What's the opposite of "green thumb?"

May 13, 2008 22:22

My mere presence seems to kill houseplants ( Read more... )

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Comments 7

duckssaymip May 14 2008, 03:12:24 UTC
Burn down the city of Pittsburgh. I'm just saying...

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scotjohn May 14 2008, 12:25:18 UTC
Ever the one-track mind, eh? ; )

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duckssaymip May 14 2008, 13:02:10 UTC
Nah, it recently gained the title of "smoggiest city in the US." I'm pretty sure that by burning it to the ground, you could eliminate some of the smog drifting down to Chapel Hill and your plants would improve. It's not just my one-track mind--it's true!

;)

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ayse May 14 2008, 03:15:20 UTC
I've never nursed a mint plant before, but I've also never grown it in a pot. My guess would be that the potting soil is really too rich for the plants and they want a leaner, better-draining soil. Are they sitting in puddles? Is there a bunch of water at the bottom of the container? Is the soil still damp when you water them? Those are good places to start with a diagnosis.

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scotjohn May 14 2008, 12:24:54 UTC
Thanks, I'll look into mixing it with something sandier, maybe the "potting soil for succulents" that I've seen around.

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ayse May 14 2008, 13:42:42 UTC
If you mix "cactus mix" potting soil with regular, that would be OK, but beware any potting soil that has been "specially formulated for cactus" because it will be way too alkaline for your average garden plant.

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scotjohn May 14 2008, 15:24:47 UTC
Ah, good to know. I was thinking it was just sandier.

Seems like my problem might be spider mites. On closer inspection, I'm seeing not just black spots on a lot of those yellow leaves, but weird tiny dots on the underside and some tiny cobwebs in the dill even. Too bad the things sound hard to kill. Guess I'll start by spraying the plants with soapy water -- and see if I can find any ladybugs around that want a nice lunch.

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