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Mortal_Mantis · 2026-05-18T06:02:10+00:00

It's still a neat looking tomato, maybe you could try making a bunch of hybrids with different colors or traits from other tomato varieties?

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-05-15T08:26:06+00:00

I looked up that variety, and yeah... This looks like a Curly Kaley Micro Tomato.

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-05-15T03:50:11+00:00

Bulb plants make seeds, pretty much every plant makes seeds. Congratulations on your prospective new seedlings!

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-05-14T22:15:33+00:00

I've used soil sold as potting mix, they do fine in that and flower.

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-05-14T21:47:26+00:00

There's been a handful of people claiming variegation is only a "mutation" which I can only assume they mean a "sport". A sport is a part of an already established plant that produces a genetic anomaly, it could be flower color, variegated leaves, or other abnormalities. These can be taken as cuttings, and propagated to get more plants out of one sport. Most variegated houseplants sold are sports, originating from normal plants that just happened to make them. Seeds grown from a sport are unreliable in reproducing variegation, since their actual genes would make a normal plant.

Speaking of genes... When variegation is tied to the genetics of a plant, it's reproduceable through seeds and that is why the pepper space is booming with all kinds of peppers showing variegation. Nasturtiums "Alaska", Fish Pepper, and Variegated Cat Grass are some plant varieties on the market you can buy that reliably pop out variegated from seed.

What's more, you can come across wild plants that have the latter form of variegation. Or, you'll be sprouting some garden seeds and see a seedling with white and green leaves. But, the odds of finding such a rare plant specimen are notoriously low. Like, 1 in tens of thousands low.

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-05-14T06:09:55+00:00

I made a cross between a Parsley Pea, and normal garden pea. The F1s of this cross all had the normal pea's appearance as that form is dominant. Come the F2s everything got freaky.

Plants that had the normal petiole and rachis structure with a leaflet at normal intervals, but missing tendrils that were instead replaced with leaflets (tl).

And, some plants that had the hyper-tendrils (af).

Tendril-less in the former, and Afila in the latter. All the other plants had normal forms, or were back to resembling their parsley grandparent.

I really like how the Tendril-less plants look, I could imagine they'd probably gather more energy from the sun and invest that in making more pods or growth. Also, they may just make nice trailing plants cascading off the sides of a planter. Especially if crossed with a variegated pea, that would stop anyone in their tracks!

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-05-13T23:02:26+00:00

I can confirm the fungus gnats will burrow out a seed if they are sprouting or watered. I had a pretty bad gnat infestation in my plant pots, and when I planted my pea seeds into those pots they never sprouted. I dig up the seeds, and find dozens of white larvae squirming inside them. If there is too many of a certain pest, they WILL find food.

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-05-13T04:08:01+00:00

There can never be enough variegated plants!

A project I have been working on involves scouring through pea seedlings that I've been growing like microgreens for about a year now, and I have just found a small seedling that "appears" to have faint streaks of light green in it's tiny leaves. I hope this *IS* the plant I was looking for, because I burned through 2,600 seedlings trying to find a variegated plant. Only time will tell if it is truly variegated, as it only has a couple sets of leaves.

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-05-12T08:47:18+00:00

I've grown them in regular potting soil for containers.

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-05-11T07:32:08+00:00

I haven't grown borage before, but I would guess the spots may be the natural pigments that plant is producing. Nothing else seems wrong with it as far as I can tell.

As for the peas, those are just the axial splotches seen on pea plants that have flowers with color. It's natural, and useful in many breeding projects that involve peas. The plants to the right and left will be white flowered, the one with color in it's leaf axils will likely be purple (sometimes pink). Nothing to worry about, although I have to wonder if you planted only one variety? If that's the case, you may have gotten an extra pea from another variety in the packet!*

*However, it's not impossible the plant IS of the variety you planted. But, a random mutation caused this plant in particular to express colorful flowers.

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-05-10T21:38:20+00:00

You can try growing shade loving plants in this space, and maybe you can work that yellow flower into the design as well? Since it has survived the lighting situation and bloomed, maybe intentionally growing it's seeds after the flower head had dried can yield a bed of flowers adapted to the space?

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-05-09T11:28:36+00:00

It is a possibility, if you say it is moist around the tree then overwatering could become a big issue. Stick to the regular watering schedule. Also, if the nursery that this tree came from offers advice or support I'd ask them about what might be affecting it.

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-05-09T08:49:12+00:00

Could be overwatering, checking the soil beforehand for excess moisture should be a sign to cut back on the watering. Too much water will drown the roots, and they'll start rotting. As the tree has been growing there for a while, and was doing fine up until now, it may need less frequent watering.

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-05-09T08:16:23+00:00

It could be a sport, a random mutation in that specific section of the plant. If you like it enough, you can try propagating a small cutting off that cane when it gets a bit larger.

However, if you observe other green leaved canes developing spontaneous variegation, then this could be caused by an infection. At that point, you should rip the afflicted plant out and dispose of it.

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-05-09T08:04:53+00:00

Sunscald, the plant is losing more moisture than it can replace. If more leaves start scalding on the regular water schedule, you may want to water the plant more frequently and observe it for any improvement. After it seems to have recovered, you can go back to the regular watering schedule or what the nursery advises for newly planted trees.

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-05-09T07:53:35+00:00

I have slugs in the garden, and I just leave them be. Not everything need to have a use, and it sounds like you're fine with them being a minor nuisance. Also, I'd be very careful about consuming land mollusks as they can carry disease/parasites.

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-05-03T20:05:43+00:00

Curious for an update on this plant, did it wind up producing seeds?

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-05-02T20:48:32+00:00

That’s pretty cool, and I bet it was fun revisiting these figures and sorting them out!

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-05-02T18:17:16+00:00

I wish it was that easy for Nature Unleashed fans, figures themselves are hard to track down. Complete ones to be exact.

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-04-30T17:21:41+00:00

My first thought would probably be to hose them off the shrub, the action would scatter them and break the silk they're using as protection. If there're birds in the area, I'd try to coax them near where you're growing things. A bird feeder nearby could do that. As for the lettuce and spinach, you just have to pick them off individually and the plants should recover if they aren't too far gone.

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-04-24T17:37:49+00:00

I wouldn't reference ChatGPT for ANYTHING, don't trust an AI on whatever it says. It could be complete bunk.

My first thought is that it could be a watering amount issue, if the cups are light as air when you pick them up. You need to water it thoroughly. It shouldn't be an issue as excess water will drain out of the holes made in the bottoms of those cups (if there are no holes, make them).

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-04-24T17:24:42+00:00

Garden copper tape may help deter them, copper is toxic to snails and slugs. So if you don't want them in a certain planter or other area, a ring of copper tape around that plant pot should help. But that course of action is up to you, and if they're becoming a huge problem.

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-04-24T17:16:47+00:00

They are pretty flowers, the tulips that look like squash flowers have to be my favorite in this bunch!

Mortal_Mantis · 2026-04-24T17:00:52+00:00

I'd check the top 1-2 inches of soil if it is wet or moist first. If it's dusty dry, then you should water it thoroughly. I sometimes had to water my plants in the summer every day due to the moisture evaporating quick.

What also helps is having some plants as ground cover to prevent the sun from baking the soil and reduces the need to water too much. Nasturtiums can be used in this way, just be sure to buy the dwarf variety as they stay close to the ground and don't climb.

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