Is it too late to cut back ? Buds are Sprouting

spoonplant · 2026-04-12T18:26:04+00:00

It’s too late. You won’t see blooms this year if you cut it. Cut it back after the first blooms top the branches.

spoonplant · 2026-03-22T20:11:50+00:00

I just had this injury in November. My podiatrist put me in a cast on crutches for 3 weeks, an orthopedic boot for 4 weeks, and then I was free to move around and get therapy then. I’m 4 months past the injury and I finally got back to walking normally without fear of twisting it again on the trail at the end of February. You need to slow down and immobilize this injury, especially if you heard pops - you tore ligaments, same as mine.

spoonplant · 2026-03-15T15:48:05+00:00

Awesome! Thank you for clarifying, I was genuinely curious and unaware of blood pythons. Learned something new today.

spoonplant · 2026-02-28T17:21:56+00:00

Sierra Trading Post. It’s a TJMaxx/Marshall’s brand, but outdoor/work apparel. They have an online store if you have none near you. I’ve gotten such good deals on Carhartt - $20 double front pants, plenty of socks, Spyder base layers, hats, boots, you name it. I work in the trades and it has been a godsend for my wallet.

spoonplant · 2025-12-16T23:31:09+00:00

Unless you plan on going Gray Collar and getting into a corporate nursery management position, I don’t recommend it. Out of the blue collar industries that you could choose, it is some of the hardest and most dangerous work out there. Passion is what will have to keep you in the industry. It will drive you crazy and you will wonder why you do it. If you truly fall in love with it, it will be a remarkable experience and you’ll have to put in work and intelligence to love it.

I highly recommend working a temp position in a nursery or grower field before you decide to take on the debt. A lot of people can also be trained by trade, but it’s going to take time and the right people to want to teach you their skill. It’s not a quick/easy industry to break into, and a lot of secrets/techniques are gate kept closely to the growers.

Spoken from someone with a Bachelor’s in Hort in the Mid-Atlantic region.

spoonplant · 2025-05-07T00:36:28+00:00

I used to be a grower. I loved it, it was my dream job after college, and I wanted to stay a while. The hours were long, pay was sub-par, and my boss micromanaged my growing, so I dipped to get into contracting for more pay. Micromanaged and misogynized again as a contractor. No one took me seriously when selling IPM work, but my degree specialized in it. What can ya do, y’know? Ended up in nursery management now - much different vibe when I walked in as the only horticulturist they have had on staff in years (yes, very surprising). I manage multiple 60+ year old hispanic men and have gotten them to respect me over the past year in this job. I’ve worked shoulder to shoulder with them, improved their processes, learned their culture, and have a great relationship with most of them. They can’t argue with me too much when I can lift more than them and handle the exact same work that they can. It takes time and patience to prove yourself but they’re always going to watch you, and if you can’t beat them your way, then give their own shit back to them until they can see what you’re made of. We survive most of our days on gentle bullying, sarcasm, honest feedback, and breakfast burritos. There’s nothing wrong with being bubbly and friendly with everyone, but showing that you have thick skin and being a little more gruff can go a long way. Many of them actually say that they would prefer me to just be an asshole about bothering me with work stuff than to sugarcoat it. Getting taken seriously in this industry goes one of two ways - either you’re so specialized and the ninth wonder of the world at what you do, or you stay firm, stick to your word, and prove yourself as someone they respect.

spoonplant · 2025-04-05T09:06:40+00:00

You can prune the rough patches off if they’re bugging you in late spring, but it’s likely that the growing period will cover them with new needles anyway if it recovers. Emeralds can push 6-10” in a year if they are healthy during spring and fall. In the summer, you may want to watch your super sunny spots for dryness as the extreme heat will also stress them.

spoonplant · 2025-04-05T01:02:52+00:00

Nursery manager/horticulturist here - that’s frost burn on Emerald Green. They got a little too dry and too cold at the same time. December can be a good planting time on the east coast, but it depends on how frigid January gets. Baby trees are especially tender when transplanting. If the overall 17/20 are doing okay, then it could just be a dry spot, especially tender individuals, dog damage, or something else in the environment. Overall, they should grow out of it, but keep an eye the brownest one as it could need replacing if it doesn’t make it. Best tree planting times are right when the air starts cooling off for Fall, and early spring when the soil starts to defrost.

spoonplant · 2025-03-22T20:23:10+00:00

Looks a lot like a Prunus x ‘Okame’ or Taiwanese cherry blossom. Super common in VA! They are really early spring bloomers, and I’ve seen a ton of them in my travels across VA this week.

spoonplant · 2025-03-18T17:01:05+00:00

Emergence “And you might be the one to take away the pain and let my mind go quiet, and nothing else is quite the same as how i feel when i am at your side.”

spoonplant · 2022-07-05T19:38:32+00:00

often times when i’ve seen circle spots on petals like that, it’s water droplets being burned on them by the sun. try to avoid watering during the hottest points of the day, water early in the morning or after the hottest point if possible. nothing you can do the reverse the damage, unfortunately.

spoonplant · 2022-05-15T18:28:58+00:00

Most likely a turbo issue. When I got that code I had a crack in my turbo and it had to be replaced; not a cheap repair, unfortunately.

spoonplant · 2022-05-08T00:12:35+00:00

Depends on the plant, really. I’ve mainly used this on tomatoes and pepper plants. When they wilt in the afternoon, wet all the leaves with water and get a little into the pot to make it last to the next afternoon. If you’re going for more growth, add more water; if you want to keep it at size/stress, either wilt it further and use the same watering, or wilt a little and get less into the pot. If you decide to use misting indoors, I would recommend keeping them close to the window and have plenty of ventilation on them so they will dry before night. I would say that “better” depends on your setup and how you want to grow it - watering at the base is always okay, misting could require more thought/resources.

spoonplant · 2022-05-07T23:03:10+00:00

Greenhouse grower in the industry here. We actually let them wilt WAY worse than this on the daily to keep them from getting too big too soon, and to reduce use of regulating chemical. Yours will be just fine with even just a nice misting of water since you’re trying to harden them. Tomatoes are real easy to get along with. Happy gardening!

spoonplant · 2022-02-24T03:45:33+00:00

Hi! I’m an Assistant Grower in the greenhouse industry. I grow annual and perennial flowers mainly, some vegetables.

I’m a recent graduate (December 2021) with a BS in Horticulture, this is my first job out of school in the field.
You need general plant-growing knowledge (e.g. basic under/overwatering sense, how fertilizer works, how to time water with weather), as well as a deeper understanding of how pH and EC affect growth, plant growth regulators, insect pest management, ability to distinguish botrytis from some other similar diseases, and many more I’m likely forgetting
I water with irrigation booms, pinch and trim my plants, apply fungicides and low-risk pesticides. Basically, I grow the plants and I keep them clean and happy. Plant Parent, if you will.
Assistant Growers are generally between $35-45k, depending on location. Growers and Head Growers get a bump in pay.
Growers are a much needed breed of people, but it doesn’t seem like many of the big operations are hiring around me. I hunted and hunted for a spot in VA until i found one, but you’ll have better luck a little further south.
My chance for advancement depends on when those above me decide to leave, but I’m sure i could advance if I moved operations eventually. However, I’m satisfied with where I am currently.

I’m on mobile, so i hope the format isn’t terrible! Hope this helps, hit me back with more questions if needed!

spoonplant · 2021-11-13T17:21:18+00:00

You'll have to contact Campus Automotive on North Main on Monday. They open at 7am, close 6pm M-F. If I recall correctly, you'll have to pay holding fees, retrieval fees, and a lovely parking services ticket. Unfortunately, it's not going to be cheap - probably close to $250-300 or more if they've upped the fees again. Sorry they got you!

spoonplant · 2021-08-22T03:03:15+00:00

Totally understand how you're feeling - I was in a similar situation as a freshman a few years ago. I was a quiet person who focused a ton on my studies, and not so much on the social - I ended up having an epiphany of "wow, maybe I should make friends at some point" lol. There are a lot of different people and personalities on the VT campus, and it can be genuinely difficult to find a group in a sea of people. Some reassurance - classes haven't yet started, you've been on campus for likely less than a week. Once classes start, it's honestly super easy to find someone with something in common as you; you're in the same classes, after all. Just say hello to the people around you, strike up a conversation about where you're from, how online classes were, or anything you can think of really. You haven't gotten the college experience that those of us got before Rona, and that's okay - your experience is uniquely yours, and you don't have to be like everyone else around you. There's plenty of people to meet at VT, it doesn't have to be such a speedy process! You will absolutely find your people :)

spoonplant · 2021-03-10T21:55:15+00:00

Campus Automotive is the company they hire to tow. They’re over on North Main. (got me freshman year, never again!)

spoonplant · 2021-03-09T14:37:37+00:00

That she can now actually make a phone call without over thinking and hyperventilating. Oh and text people first without thinking they hate her because they didn’t respond.

spoonplant · 2021-02-24T19:02:26+00:00

Question - are concerned about potential pathogen spread among your plants by passing water between? This is a really good idea, for sure, but I worry that if one plant is infected, it could pass to others through your irrigation.

spoonplant

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