Rhubarb plant

QuestionI know this isnt a soil question but you have been so helpful in the past. My 6 month old rhubarb just started wilting, leaves curling and stalks hanging limp. It gets plenty of water and only gets aft

can i throw worms into my potted plants?

Questioni recently picked up an interest in growing plants and was very surprised to see that most of my seeds had sprouted! i have 4 various cactus potted in cactus soil as well as some sunflower seedlings and a ba

Veggie garden stunted growth

Question Stunted zucchini I have a vegetable garden that I cant quite figure out. I planted yellow squash, zucchini, potatoes, corn, blackberries, parsley and basil. The basil and blackberry are doing fabulous, they

Receding Soil

QuestionMy house was built with a slope all around the house I guess for better drainage. The house is now 13 yrs old. Every year the soil receded more and more and now there are some spot where i can see undeneath

soil amendment - Mn

QuestionQUESTION: I live in New Mexico where the soil pH in my garden is high, ranges from 7.9-8.2 and I have a high lime content. Most, not all, of the soil has adequate iron but its not available due to the

Roots in my soil.

QuestionI have a vegetable garden for the last 6-7 years, this year all my plants did horrible, I thought it may be my soil condition, or maybe I over crowded my plants. But when I dug out my plants that were not pr

Construction - Trees

QuestionDear Mr. Crowder: I recently had to have a septic system replaced, and the drain field was elevated by 18. The contractor pushed dirt up to the trunk of 4 trees on one side. I do not want to los

arborvitae problem

QuestionWe planted arborvitae 2 years ago, ten at my mother in laws home and ten at our home about 15 min. north. Hers are planted on a small hill at the rear of her property. She waters them faithfully. We water ou

Birds Nest Fungus

QuestionI recently had my front yard landscaped. The landscaper put all new mulch in the new beds. We had 7-8 days of rain during a hurricane that hit our area and the mulch began sprouting a stran

Soil Question

QuestionCan Horse Manure cause soil to compact? The Reason Im asking is because I got some horse manure and put it on where my Devil Claws were. The soil was compacted under it. AnswerHi, As organic matter decompos

Bulbs and Weed Killer

QuestionQUESTION: Hello: My mother (in Pa.) has an area where she would like to plant some spring flowering bulbs. There are currently weeds there. I bought some weedkiller (Roundup) to spray on the wee

Planting Flower Bulbs

QuestionHello. My question is about planting bulbs. Today (Tuesday) I finished digging about 400 holes to plant tulip and daffodil bulbs. There is light rain forecast for Thursday. I was thin

soil microbes

QuestionWhat minimal sized patch of soil would I need to provide 3 cats for urinating, so that the microbes in the soil could keep up with the break down of the urine (in California). I want to allow them to g

Draining pooled water

Questionhave a question im hoping you as an expert can help me with. during flood conditions (1+ inch rain in 24 hour period) i have water running to the back left part of my property and pooling there.

dying spike plant

QuestionI bought a large potted spike plant this summer, brought it inside for fall/winter and it is turning brown,spike leaves are falling off, its stalk towards the top of the plant is starting to get mushy and it

poor drainage around young oak tree

QuestionHouston drought in the summer and a couple of heavy rainfalls this winter is taking a toll on our small water oak. With a few heavy rainfalls this winter, we notice that the basin around the oak

Charcoal and soil

QuestionWhile cleaning out the garage, I found a half bag of charcoal briquettes that must have been there for at least fifteen years. Would it be good for the soil if I bury them, or should I just throw them out wi

Clear plastic in the Graden

QuestionHello, I went out today and planted part of my garden. While I was out, I began setting up my plan for my watermelons, canteloupes, and cucumbers. Im 23 and this is only my second

Soil amendment

QuestionI have a completely raised bed that had a lot of mushroom compost added 3 years ago. I plant tomatoes. They did well for those years. However, The soil has become heavy and dark and I do not know

my bad soil

QuestionMy soil is horrible! It has, what looks like tons of coal-like pebbles in it. I am not the best gardener, but I have tried planting hard to kill shrubs, that should grow in all types of soil. Ive dug holes a