Help! Can anyone identify this mystery plant growing in my indoor garden?

I have a small collection of plants which i grow indoors as I live in the UK and most of the plants are tropical/require warm climates. One of the plants I grow is a small catnip ("catmint") plant. Everyday I water and check on my plants for signs of pests and disease etc. This morning I noticed a tall hairy dull green stem growing in the catnip plant's pot. Either I had simply not noticed it before, or it has magically grown up to about 10cm overnight. Either way I would like to know if anyone can recognise this mystery guest of mine, and if they could let me know if it should be eradicated or if it is safe enough to have around [Pictures below]

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the left is a (sort of) close up of the plant in question. On the right is the plant in relation to the catnip in the pot.

Sorry for the bad quality, my camera refuses to focus on the right area :/

Reply to
HipsterKitteh
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the seed leaves (hard to tell from the picture). There is only enough imformation to eliminate a whole lot of possibilities, and nowhere near enough information at this point to proberly ID the unknown.

If you are willing to let it grow for a while, it might be possible to identify it, but this is also the best point to snip it out and be done with it.

You need a camera with macro settings to really get up close to little things.

Reply to
Pat Kiewicz

You remind me of the golfer who blames his balls. The camera is not lacking, it's all about unsteady hands and inability to properly frame the subject in the viewfinder... many/most people haven't the ability to hold a camera steady while pressing the shutter... you'd be surprised at how many people close their eyes and convulse at the moment they press the shutter/trigger... a tripod would help, and cameras without an optical viewfinder are pretty much useless when detail accuracy counts. When the subject is told to smile it's actually more important for the photographer to smile, eases their tension, helps them to unclench their jaw. Btw, next you're on the golf course note how most golfers close their eyes at the moment of impact. Most people close their eyes at the moment of impact when hammering a nail. Most people close their eyes when pulling a gun trigger... one of the main reasons for wearing shooting glasses. Boxers train for a long time to keep their eyes open at the moment their fists make contact. Flinching and closing ones eyes at moments of contact is a natural reflex... one of the reasons why eye witnesses are not very good determinants, they mostly imagine what they say they saw in those blank frames when they play their mental cine film. This phenomena is what makes mounted security cameras and cameras at sporting events so important.

Reply to
Brooklyn1

Thank you :) I don't see how it could have received damage in any way, I haven't touched it :/ Anyway, I'll do as suggested and let it grow. This will be interesting :P

Reply to
HipsterKitteh

Hey Brooklyn, ever hear of focal length?

Most cameras will not focus on close objects. Doesn't matter how steady you hold the camera. My digital Canon EOS has a macro setting that helps.

Back in the film era I had extension tubes that let me get in really close.

Reply to
Dan Espen

In article , Dan Espen wrote: My digital Canon EOS has a macro setting that helps.

I've got a bellows for such activity. Have not used it for 30 years and I doubt I will ever. Still have 35 MM. and 2 and 1/4 cameras languishing about. Sort of reminds me of betamax and VHS and digital growth.

Ansel Adams, Edward Weston with the idea of straight photography still has a warm spot here.

Reply to
Bill who putters

That is a problem with many "point and shoots". I'm not saying Pat and Shelton are not correct in their context of what they are saying but I have a much different view of the issues and some solutions, If you want help with any future pics, ask and let me know what camera you have so I can get you specific advice, otherwise, some quick reads that may help are located here:

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here:
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Your camera focused on the pot's rims and dirt behind the subject, (the stem is too small a reference point to grab on for most auto focus), and your about 1/2-2/3s of a stop off. Kicking up your ISO and stepping back, zoom in if you can, shoot and then crop post- production will help some. Also, do use something of known reference in your pic when asking for help. The plant tag laying down only served to screw up your dynamic range, blowing out your highlights.

Reply to
Gunner

But camera shake isn't the problem here. Notice that in the first image the seedling in question is out of focus but the pot behind it is not. It is either the inability of the lens to focus close enough or he is using autofocus and it is not picking the right subject, or both.

So once again you are getting your balls swinging left and right over nothing, stop using the niblick and try the mashie, or just take your hand off it altogether.

David

Reply to
David Hare-Scott

I'm really not interested in hearing about how you're trying to exaggerate the length of your peewee pecker. That image has nothing to do with focal length, it's ALL about shaky hands and inability to frame... hasn't a whit to do with the camera... could easily get a better image with a cell phone camera if the user lays off the booze.

Reply to
Brooklyn1
< snips >

Ha ! Do we have a credit for that quote, David ? I love it ! Well done ! John T.

--- Posted via news://freenews.netfront.net/ - Complaints to snipped-for-privacy@netfront.net

Reply to
hubops

Kay... my camera automatically focuses at the thing it is looking at and as the plant in question is a small part of the photo it is not in focus. Getting a little off topic here..

Reply to
HipsterKitteh

I downloaded the image and blew it up. It looks like the image focuses at almost the right depth for the smaller plant, just slightly off.

But for anyone to identify the plant at that size we'd need an image where the 2 leaves on the small plant fill at least 320x200, or better

640x480. You actually have about 30x25. Of course a camera without macro focus isn't going to get close to that kind of image. You'd need to be 2-3 inches from the plant in question with a normal lens.

Wait a while and see what happens.

Reply to
Dan Espen

In low-humidity situations the cotlyedons can sometmes have a tough time pulling free of the seed coat. Happens every year to a few of my tomato seedlings, typically the ones that are late emerging, after I've already uncovered the tray.

Reply to
Pat Kiewicz

That camera is focused, unfortunately it's focused on the light reflecting off the shiney rim of the adjacent pot, like shooting into the sun. To achieve a good image of the subject move that pot to a place where it stands alone, away from nearby objects... or frame the shot so that it doesn't include other/brighter objects that will confuse the auto focus... even the sunlight reflecting off that fence captures the auto focus. The light reflecting off that white tag is also confusing the camera. Digital cameras operate very different from film cameras, they literally have a mind of their own.

Reply to
Brooklyn1

Update: The plant has now almost doubled is height, at 18cm tall. I fiddled with my camera's setting and managed to get a better picture of the leaves, it helps that the leaves have also grow a little bit.

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Reply to
HipsterKitteh

On Jan 7, 4:17=A0pm, HipsterKitteh wrote:

Better but still not in focus, kinda like not having your readers on for us oldies... "it that an "e" or a "c"... Still no real ID data. This maybe considered OT (still not as bad as the Ideolog's subterfuge oft used), but ya gotta show clear pics, otherwise it remains a stab in the dark for anyone to accurately ID and as I continuously harp on... do put a reference point in the scene for scale.

Back to topic, looks like a stowaway and since you have a good starter already going, why keep something you may already have and which appears to be weakened? Looks to me look like it is stretching to the light more than a seedling should, but that maybe within your present norms. My stretchers rarely, if ever, make it out the G/H as much by choice as their dying off.

Have you eliminated it being a mint also? I believe most, if not all mint is square stemmed. Can't tell if this stem is square? The leaf margin does not appear to be scalloped but it is still young. Also looks variegated, but is it? Does it look like any other plants you have started in your present batch? You should be able to tell somewhat of the plant's details by now, or very soon, to see if they compare to others of your plants. Some Cat mint Identification is contained here:

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the future if you are still unable to tame your auto focus, you might try using a solid color board behind your subject, preferable a mid-tone gray (black and white are not the best unless you know lighting and your camera). Still, move the camera around until you find your auto focus point somewhere on the plant=92s actual plane or an edge/margin, Perhaps move back and forth until it locks on solidly and NO, you do not need to get a macro lens nor get w/in 2-3 inches of the subject to get an great shot. Highly unlikely you can focus that close without using the billows one person was talking and even then not likely would you find anything that would adapt or fit on your camera. So would you want to spend 2-300$ to retrofit a camera these days when you can get a very good camera for that price point. They are recalling nostalgia not reality. Image size for detail in this context is also not that relevant. I tell new shooters... when you don't understand the shot...shoot big and crop, ..fill the viewfinder with the subject, not superfluousness "stuff". I harp on this because I don't want people to believe you must move closer to get a detail shot with their P&S. Still the offer stands.

Gunner

One of my sites I use for showing examples:

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image was shot closer than 0.7-1.0 meter.

Reply to
Gunner

,,,,, we'd need an image

Strongly disagree with these statements. Can you explain why you find these to be true? Gunner

Reply to
Gunner

Thank you for your reply :)

I am fairly certain as to it not being more catnip as the leaves are nothing like the catnip's leaves or the seedling leaves and the stem is far hairier. I'll leave it to grow for a month or so then get back to here. I just posted initially to see if there was a common pest that would be easily identified, this not being the case I'l let it grow, if it survives despite it's stretch.

I will endeavour to achieve a better focused picture of the leaves, if I manage I will post them here.

Reply to
HipsterKitteh

it is still struggling on. Needs a bit more growth to have any chance to ID it, though.

Reply to
Pat Kiewicz

Why don't you be explicit as to what you disagree with?

Is it: you'd want to see at least 64K pixels, you need macro focus to get 64K pixels of the leaves you need to be 2-3 inches away with a normal lens

Reply to
Dan Espen

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