• dkppunk@piefed.social
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    14 days ago

    While pill bugs are great at eating decaying plant matter in a garden, they will also wreak havoc on plants if the soil is kept too wet. It’s difficult to find a balance with plants that require a lot of water to grow.

    I had 5 luffa plants in my garden that had to be cut down yesterday because pill bugs ate through a good chunk of the stem. I was sad to cut them down, but I still have 4 more that are potted. I just have to keep the snails away from them.

      • dkppunk@piefed.social
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        13 days ago

        I really recommend them, they are pretty easy to grow. Last year, I I grew one plant in a large pot and I ended up with 10 sponges. They are such a fun plant.

        • HubertManne@piefed.social
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          13 days ago

          It seems like it may be possible if I start them indoors for their growing season. Besides being way up north I have an east facing though and my suscpicion is its really unlikely they would go the distance from what I read. To few days with too little sunlight. Im still tempte though because being vines it sounds like I could do a decent sized pot and let them just climb on the balcony rails.

          • dkppunk@piefed.social
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            13 days ago

            The shorter days could make it harder. I’m in Zone 10b/11a with lots of sun through the summer. My plant got a ton of harsh sunlight and held up well, while some of my succulents burned.

            Last year, I grew it in a large pot, then used an upside down tomato cage for it to vine on. I used garden staples to hold the tomato cage in place.