
Brōtsyorfuzthrāx's user avatar
5 votes
Accepted

Venus Flytrap: repot, sun and water

Congratulations on the start of your CP(carnivorous plant) obsession. These are great and hardy plants. I've got a mess of them and plan to make a bog garden soon. I'll do my best to answer your ...
Dalton's user avatar
  • 5,072
4 votes

Solar driven LEDs to offset electricity for mass growing in a basement

To beat USD 0.109/kWH you'd have to create a very DIY system, possibly including auction lots of seconds (damaged goods) from eBay or a similar source of solar cells from China, and install them ...
Alex Nauda's user avatar

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