http://www.thirstylight.com/ask-ivy Gardening tips by Ivy: Botanist Extraordinaire Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:48:49 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Question: What are the white spots on my trailing ivy? Answer: Well, they could be lots of things... A really great thing to do would be to invest in a magnifying glass (I use the word "invest" here loosely, since magnifying glasses can be bought most anywhere and are pretty cheap). ... http://www.thirstylight.com/ask-ivy/uncategorized/what-are-these-white-spots/ Question: My Ivy plant will have water drops on the leaves in the morning, what causes this and do I need to do something? [caption id="attachment_706" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Water droplets on leaves can pose some problems, but the key is finding out why they are there."][/caption] Answer: Well, first we must figure ... http://www.thirstylight.com/ask-ivy/uncategorized/disconcerting-droplets/ Question: I have two curly leaf Croton plants and one is losing its leaves. From the top to the bottom to the plant is becoming bare. It's potted outdoors and the soil seems moist enough. New foliage seems to be coming in the same area as the fallen leaves. Why ... http://www.thirstylight.com/ask-ivy/uncategorized/croton-comparison/ Question: If you "botch" a transplant and cut or break a significant amount of a plant's roots, should you: pro-actively trim foliage; trim foliage as it appears to die off; or leave it the heck alone (after transplanting, of course)? Specifically asking about capsicum annuum, but curious if the instructions would ... http://www.thirstylight.com/ask-ivy/uncategorized/capsicum-casualty/ [caption id="attachment_692" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Argiope Aurantia!"][/caption] If anyone remembers the crazy picture I put up of the mystery item I found in my house-bound Croton, I finally have an answer for you! This beautiful black and yellow garden spider is what layed that fabulous egg sack. I got a hold of ... http://www.thirstylight.com/ask-ivy/environmentally-friendly-gardening/mystery-solved/ [caption id="attachment_683" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="A carpet of Fall leaves is natural compost, and a winter blanket for your yard."][/caption] I remember when my parents used to make my little brother and I rake the yard as kids. We would gather all the dead leaves from under the tall sycamores into little ... http://www.thirstylight.com/ask-ivy/uncategorized/its-raking-time/ I found this cacoon in my croton as I went to bring it inside! Or could it be an egg sac? I'm not really sure what to do. [caption id="attachment_688" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="This could be a number of things... Always inspect your plants before bringing them inside!"][/caption] It's about an inch from top ... http://www.thirstylight.com/ask-ivy/croton/what-in-the-world/ You know cold weather is around the corner when the bugs start their yearly exodus from the garden. There is a little spider taking up residence in one of my cupboards. He's just too fast, I can't catch him! I only hope the first few light frosts kill off the smaller ... http://www.thirstylight.com/ask-ivy/seasonal-plant-care/winter-refugees/ [caption id="attachment_677" align="alignnone" width="225" caption="A beautiful field of Goldenrod."][/caption] The last day of summer has passed, but fall is finally here! Beautiful foliage, pumpkin picking, mums in full bloom. Every gardener delights in the harvest season. Since the warm weather is coming to an end, the next few weeks Ask Ivy will ... http://www.thirstylight.com/ask-ivy/seasonal-plant-care/autumn-is-upon-us/ I've been putting coffee grounds into my house plants. They like the extra boost the ground beans provide to the soil, but I've noticed that the coffee tends to become compacted on the surface, inhibiting evaporation, and hindering proper water absorption. To remedy this, I just broke up the soil on ... http://www.thirstylight.com/ask-ivy/uncategorized/condensed-coffee-concerns/