2 questions... fence and houseplants

frivolous_fay

Ok... houseplants (or should I say pomegranate seedlings) first:



Sorry for the fuzzy pic. The one on the left (a) is kept on a windowsill on the West side of the house. The one on the right (b) is kept on the opposite side. Both seedlings are the same age, and there are two other seedlings I keep with b that are about the same height. (Tall and spindly!)

So... if the plan is to keep at least one plant as a houseplant (and maybe in a greenhouse if it gets big) and perhaps bonsai another... where should I keep the plants? Clearly the tall ones are thriving on the light... but at the same time, who wants a plant that only goes up and up? :rotfl: Is there short one a bit more likely to grow up sturdy?

Aaaanyway... here's the other question:



This is the aftermath of the force 9 gale on Thursday night! When the rain and wind finally stops, we'll get out there and fix the fence. We can see that last time the panels were put up, they were nailed in pretty amateurishly. That's coming from two DIY amateurs

So... the obvious answer would be to just bung a few nails in again. But O/H has had ideas about drilling through the posts, and securing the panels with big bolts. Is this a daft idea? Will it mean that next time there's a gale, the posts will come down too?

Any thoughts appreciated

paddy's_mum

You may well be wise not to reinstall the panels. Take a look at the other fences - where the wind could get through, little or no damage was sustained. We have picket fences here in our own garden for that very reason.

If privacy is the issue, it is possible to get double picket panels, where the 'sticks' on one side are opposite but staggered from the 'sticks' on the other. High degree of privacy but not offering so much resistance to the wind.

Hope that helps and good luck in the high winds forecast for tomorrow.

frivolous_fay

I hadn't considered a different kind of fence, but I suppose I was trying to avoid anything that would mean spending money on new stuff

The picket fence you can see in the background is surrounded by either trees or the footpath that runs along the end... the fairly neat lawn (neat until our fence gouged a couple of holes in it) is a communal area belonging to some flats. The rest of the gardens in our run belong to houses, and have the taller fences like ours. Next door have a dog so it probably better for them to have something solid. Would it be weird to have fences that didn't look similar, height wise?

computerwoman

Hi you need some coach bolts which go all the way in and have a nut on the other end that you tighten up....any hardware store should sell them...:D

work out what size you'll need and buy from here I always use them very good...
http://www.toolstation.com/index.html?r=a&feature=40185&rr=B9N9vCQ05dS2474S

alanobrien

The reason these things blow down apart from the obvious - bad fixing is that they have a high resistance to the wind. You could reduce that by taking out some of the boards (say every fith one) so there are "gaps". That would reduce the potential for it to come down in a high wind. If it looks a bit odd you can grow things up it. Better from my view to recycle it and spend the money on a few climbing plants than replace the whole fence.

takoo

Not clear from the photograph who owns the fence. The posts seem to be on your neighbour's land...? Are you responsible for the fence?

If the panels are replaced without the suggested gaps, check the depth of the footings otherwise you may find the posts coming down with the now bolted panels.

frivolous_fay

Yep, it's our fence.

meanmarie

Well done you on the pomegranate seedlings...I would be inclined to pinch the central point about an inch or so down from the top if you want them to bush out, which would probably be a good idea whether you want them as potplants or not.

Pinching will encourage side shoots to grow and give you a less lanky plant, which you can repot in spring or earlier if you think it needs a slightly larger pot.

Good luck

Marie

frivolous_fay

meanmarie wrote: »

Well done you on the pomegranate seedlings...I would be inclined to pinch the central point about an inch or so down from the top if you want them to bush out, which would probably be a good idea whether you want them as potplants or not.

Pinching will encourage side shoots to grow and give you a less lanky plant, which you can repot in spring or earlier if you think it needs a slightly larger pot.

Excellent, thank you. The tall ones are starting to wobble a bit in the warm air from the heaters nearby!

(I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to trimming, pruning, chopping... never know what will kill or not! )

frivolous_fay

Update... my strongest pomegranate plant (although beset by greenfly) has roots coming through the bottom, and the next pot I have is a big terracotta one. Not very easy to fit on the kitchen windowsill!

So my ideas are...

1. Put in big pot, leave on patio, (will it die in the winter?)
2. Trim the roots and keep it in the same pot (will it die?)
3. Any other strategy, hopefully ending in it not dying

Suggestions welcome!