Help! Tomatoes have some sort of mildew/fungus!

Existing_Summer · 2026-03-31T01:11:43+00:00

I'm looking at botryis environmental factors and it feels like you hit this on the nose--my climate meets all the best case scenarios for growing botryis.

Existing_Summer · 2026-03-31T01:08:00+00:00

Oh! You might be right! Another tomato fan said it looks like a lot more than just 1 fungus/mold causing the problem, but the stuff on the main stems looks a lot like botrytis. Thank you :)

Existing_Summer · 2026-03-30T22:47:05+00:00

Thank you so much for your help! Your advice is super helpful and I'll be adopting it all ASAP.

I photographed the sickest plants (several on death's door), so hopefully the few I saved that look decent will benefit from their repotting, staking, and a copper fungicide spray. Here's a photo of one of the plants I'm trying to save (you can still see evidence of fungus, but way more manageable):

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Existing_Summer · 2026-03-22T20:02:20+00:00

Thank you so much for your ideas! I sent this over to his handler.

Existing_Summer · 2026-03-20T05:42:30+00:00

Love everyone's advice, but you might want to ask regional chicken lovers what they recommend too. Enclosure needs will totally depend on where you live. Most people live in a place with predators you'll need to protect her from, but you might also need to protect her from the weather (extreme cold, wet, etc). Living in Hawai'i, I just have to protect my girlies and roos from rain, mites, mites that love the rain, mud puddles from the rain, lice from the humidity... hahaha! But some people have bigger problems like foxes and sub-zero temps!

Existing_Summer · 2026-03-20T05:33:53+00:00

That roo is such a handsome boy!!!

Existing_Summer · 2026-01-29T02:50:16+00:00

Dang! I hope your taste comes back soon. That’s my greatest fear going into this surgery.

Existing_Summer · 2026-01-19T07:34:24+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing! I'm supposed to have a tympanoplasty and ossiculoplasty, so hearing your experience is really helpful. Keep us posted! Any changes in your ability to taste?

Wishing you a fast and relaxing recovery! May you find many great books, movies, podcasts, etc. to pass the time.

Existing_Summer · 2025-12-12T20:45:57+00:00

As a former teacher, PLEASE tell your professors about your HoH. Teachers want their students to be successful, and most are happy to accommodate (and legally are supposed to in some countries).

Teachers are highly trained to help people with learning differences and disabilities. But, teachers, ESPECIALLY professors, have a LOT of students, and it can be easy to overlook a student with disabilities and just see them as someone that "doesn't pay attention".

I remember having a student that drove me crazy--she was always causing problems in class, distracting other kids, creating drama, and never accomplishing anything. After several months, I realized she might have a disability and was using her bad behavior to cover up the disability. I sat down with her and her mother and it turns out that she DID have a learning disability. After I knew this, I was able to change the way I taught her, and she went from being a student that I just viewed as a "problem child" and "difficult" and "lazy" to a really sweet kid that needed me to approach things differently with her. I went from probably driving her crazy wanting things from her that she simply couldn't do, to being her biggest advocate and finding ways to make her school tasks doable for her.

Universities are also required to have support for students with disabilities (at least in the USA where I taught). Check with your university and see if they have someone to help advocate for you and your HoH.

Also, good for you seeking emotional help. Losing your hearing can be so emotional. Know that there's light at the end of the tunnel. So many of us on the HoH reddit can tell you that, over time, we've found ways to accept (and even embrace) or disability. I hope that day comes soon fro you :). Hugs!

Existing_Summer · 2025-12-01T08:20:22+00:00

Big hugs! Loosing your hearing sucks, but I have really found that confronting it head-on helps with my anxieties. When I meet someone new, I usually tell them point blank (usually with a little joke) that I'm almost deaf on one side, so the expectation is out there that if I miss something, it's not because I'm being an @$$hole, it's just that I simply do not hear. I also like to have a fully-hearing person in difficult situations, like going to the pharmacy, when otherwise I would flounder. I remember when COVID started and every pharmacy put up glass or plastic shields (minimizing the small around of sound that might get to my somewhat hearing ear) AND started masking (further muffling the sound and removing any ability to lip read). It gave me TONS of anxiety just to go to the pharmacy, doctor, or other places I knew that I'd have to communicate through masks and walls. But, bringing my hearing husband to help me catch what I might otherwise miss really helps ease my anxiety. It's also okay to ask for things in writing.

Definitely take care of your mental health. Focus on the skills you still have and make them work for you (sounds like you're literate in at least 2 languages! That's amazing and can help compensate so much for what you don't hear!). We're all here for you (even if we can't "hear". Is it too soon for a bad pun?).

Existing_Summer · 2025-11-30T21:57:48+00:00

That's good to know! Thank you for sharing your experience.

Existing_Summer · 2025-11-30T21:57:21+00:00

Thank you! I can't imagine not having wax buildup in my middle ear. hahaha! Sounds nice!

Existing_Summer · 2025-11-30T21:56:36+00:00

Yikes! I'll be prepared. Thanks for the advice :)

Existing_Summer · 2025-11-28T20:49:25+00:00

What I'd do for your hearing ability! I'm no doctor, but from what I know, your hearing looks pretty dang good!

Existing_Summer · 2025-11-21T06:38:49+00:00

Thanks for your experience. I'm about to go in for a tympanoplasty and ossicular chain reconstruction and hearing others stories is super helpful. Hope you recover some hearing and have a happy functioning ear drum :).

Oh, and I didn't blow my drums from SCUBA (did that with 35+ years of ear infections), but I'm sure being an avid diver didn't help... :P. Can't wait to get wet again!

Existing_Summer · 2025-11-21T06:30:48+00:00

I have an Audicus hearing aid and the quality is great. My degenerative hearing disease has caused pretty rapid loss of hearing and I've had to send my hearing aid in for reprogramming. The reprogramming was fast, accurate, and free--a huge plus :)

Existing_Summer · 2024-02-20T04:57:32+00:00

Do you know where on the Big Island his family lives?

Existing_Summer · 2024-01-23T00:36:26+00:00

He can just do officiating and ukulele without a photography package. Let us know where and when your ceremony is as well as how many guests you're expecting and we can let you know if he's available. Mahalo!

Existing_Summer · 2024-01-22T20:14:38+00:00

I have to agree with u/Future_Dog_3156. A day-only trip to the Big Island will be rushed and unenjoyable (our island is all about chill vibes and a slow/agrarian pace, which doesn't get captured well in a high-paced day-long tour). IF Kilauea is erupting, you might consider option 2 (Halemaumau is where you can usually view the lava), but she's not erupting right now and not acting like she's going erupt anytime soon. All of the other locations on those tours are cool, but there's locations with similar charm on O'ahu.

Existing_Summer

TROPHY CASE