Seeing a jade plant stem turning black is scary. Jade plants are tough, so a dark, ugly stem feels like a sign that something has gone badly wrong. The good news is that not every dark stem is a death sentence. In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to tell harmless aging from real … Read more >>
Your hanging baskets looked full and lush in May. Now it’s July, and they’re a tangle of long, bare stems with a few flowers dangling at the tips. If you’re asking yourself, “Why have my hanging baskets gone leggy?”, you’re not alone. This is one of the most common summer basket complaints. The good news … Read more >>
True lotus plants (Nelumbo) are not listed as toxic to cats by the ASPCA, and people in many parts of the world eat their roots and seeds, so a nibble on a lotus leaf is not a poisoning emergency. Your cat can still throw up after chewing a big piece, because any plant material can … Read more >>
A single dieffenbachia leaf can’t grow into a new plant. A leaf has no node, the small growth point on the stem where buds wake up and push out new shoots. Without that bud, a leaf can stay green for weeks, but it has nothing to build a new stem from. To propagate dieffenbachia from … Read more >>
Picking the best plants for hydroponics is the single biggest factor in whether your first grow goes well. Some crops love life in water. Others fight you every step of the way. In this guide, I’ll walk you through 15 easy picks, from fast leafy greens to fruiting crops that reward a little extra effort. … Read more >>
Few things are more frustrating than watching a lush basket fade from deep green to pale yellow in the middle of summer. If you’ve noticed your hanging baskets turning yellow, the good news is that the cause is usually simple, and most baskets bounce back with the right fix. In this guide, I’ll walk you … Read more >>
A lotus that suddenly looks half-dead is a scary sight, especially after you’ve waited weeks for those big leaves to show up. The good news is that the part of the plant that matters most, the tuber, often stays alive long after the leaves look terrible. Most of the time, a dying lotus plant has … Read more >>
You walk past your porch, catch a whiff of something sour, and realize it’s coming from your favorite basket. If you’ve been asking yourself “why are my hanging baskets smelling,” you’re not alone. A bad odor is one of the clearest warning signs a basket can give you. The good news is that most smells … Read more >>
Companion planting in a square foot bed comes down to a short list of proven neighbors. The pairings that work best are tomatoes with basil, carrots with onions, radishes with lettuce, and a few squares of marigolds, dill, or cilantro near cabbage-family crops, each kept in its own square with tall plants on the north … Read more >>
If you want a productive garden without a steep learning curve, start with the easiest vegetables to grow in raised beds. These crops germinate reliably, forgive small mistakes, and reward you with harvests fast. Raised beds give them loose soil, good drainage, and a tidy space you can actually manage. In this guide, I’ll walk … Read more >>