Coil Lenn (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
mortalcoil) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
hugtopia2020-04-10 01:10 pm
mortalcoil) wrote in hugtopia2020-04-10 01:10 pm
Entry tags:
Video/Text
[The video feed opens to the scarred-up face of a guy in his late teens, but he begins to slowly type out a message instead of speak. He also doesn't look particularly thrilled to be here.]
i'm looking for someone who knows about plants
my plants are dying and i don't know why
[The camera swings around to show off the modest potted plants that he's got growing on the kitchen counter, and then jostles along as he steps outside to the little plot of dirt he has been working on turning into what seems like an herb garden. Nothing is overtly terrible about the setup but... yeah, he doesn't exactly have a green thumb. Those are some struggling plants. Sitting down on the step outside, he finishes the post with a little more text.]
i need garden help
i'm reading books but don't know what i'm doing wrong
[And after a pause...] please
i'm looking for someone who knows about plants
my plants are dying and i don't know why
[The camera swings around to show off the modest potted plants that he's got growing on the kitchen counter, and then jostles along as he steps outside to the little plot of dirt he has been working on turning into what seems like an herb garden. Nothing is overtly terrible about the setup but... yeah, he doesn't exactly have a green thumb. Those are some struggling plants. Sitting down on the step outside, he finishes the post with a little more text.]
i need garden help
i'm reading books but don't know what i'm doing wrong
[And after a pause...] please
Video
You have plants?
[He seems surprised.]
Video/text forever
Coil seems a little hesitant when Nico's face shows up, but if anyone is going to maybe understand the struggle here, it's probably this guy.]
a few useful ones
i'm bad at keeping them healthy though
no subject
[He just avoided plants altogether. That was easier when they were just in the garden. Now they were everywhere! Fortunately, he wasn't as stressed now as he had been when he first arrived, or there would be trails of dead flowers everywhere he went...]
Sorry, I don't really know much about plants aside from sun, soil, and water.
no subject
[Which brings up the question of why Nico replied if it wasn't to help. He eyes the face on the other side of the screen for a few thoughtful seconds.]
they're useful plants [He maybe feels like he needs to explain that it's not just a silly bed of flowers or something.]
no subject
Useful in what way?
no subject
[...and maybe also poison.]
permatext;;
no subject
[Because he doesn't give a crap about flowers. His plants are all the useful, arcane kind.]
no subject
It would be easier if plants could just tell us what they want.
[ They were pretty, so he rescued them for himself. ]
no subject
i dont get it
[Probably because they had proper hydroponic technology in the fleet, and there had been more than one death-soaked necromancer taking care of them.]
no subject
What did you plant?
no subject
maybe your home too ?
[He knows their worlds are similar but with some pretty big differences, so who knows.]
wolfs bane, wormwood, bryony, hemlock
no subject
no subject
...But yeah no it really is super poisonous.]
no subject
Don't touch it, got it.
no subject
[Should he have mentioned earlier that he had a potentially dangerous plant sitting in their kitchen? Maybe.]
no subject
[ Or someone who has a habit of tasting weird plants??? ]
no subject
[But then, after a minute or two of thought...]
I'll put a label on it
no subject
[ But also thank you, it'll probably benefit them later on. ]
Thinking of planting anything else?
no subject
i cant even keep these ones alive
no subject
text.
My name is Era, and I am a botanist.
I cannot see anything overtly wrong with your arrangement as you've shown it, but there are things I cannot determine through video.
It appears as though you're preparing an herb garden. There are important things to note with herbs:
1. It is in the nature of herbs to be weeds. Different herbs grow at different rates, but all of them can become invasive and strangle surrounding plants without careful monitoring.
Mint is a particularly voracious grower, as are garlic and chives, comfey, dandelion, kudzu, fennel, and hops.
To combat this, the simplest solution is to keep all herbs potted. If you wish to plant them in an outdoor garden, plant them while they are still inside of their pot.
Make sure there is adequate drainage at the bottom of the pot, and that the lip of the pot is above the surrounding soil.
2. Herbs do not need much water. They only need to be watered once every other day, if that.
Signs of overwatering include:
• yellowing leaves that fall
• leaves turning dark or black
• mildew growth
• the stems and/or roots are soft
• they are not happy after a watering
3. Do not let herbs flower (unless you specifically wish for the flowers). If they do, pinch the blooms away so that their energy remains focused on their leaves.
4. There are a variety of herbs that don't transplant, so start them in whichever pot or plot you wish them to be in. (Anise, dill, and fennel are examples of these.)
As for general garden knowledge, I imagine you have read this already, but I will note it here just in case:
Sunlight is important, though plants should not be fully exposed to midday sunlight for extended periods as they can be harmed by the heat.
Signs of too much sun include:
• Leaves becoming scorched
• Discoloration of leaves
If you believe they are getting too much sun you can fashion shade for them using cloth, or a large umbrella.
Signs of too little sun:
• the plant stretches itself to chase the sunlight
• yellow leaves
• thin, brittle leaves
• wilting leaves
• slowed or stunted growth
If you continue to have struggles, you are welcome to contact me again and I can find time to visit in person.