Plastic Soil

QuestionI recently purchased a new home and have had a number of drainage issues. One landscaper mentioned the term plastic soil. Can you tell me what it is and how it effects drainage? AnswerHi Tom, Im afraid Im n

mold growing inside the bag of purchased house plant potting soil

QuestionI recently purchased a name brand of potting soil to do my indoor potting and re-potting. The soil was stored for a while and when opening it to use there was white and gray mold on the top of the soil

Stunted plants in rural Reno, NV

QuestionHave had an ongoing problem with stunted plants, in containers, a small garden patch, and my entire lawn. Had sod brought in four years ago for a front and rear lawn. Each year the lawn got progressively wor

planting in soil that has cat feces/urine in it

QuestionI live in the city with a small backyard and garden which is shady due to the other buildings around. I have 9 cats (yes alot but we have a big house!!). I have tried to make the back garden a nice place fo

Fixing my terrible lawn!!!

QuestionQUESTION: Hi there! My name is Will and I live just outside city limits in a town that is inbetween the deciduous sedimentary landscape of southern ontario, and the igneous canadian shield landscape of the n

Fungus and fungus gnats in Miracle Gro Potting Mix

QuestionThis year I purchased Miracle Gro Potting Mix for the first time. This soil was used for my front porch herb garden and my back deck heirloom tomatoes. The tomatoes grew deformed, and yellow-ish

soil mixture for out door pots for growing reeper vegetables

QuestionHi, I am making a terrace garden. The volume of each pot is about 100 liters.I have used ordinary soil with vermi cultured compost. The plants were in good health till the beginning of rainy season. Now the

Soil drainage problem

QuestionI dug a hole to put a shrub in. I noticed that it was extremely dry and hard compared to the rest of the area where I am putting in some new shrubs for fall. So, I filled the hole with water to t

adding soil

QuestionI have a well-established lawn on one side of my house, but unfortunately, I need to add about 2-3 inches of topsoil to improve the grade so water runs away from the house. What is the best strategy fo

Excessive alkali in well water

QuestionHere I am again from rural Reno, NV. Bought a soils test kit and found that I have a very high concentration of alkali in my soil, very probably from our well water. The soil was purchased in a variety of w

slimy red tubular fungus 1-3 inches....

QuestionHello, I live in SE Pennsylvania, and I have several red, slimy, tubular fungus/mushrooms growing in my garden. nearby, we have red ginger; we thought it was possibly new shoots from that.... My mom, sho li

pine cone mulch

QuestionI have an abundant supply of pine cones and am shredding them into mulch. I am not sure what the PH factor is for this mulch and if I should be using it in my vegetable and flower gardens. Can you help

Spikes Dracaena and peace lilies

QuestionThe spikes plant was a gift. When I recd it the roots were coming out of the bottom of the pot so I repotted it. Now the bottom leaves are falling off. What do I need to do. The peace

white matter on soil

QuestionEvery year my raised flower beds start having a white substance on top of the soil. I am not sure what to do or how to prevent it next year. The white stuff starts leaking through the cracks on

Massangeana Cane (corn plant)

Question my massangeana My name is Hannah Nguyen. MY husband bought a massangeana plant before chrismast. It was really green and full of leaves. After new year we repoted it to a bigger pot and put more

Strawberries

QuestionDearMr.Crowder thank you in advance for your help.For the past 3 years my strawberries have died 8-10 weeks after replanting them I have never had this problem with any plant.The plant store told me check th

Fungus infection in soil.

QuestionAn area in my garden border has produced some large toadstools. Digging around them the soil shows masses of white spores. A healthy Graham Thomas rose and a Ceanothus Arboretum have died this summer.

Hydrated lime

QuestionCan hydrated lime be used in a dog pen to control odor? Is exposure to hydrated lime harmful to dogs? AnswerHi Tracy, Hydrated lime is labeled for use around stables and dog pens for odor control. &nb

Acidic soil for Gardenias

Questiongardenias QUESTION: I have 7 gardenias that were in South Carolina red clay, after finding out that doesnt work I tilled in some manure and soil conditioner (from Home Depot). 6 of them ar

Lawn & Garden Lime

QuestionI live in central Florida. I have a 50 lb. bag of lawn and garden lime which I bought several years ago ,on a friends advice to green up my grass. when I applied it, it seemed to burn the grass(St Augu