This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Re: [SG] Black Thumb -- Need Help (Kind of Long)

Hi Donna,
        Welcome. Please do not get discouraged from not being perfect as a
beginner. We all have our problems in gardening from year to year. I
probably do not need to add compost to my garden since I have killed so
many plants over the years learning about them. Relax, watch and listen,
ask questions. Get a green thumb neighbor to help out. Go help her/him in
their garden a couple of afternoons. Pick up an inexpensive book with lots
of photos on gardening.
        Gardening is a fun thing to do. Honest. Stick around and do keep trying
until you get the hang of it all. Good Luck,  Gene
        Gene Bush     Southern Indiana    Zone 6a     Munchkin Nursery
          around the woods - around the world
genebush@otherside.com     http://www.munchkinnursery.com
----------
> From: Donna Randby. <Dunzley@AOL.COM>
> Subject: [SG] Black Thumb -- Need Help (Kind of Long)
> Date: Friday, June 05, 1998 6:00 PM
>
> Hi All,
> Please help!  Everything I plant either is stunted in growth or wilts
away.
> I'm going into a lot of detail to explain how I have been planting
annuals &
> perrenials so that maybe someone can tell me what I am doing wrong.  Most
> recently, about 10 days ago, I bought Torenia's from the nursery and
planted
> them along with impatiens under a large pine tree (lower branches of tree
were
> removed). When planting I included bagged potting soil in with the
existing
> soil in the planting hole; applied a small amount of Pete's fertilizer
and
> water in the  planting hole; let the planting hole drain; placed the
plant in;
> backfilled the planting hole with mostly potting soil and some existing
soil
> and watered.  There was some mulch left under the tree which I spread
lightly
> around the plants.  Since then I lost one plant within the first 2 days.
Now
> about 8 plants are wilted looking and practically lying on the ground
with
> their leaves curled and droopy.  After I planted them, I watered them
once
> maybe twice using a watering can.  We had two bad storms, lots of wind
and
> lightening and a heavy downpour of rain for a brief time within the first
week
> of planting.  The last two/three days have been temps around 70 degrees,
> sunny, but pretty windy.  Night temps have dropped to around 50-55
degrees.
> Could the cooler weather be a factor?  Am I over or underwatering them?
I
> have been told I water too much!  My neighbor bought a couple of
half-dead
> plants from Kmart, never waters and her plants look beautiful.  The
impatiens
> I planted at the same time in the same spot seem to be ok, not really
large
> yet but have a good look to them.  I also started annual seeds indoors
for the
> first time this year.  I planted the seedlings about 2 weeks ago.  This
> included Dahlias, Geraniums, Salvias and Morning Glorys.  They are all so
> small you can hardly make out if they are weeds or flowers.  i also
directly
> sowed into the ground Bachelor Buttons (never germinated), Cosmos (small
and
> laying on the ground) and Larkspur (stunted).  Am I doomed to be a black
thumb
> or is there help for me?  Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong.  Any
advise
> will be carefully followed and appreciated.  Thank you and sorry this is
> sooooooo long!
> Donna
> Zone 6 Rockland, NY
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index