do you have a green thumb

[bowrunner]

I love gardening but I'm not very successful at it.  Every spring I have high hopes but mostly things are spindly or just die.

[thetop31]

I don't have now. but I have before, the same happen to me, then I find that you can't give them so much water, if so much water, they will not last long. give them water once one week or at most twice.

[kangagirl1321]

my mom has a green thumb. she takes everyones plants and brings them back alive and better then they were.

[waterbottle]

i wish i had the ask to the growing those flowers but i do not have a green thumb i tryed no luck at all

[franlee46]

i had a plastic cactus and it died so yeah no

LOL, very funny and you sound like my poor daughter-in-law. She swears she kills off her silk plants in the house. Not bragging, but I definitely have a very green thumb and love playing in the dirt both in the house and outside. I have always said that when I can retire (yeah, right ), I want to own a greenhouse. For anyone who has trouble, the Farmers Almanac will help, but I would highly suggest doing an online search. Look for "plants that are hard to kill, easy to take care of by anyone" and you'll find a whole world of hardy plants that are VERY easy to keep going. If you garden outside, make sure you are looking at the correct zone (on the maps) for the area you live in. So many people don't do this, or think they can make a desert type plant adapt to Vermont, and the result is wasted $$$ and time. I also tell friends to start out with cheaper plants, NOT a $100 hybrid, and see what you can do with them. If they DO die, you aren't out a ton of money - gardening can get very expensive, trust me. Good luck to my fellow gardeners!

This is great advice and I am going to try some of your suggestions as I have 1 plant and so far it is doing well I need to repot it and I am told it will do better I live in a Condo so no outdoor planting for me I have to find other plants to do inside nothing fancy maybe an Ivy of some sort those never seem to die.  Thanks

[ghunter]

 :crybaby2:No, I do not have a green thumb.  I wish I did than I would plant flowers in my yard, so if some can tell me how to get a green thumb I would appreciate it.

[sommap]

Not at all, although I used to be able to grow tomatoes in my last house.  Now, I seem to kill any plants I have in the house.  I forget to water them and they eventually die, or else I give them too much water and they will die.  I used to do planters and flowers around my deck,but we go for two weeks in the middle of July and they all die, even when I put them in the way for my automatic lawn sprinkler to hit them. 

[kqa]

I really don't have time to fool with it, but many years ago I killed a snake plant (mother-in-law's tongue).  That's pretty bad when you kill one of those, so I have a brown thumb or a dead one. 

[huggable]

i try so hard to keep my plants and flowers alive but they don't last very long if you have any thoughts let me know

Are you talking about indoor plants or outdoor?
If indoor plants, I don't have a lot of luck either.  Mostly because my "step-cat" (she was my husband's before we married, and she disliked me after I became a permanent feature) eats them.  My husband can't even get me flowers unless we put them on top of the fridge.

The only indoor plants I've had luck with are African Violets (put them in a self-watering violet pot and use African Violet potting soil, mixed with a little vermiculite and perlite to allow more drainage) and jade plants (use Cactus potting soil).  Both like a fair amount of indirect light.  Water each about once a week (soak the soil and let it dry to encourage root growth) - but don't ever get water on the violet's leaves.

As far as outdoor gardens go, I'm having luck with raised veggie gardens.  Raised beds are no wider than 4' so you can reach all your plants without stepping on the soil.  My 4x12' garden has a fence along the backside, so I divided it into three 4x4 sections with a compacted path between.  Since you never step on the of the actual garden, the soil is looser and you can crowd your plants a little more closely.

My gardens turn out well mostly because the state agricultural college has a local extension center - i can go to free veggie gardening and composting seminars, or call for advice.  Look for something similar where you live.  The basic building blocks of gardening are:

1) Soil test, soil test, soil test!  Never add fertilizer or other amendments until you know what your soil is deficient in - it's going to vary depending on what you want to plant.  Your local college can probably help you find out where to send your samples for testing.

2) Water with either a continuous soaker hose, or a good drenching once or twice a week.  If you just water a tiny bit every day, the roots will never dig deep and your plants will be less tolerant of dry conditions.

3) Actually measure the amount of time each day that your garden receives sun.  It may be more or less than you think.  For instance, I was sure a couple patches of my backyard got at least a half day of sun, but when I measured it I found it was closer to 4 hours.  I had to change the type of grass seed I planted there.

4) Mulch in your plants after they get started to keep weeds out and moisture in.  Many mulches will actually keep your soil cooler during high summer, allowing your plants to grow better.  Other types of mulches (like black plastic mulching) warms up early spring soils to let you plant earlier in the growing season.

[tzs]

I have an outdoor green thumb, passed on to me from my father-in-law before he passed away. I never knew I did until he had me help him work in his yard, then I just started to study up on how grasses grow, when to prune, fertilizing soil, ect. That gift he gave to me could be given by no other, and it's very rewarding to plant and watch things you have sewn with your own hand!


"Thanks, Sam"
 RIP-12/17/10

[jessicaroselorr]

I wish I did but I don't. I havnt even attempted to plant anything in years.

[dodgers16]

 No I don't have a green thumb, that is unless I get a bad infection in my thumb..lol

[Brittney030208]

The only plant I have managed on my own is an African Violet. Most people say those are hard to take care of but my manages great. It blooms left and right and the leaves are just as green. I have had it for 4 years and it has bloomed 4 times now and right now has over 30 blooms. Each time it is more and more. The only thing I can think of that makes mine grow really well is I water it from the bottom.

[hfp0393]

I love to garden. My prefernce is to grow fruit and vegtables. I started my garden a couple years ago and have been very successful each season. I live in IL so i can only garden from May to Sept. but i look forward to it each year. What helped me get started was to talk to the people that work at the stores where i buy my plants. They are usually very knowledgeable and some of my best gardening tips come from them...