Q&A June-20
What's the difference between rocket and wild rocket?
- Both types of rocket are in the Brassicaceae family. Rocket (i.e., Eruca sativa), also known as arugula or garden rocket, is an annual plant that has a rounder leaves and has a milder flavour compared to wild rocket. Eruca sativa is commonly cultivated as a salad crop. Most photos on Google show that they have small white flowers with 4 thin petals in a cross figure.
- On the other hand, wild rocket (i.e., Diplotaxis tenuifolia), also known as wall rocket, is a perennial plant, and because it's more tolerant and can thrive under harsher conditions, it's sometimes considered a weed (due to invasive behaviour). It's leaves are more deeply serrated, and the flowers of wild rocket are yellow, and the four petals are more plump and round.
Hall, Matthew & Jobling, Jenny & Rogers, Gordon. (2015). Fundamental Differences between Perennial Wall Rocket and Annual Garden Rocket Influence the Commercial Year-Round Supply of These Crops. The Journal of Agricultural Science. 10.5539/jas.v7n3p1.
Why is the peace lily constantly fluctuating between wilting and then perking up again?
- Don't overwater; instead, wait until the leaves start to droop a little -- that's an indication that it's thirsty. Once a week is probably fine, and less water is better than too much. As a general indication, yellow leaves mean light is too strong; brown leaves or streaks mean too much direct sunlight.
What are companion plants to daikon, carrot, spinach and rocket?
- daikons are in the brassicas family; carrots seem to be okay with a lot of things. Others - also okay with a lot of things, maybe it doesn't matter so much for now.
Why are the leaves of the lemon tree curling?
- It may be too cold or hot, over- or under-watered, there might be disease or a pest problem. If it's overwatered, leaves might be more yellow or light green. Check pot for drainage.
- addendum. There were small orange pods under each leaf - possibly spider mites. The direction of the leaf curl also suggests there's a deficiency in potassium. Anyway, I've repotted the tree in a plastic pot for better drainage, and added a few handfuls of home compost.
Why are the leaves of the blueberry going copper?
- Check pH of soil (blueberry plants need acidic soils with a pH between 4.2 and 5.5). Perhaps there's some sort of nutrient deficiency.