[Prowler]

Originally Posted by PGA

In my opinion growing horticulture crops is an art form. It is soothing only if patience is your virtue but today's lifestyle doesn't breed that temperament, so venture at your own peril.


There is a good app called Plantix and it helps in identifying the disease, tells you the organic methods and chemical methods of control and you can consult specialist too.

Thank you PGA. I couldn't locate the Thanks button here.
Patience has never been my virtue Always look for proven, reliable, verifiable, repeatable results - a trait of Science baked into us.

Wonderful App Plantix. Will try out for my Lemon and Mango trees.

[car FANATICUS]

Originally Posted by freedom

Bangalore does get rain almost all round the year isn't it?

Big trees need care only for the first year once they get past the 2nd monsoon they have grown a fairly deep root system and don't need frequent watering. If the water table is only 20' deep then no watering is needed at all

What a wonderful way of explaining , instructions are crystal clear, let me try doing this , will start with Dates first

[srvm]

I had planted few mango saplings 5-6 years ago in my apartment. I am taking care of them (watering, deweeding etc.) whenever time permits. I have put lots of time and effort over the years and I'm facing a problem of late.

This is how they looked in early February this year - healthy and flowering for the first time.






Since the last 2 months, most of the mango saplings/trees have been losing their young, just-born leaves (brown colored ones). I find scores of them early morning fallen below and around the stem/trunk. They look like they have been cut clean (refer images below). I used to think that kids in my apartment were responsible for this since some of them are quite naughty and I have seen them play these leaves. Now, I realize that the leaves have been cut/fallen from far above the ground which the kids cant reach howsoever. I suspect some insect or pest to be the problem now.

Can anybody in the forum help me find the culprit and a solution for this problem?

I am very concerned & desperate now since all my saplings are losing their young leaves - almost 20-40 leaves per sapling per day!

Thanks in advance,
srvm

[am1m]

Looking to grow trees/bushes around the perimeter of a property that my family owns. Property has been fenced, want to start planting trees before the next monsoon. Looking for species that will provide some sort of privacy, so large bushes will also be great, but not something that will get tangled in the fence and will be impossible to maintain later, like thorny bushes or the like. Any suggestions? Ashoka trees (or rather the 'false' Ashoka)? Silver fir? Thanks in advance for your time.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by am1m

Looking to grow trees/bushes around the perimeter of a property that my family owns. Property has been fenced, want to start planting trees before the next monsoon. Looking for species that will provide some sort of privacy, so large bushes will also be great, but not something that will get tangled in the fence and will be impossible to maintain later, like thorny bushes or the like. Any suggestions? Ashoka trees (or rather the 'false' Ashoka)? Silver fir? Thanks in advance for your time.

Actually it is good idea to plant thorn bushes and cacti between trees. Once they are dense enough, the fencing will be superfluous. Maintenance of thorny bushes and cacti is pretty easy. All you have to do is to engage some one to prune them once a year.

I personally like Neem, Jamun and Tamarind trees. They offer both shade and fruit.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by Flyer

I planted an avocado seed few months back and it sprouted now.

In a similar situation now

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Grown from seed, avocado takes a long time to fruit. So now you need to wait ... and wait ... and wait!

During first week of July, a friend gave us avocados from their farm in Coorg and I tried to grow a sapling from the seeds.

Watched a video on youtube and followed that, tried with 3 seeds and left the plastic cups on a ledge in the balcony.



A month later, one of the seeds though sprouted, did not survive and the third did not even sprout!

Now, almost a week short of 3 months we have one sapling that has grown about 5 inches tall and seems to have some decent root system.



What next ? When can I transfer this to a pot ? And when should it go from pot to soil in the garden ? Does it need a lot of sunlight ?

[scorpion_blore]

Few questions:

1) One of the flowering plant has attracted black ants for some reason, and the plant seems to be dying gradually. How can I recover it?

2) I have about 5 pots in my balcony, and I have not added any fertilizer or compost to the soil. If I have to add compost (sourced from nearby nursery), should I re-pot the plant by using the soil and compost in 1:1 ratio?

3) How often should I keep adding compost? Will once a month suffice? Should I take the plant out of the pot, mix the soil with compost, and put it back?

Sorry if my queries appear very basic, I'm new to gardening.

[AltoLXI]

Originally Posted by scorpion_blore

Few questions:

1) One of the flowering plant has attracted black ants for some reason, and the plant seems to be dying gradually. How can I recover it?

We used Gammexane powder for the insects which used to eat the rose plants. Check is you can get this at chemists.

Originally Posted by scorpion_blore

2) I have about 5 pots in my balcony, and I have not added any fertilizer or compost to the soil. If I have to add compost (sourced from nearby nursery), should I re-pot the plant by using the soil and compost in 1:1 ratio?

We used to mix the compost and soil at 1:2 ratio during the month of August/September. All the plants were re potted just when the monsoon season used to start.

Originally Posted by scorpion_blore

3) How often should I keep adding compost? Will once a month suffice? Should I take the plant out of the pot, mix the soil with compost, and put it back?

A thin layer once in a while should be ok.

[avimal]

Where can i get mexican grass seeds in bangalore or online for lawn?

[NPV]

Noob home gardening question.
Planning to use planter pots to grow Coriander, Mint and Spinach (Palak) and potting mix I was thinking of using is Garden Soil:Vermi Compost:Coco Peat in 1:1:1 ratio which would make it neutral.

However, I now have garden soil bought from a local nursery that has a mix of cow manure. I also bought leaf compost, not vermicompost, so do I need to alter the ratio for the potting mix to use what I have (Garden Soil with Cow manure:Leaf Compost:Coco Peat) ?

[PGA]

Originally Posted by NPV

Noob home gardening question.
Planning to use planter pots to grow Coriander, Mint and Spinach (Palak) and potting mix I was thinking of using is Garden Soil:Vermi Compost:Coco Peat in 1:1:1 ratio which would make it neutral.

However, I now have garden soil bought from a local nursery that has a mix of cow manure. I also bought leaf compost, not vermicompost, so do I need to alter the ratio for the potting mix to use what I have (Garden Soil with Cow manure:Leaf Compost:Coco Peat) ?

Mint, coriander and spinach are not heavy feeders, the root system is quite shallow too. So I wouldn't recommend coco peat in the mixture, normal soil with cow manure and leaf compost in the ratio of 1:1:1 should permit adequate produce for a pretty long period. Normal soil tends to balance out any nutritional toxicities and deficiencies which is not the case with coco peat.

[vijayrajthampi]

Originally Posted by NPV

Noob home gardening question.
Planning to use planter pots to grow Coriander, Mint and Spinach (Palak) and potting mix I was thinking of using is Garden Soil:Vermi Compost:Coco Peat in 1:1:1 ratio which would make it neutral.

However, I now have garden soil bought from a local nursery that has a mix of cow manure. I also bought leaf compost, not vermicompost, so do I need to alter the ratio for the potting mix to use what I have (Garden Soil with Cow manure:Leaf Compost:Coco Peat) ?

As a enthusiast, have dabbled in a bit of potting in different scenarios, in a apartment, roof top , commercial , aquaponics, hydroponics, perma culture. One thing I learned is the importance of maintenance. The trouble noobs face will be on regular maintenance. It's just like having a pet or a kid. Soil, water, pests etc can be secondary. There are 100s of various variables to consider. The best experience is to learn on the job. Take safe bets. If your maintenance is good, u can guarantee a 60-70% success. The finer controls on soil, fertilizer, irrigation , pest control and sunlight will take u the rest 30-40%. All the very best.

[download2live]

Managing soils in pots is a dark art which few know. My parents are one of them. Somehow they manage to grow spectacular plants in plain garden soil packed in pots.
I tried my hands with totally soil less mixture. It is better known as 511 mix. It is more forgiving to the newbies. There is no risk of over watering which the reason why I was killing off my jasmines. You will need 5 parts pine bark, 1 part perlite and 1 part peat moss. Not sure about availability in India. But it has somehow kept my Daphne's alive.

[airbus]

I have been trying hydroponics (Kratky method) in my balcony for last couple of months. It was becoming difficult to maintain soil based cultivation in pots. Successfully grown Lettuce and Spinach. Also trying Tomato and Chilli. Experimenting double layer technique for Coriander.

I bought seeds and Coco Peat from Lalbagh, Greenloop hydroponics nutrients from Amazon. Other materials are arranged from things available at home like different containers, old soft drink bottles, ice-cream and sweet boxes. I have used small plastic glasses to 2 litre soft drink bottles. No insect and disease infestation observed till now. Another advantage is that you don't need to worry about watering, as long as there is nutrient solution in the container.

Also, it's a great learning experience for kids as they can see growth of roots as the plants grow.

[NoMind]

Originally Posted by srvm

I had planted few mango saplings 5-6 years ago in my apartment.

..

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/mango-...ses-31227.html

I suspect Anthracnose or soil salinity issue