Your houseplants and gardens - Yellow leaf means underwatered AND overwatered?! What a country!

[a hapless toad]

Okay this is going to sound like the dumbest question of all time, but...

Y'all how the fuck does weeding work?

So I've never really had a properly landscaped yard with flowerbeds n shit before. Not like this anyway. Previous yards were more natural woodlands style that didn't really need hand weeding, just some broadleaf weed killer and a string trimmer.

Now I've got a house with a lovely yard and flower beds that already have a lot of existing plants...but also a lot of weeds due to lack of proper maintenance in the time before I bought the place.

If I wanted to start the beds from scratch then this wouldn't be much of an issue; dig it all up, amend, replant. But I don't want to do that with most of them. Clearly they're planted with things deer won't eat and that survive well and I am still getting garden surprises all the time when new plants pop up.

ANYWAY (sorry I tend to ramble sometimes) my issue is that I know how to pull out weeds that are just chilling in a space with other weeds, but how the fuck do I get them out when they're interspersed with plants I want? Especially when they're deep rooted bastards like dandelions?

Is there a tricky way to manage it or do I just have to sacrifice the other plants?

(I just did that with a clump of violets that had been invaded by a dandelion and I hated it.)

 

[Aunt Carol]

ANYWAY (sorry I tend to ramble sometimes) my issue is that I know how to pull out weeds that are just chilling in a space with other weeds, but how the fuck do I get them out when they're interspersed with plants I want? Especially when they're deep rooted bastards like dandelions?

Is there a tricky way to manage it or do I just have to sacrifice the other plants?

You gotta get the two-prong weeder, the one that looks like a screwdriver. Go in around the center of the weed and wiggle around it like a lobotomy, then you can pull it out and get the root.

There are shorter ones too. Sometimes the shorter ones have a welded-in fulcrum. Some look more like tiny forks.

I love the Grandpa's Weeder (please say in Toki Wartooth voice): it goes in like four metal fingers, you step on the lever and then pull it out, and it takes the weed and root like it's being pinched by a robot. In clay soil this is imperfect (better if it's wet) and you'll probably have to whack dirt off the weed roots and pull it out of the weeder, but this is easy to get into a rhythm with. More of a lawn or a bulk weeding tool; I'd use the hand prong weeder if it's amid delicate/crowded plants.

Seriously this is a great tool; I've had one for almost a decade, use it all the time, so much so that it's on its second handle.


Bearing in mind that I have clay soil and I am dangerously insane: designated yard pliers. Most of my plant foes have taproots, and every now and then I end up pulling up the leaves and a half inch of root but leaving a stub of root showing in the middle of the hole. With pliers I reach in and grab that stub of taproot and pull it out with a pop like finally getting out an ingrown hair. Probably you're supposed to go back in with the weeder and fiddle more, but this is a genius tip that everyone needs to know, damnit.

 

[suspended animation]

designated yard pliers

These work great but you need to wear gloves because they they'll give you blisters with prolonged usage:

 

[a hapless toad]

Bearing in mind that I have clay soil and I am dangerously insane: designated yard pliers. Most of my plant foes have taproots, and every now and then I end up pulling up the leaves and a half inch of root but leaving a stub of root showing in the middle of the hole. With pliers I reach in and grab that stub of taproot and pull it out with a pop like finally getting out an ingrown hair. Probably you're supposed to go back in with the weeder and fiddle more, but this is a genius tip that everyone needs to know, damnit.

Yessssss this is exactly the sort of thing I was looking for!

I've got a long pointy bro but I don't find it works well, and I thought about getting the Fiskars take on Grandpa's Weeder, but PLIERS is inspired. Especially considering I have dozens of them for all purposes (jewelry, wire, and glass nerds have all of the pliers). But I bet my cheap Walmart fishing pliers will work best of all.

Thank you!! Sometimes it takes someone else to point out a novel idea that seems so obvious.

 

[Aunt Carol]

I've got a long pointy bro but I don't find it works well,

My experience is that it helps to swirl around the weed with the lobotomizer to sever the rootlets/etc that are giving it purchase in the clay soil, then pull it out with the pliers.

@suspended animation is making me consider getting my own LAWN JAWS, since apparently this isn't my original idea and someone's made a purpose-built version of it. But yeah I just picked a pair of pliers to get dirty.

eta: was it this Fiskars weeder? I had it and it broke in a season. They're right about being higher tech and easier to use, but for some stupid reason they used plastic to hold the metal parts together and it was not up to the challenge of daring to live where clay exists.


Same with this spinny claw weeder, which was super precise and honestly fun to use, but lasted I think four uses, which I should have expected from the price tag.

 

[glioblastoma multiforme]

Y'all how the fuck does weeding work?

I have started letting weeds grow to see what they are. I'm even letting dandelions grow this year because a landscaper friend said their good for the soil and they're in my super low quality soil front bed. Things that are obviously super invasive (e.g. HORSETAIL) I do take out because I don't want my garden taken over. I've got a random but very pretty, delicate geranium growing in a pot that I never planted, and the same species seems to be coexisting well with my potted Dahlia.

I know that doesn't exactly answer your question but given you've already had a good answer I thought I'd chip in.

I'm about to do my nightly battle against the slimy things, but took some pics while I was watering earlier. I have 3 cosmos, pics show 2. One is already underway flowering and the other is getting ready to bloom fabulously. I do strongly recommend Cosmos, they will grow to about twice the their current size and produce ample blooms right through summer.

They also look nice in my single flower vases my partner bought me for my birthday (which, for potential doxxers, is 123/456/7890), They droop quickly but i have enough to keep a happy display. I have them in my office. I like having a bit of the garden inside, and being able to look over the back from my office window.



ETA: my partner thinks i'm bonkers for going out and physically removing slugs and snails. I know it doesn't do much because I'm only out for a short amount of time. By the time I've swept the whole front bed I usually find more where I started. I wouldn't want to remove a significant proportion of them because I know they are crucial in the garden cycle of life.

I feel like if I'm removing them from a plant, that plant will benefit even if more come later. I've tried every suggestion for getting rid of them, they went over or under my copper tape, salt dissolves as soon as you water/it rains and I don't think having too much of it in the soil is beneficial. Beer traps yielded zero prisoners, a variety of other leaves were judged inferior to the plants I was trying to divert from.

Also it gets me out interacting with nature at bedtime instead of doomscrolling. So even if its ineffective for helping my plants, its useful for me.

 

[a hapless toad]

My experience is that it helps to swirl around the weed with the lobotomizer to sever the rootlets/etc that are giving it purchase in the clay soil, then pull it out with the pliers.

@suspended animation is making me consider getting my own LAWN JAWS, since apparently this isn't my original idea and someone's made a purpose-built version of it. But yeah I just picked a pair of pliers to get dirty.

eta: was it this Fiskars weeder? I had it and it broke in a season. They're right about being higher tech and easier to use, but for some stupid reason they used plastic to hold the metal parts together and it was not up to the challenge of daring to live where clay exists.
Wyświetl załącznik 7397727

Same with this spinny claw weeder, which was super precise and honestly fun to use, but lasted I think four uses, which I should have expected from the price tag.
Wyświetl załącznik 7397742

Ah ha, it WAS that one so I will not be purchasing it. I've also got the spinny boy around here somewhere that I brought home from Grandma's but never used, however I have no clue where it is because lol unpacking the workshop has not been high on my priorities list since I moved.

Unrelated: How long does it take for peony buds to open? I only have one so far (zone 6 is so much fun) but it's been the same size, about the size of a quarter gumball (fucking hell I'm old) for at least a month.

I've never grown peonies before, so any advice is welcome, but they seem very low maintenance, other than having to fill my beds with stake supports, and the deer don't even bother with a curious nibble.

Much better than lavender or yarrow!

 

[Aunt Carol]

ETA: my partner thinks i'm bonkers for going out and physically removing slugs and snails.

My mom likes to chuck snails across the street and into the neighbors' yard, but she just puts slugs in the yard waste bucket because they don't fly as well.

I've also got the spinny boy

I was unclear when I said "lasted four uses:" that was four afternoons, not four weeds. It's probably a hoot in places with different soil, or in a fluffy garden bed/raised bed. Breakage method: spikes snapped off.

I've never grown peonies before,

ANTS

Not in a way that's bad for the peonies, IIRC they eat the bad bugs, just hope you like an increased level of ant presence. Ants crawling all around a pretty flower like the beginning of Blue Velvet. I have peony tulips instead, because tulips are the turkey of the flower world.

But if the deer don't eat 'em, that sounds like the main survival criterion in your compound.

 

[glioblastoma multiforme]

the deer don't even bother with a curious nibble.

Just wondering, have you been for an explore out yonder where the deer live and seen what is growing well there? If not I'd go with a plant identification app so you can ID any that take your fancy.

If you're good with propagating/cuttings/whatever then you could even bring home an embryonic deer=tolerant collection. I once had housemates who made entire bottle gardens with varieties of things they'd picked and coaxed into renewal, and also decorated the whole house with such plants. I'm sad I never learned their secrets.

I've found peeking at what does well nearby to really help narrow down my plant choices from the overwhelming abundance of species to try. Its a bonus if you're looking at things that grow naturally as they'll be lower maintenance than things cultivated in your neighbours gardens.

 

[AnOminous]

The injured basil plant I harmed appears to be recovering from my incompetence (sorry basil bro).

The other basil plant is thriving.

And the peppers are going absolutely berserk and exploding into madness. I am looking forward to seeing these tiny little budding peppers grow into amazing monsters.

 

[Plantation Barbie]

I have a little echeveria succulent that I bought at a local supermarket earlier this month. I need to trim it's dead leaves but I'm afraid I might accidentally kill it.

 

[a hapless toad]

I've found peeking at what does well nearby to really help narrow down my plant choices from the overwhelming abundance of species to try. Its a bonus if you're looking at things that grow naturally as they'll be lower maintenance than things cultivated in your neighbours gardens.

My neighbors already grow what I have sadly (small town with a big passalong plant culture going back generations), and as for native flora, I confess rabbitbrush and sagebrush aren't my garden plant ideal.

 

[Lichen Bark]

My mom likes to chuck snails across the street and into the neighbors' yard, but she just puts slugs in the yard waste bucket because they don't fly as well.

Your Mom is CIA?

Spoiler

He didn't fly so good!

Spoiler

If I pull that shell off will you die?
It would be extremely painful.
You're a big snail.
For you.

Spoiler

Well, congratulations! You got yourself caught!..............Now what's the next step in your master plan!?
Eating this garden.......with no survivors!

Spoiler

 

[a hapless toad]

Ants crawling all around a pretty flower like the beginning of Blue Velvet.

PABST. BLUE. RIBBON.

I have peony tulips instead, because tulips are the turkey of the flower world.

Deer say: Oh yes please, tulips are delicious!

(I plant them anyway, they manage to keep going with nommed leaves and if I'm lucky I get to see a flower open before it turns into a snack.)

But if the deer don't eat 'em, that sounds like the main survival criterion in your compound.

At this point it really is, because there are so many that come through year round and I haven't got the heart to try deterring them from my yard (and in fact, I feed them apples through the winter, leave edible prunings on the ground for a few days, and have a water fountain for them...and the stray cats that love to spray my shrubs, haven't got the heart to deter them either).

While I dislike a good many of the tried and true deer-resistant plants, there are enough that I do like to allow me to narrow down by other criteria (nothing invasive duh, nothing spiny because then pruning sucks and I'm clumsy, nothing with messy fruit or seed drops, etc.)

So far I'm planning to plant red osier dogwood, serviceberry, arborvitae to replace the pyracantha, and a paper birch for shade (which hopefully will be grown enough by the time the apple tree will need to come down). And more peonies. And nicotiana rustica. And poppies. The good kind.

 

[an_actual_reptilian]

I JUST got elephant ears. Green ones and black ones. Though there's tons of folk on reddit who say their black elephant ears grow green with too much sun and grow dark with shady indirect.... then tons who say the exact opposite. So which is it? My black ones are getting bigger but they started giving green and blackish leaves and have no velvet surface while other leaves (on the same plant) do. Why would this be? They are otherwise growing great. The green guys are doin great and are happy and velvety. They are both colocasia and have the same potting soil and light. First time having black ones.

 

[skekChuck]

Did it leave you any fertilizer as payment?

Nope. Didn’t have the courtesy.

 

[Anasa Tristis]

Deer say: Oh yes please, tulips are delicious!

Deer tip: Bambi will not stick his face into a place that threatens his eyes. Every late winter when I prune off the “water sprouts” that grew the year before on my old apple tree, I save what I cut off and stick them in the ground around the day lilies and other stuff that Bambi loves to eat when they first come up in early spring. Just 3 or 4 one to two foot long sticks in/around each clump. They’re not that noticeable from a distance and Bambi will not eat the plants after they’ve reached regular size. They don’t taste as good (or something) then and I can pull the sticks out without worry. Bambi will also not venture into areas that threaten to trip up or break their skinny legs. Putting in bamboo stakes and criss crossing a grid of twine a foot above the ground may be enough to make them think twice and move on to finding something else to eat. They will not jump into a place that doesn’t have a nice open landing spot either, if you have a fenced in area that they’re boinging over. I’ve run a dual “fence” of just regular baling twine along 4 foot high t posts 3 or 4 feet apart (with light row cover fabric clothespinned on the outside one for better visibility and fluttery spookiness) and had only one deer get inside the growing area once in many years of doing that. Between the fluttery fabric threatening eyes and legs, and the no good landing zone, they stay away.

Know thy enemy. Learn their fears and exploit them. Make Bambi reluctant to get close or bend over to eat your tulips next year and enjoy having some blooming for once!

 

[Pickman's Modeling Agency]

Spoiler: Pics

 

[one_time_user]

Someone is apparently dropping off a night bloom cereus plant to me tomorrow. I have no real idea what it is but, I really dig the name.

 

[one_time_user]

So, the plant is here! It's technically a night blooming orchid cactus. It has been passed around quite a bit, poor thing. The main stalk is about 8 or 9 feet long and it has maybe 3 leaves. Very sad looking beastie.

I am going to just ignore it for a few weeks. If it looks like the main stalk will get more leaves I will let it do its thing but if nothing I am lopping it off and letting it start fresh. I am going to TRY to restrain myself from repotting it but I make no promises.

It's such a sad looking thing. it reminds me of all my foster dogs in week one.