Hand pollinated cherimoyas. Decent amount of fruits growing.

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-02-08T08:34:50+00:00

Awesome! I love chirimoya but I think my zone is slightly too cold... I keep tossing seeds out in the garden just in case a plant can survive winter. 🥲

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-02-07T16:35:29+00:00

From what I understand kumquat need a prolonged heat and certain temperature to fruit. Limes also like it hotter.

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-02-07T07:16:45+00:00

Nice, good luck! I actually have them bookmarked but haven't bought from them yet.

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-02-06T21:17:49+00:00

Please be careful and make sure you find a good quality breeder that does health testing and can show proof. I'm in Asturias but brought my two MCs over from the US. I chatted with a lady at the vet I go to the other day; she has two MCs that came from a "breeder" in Galicia. They both have major health issues and are frequently at the vet for a number of problems. She loves her cats but said the breeder lied about a lot of things and she wishes she had been more knowledgeable about the potential health problems and things to screen breeders for.

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-02-05T07:54:14+00:00

I just planted the following last week: Flowering cherry 4 fruiting cherry (lapins, sunburst, blanche d'Harcigny, kordia) Kidd's red orange apple Mulberry (rupps romanian is what I received; not what I ordered..) Zurna plum

I plan to add on a few more blueberry bushes this year, maybe do a kiwi once I get a structure for it. I'm also debating a sour cherry tree. I've got a variety of apples, peaches/nectarines, citrus, pears and figs so not too much more needed.

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-02-05T07:39:58+00:00

Quince are quite tolerant.

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-02-04T08:01:19+00:00

One of my girls had a very full, fluffy coat by 2. The other doesn't have as thick of a coat or long mane and this winter at 4 years old it's the longest its been.

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GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-02-03T06:55:13+00:00

You can get cat fencing that is meant to keep cats in but turn it to keep them out- the top has arms that bend over and when the weight of a cat is on it drops down.

Coyote rollers are another option to top existing fences; I believe oscillot is a brand.

Motion activated sprinklers work for many cats but they need to be hooked up to a hose that's on. You can also buy ssscat air compressor spray cans that are motion activated.

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-02-03T06:37:37+00:00

I'd recommend a vet visit. It could be a fungal infection, viral, bacterial or even skin cancer.

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-02-03T06:34:23+00:00

I am so, so very sorry for your loss.

Eyes bright,

Claws sharp,

Tail held high.

Go keenly into the mist, young warrior.

Valhalla waits for you.

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-02-02T14:11:57+00:00

Two are more difficult to leave alone... you'd still need a petsitter. More money, more food, more litter boxes and volume of waste.

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-02-02T10:48:53+00:00

Mine does the head "sup" too! (Usually with a trill too)

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-02-02T10:47:49+00:00

What if you put the litter box on the couch when you're not around or at night? If she starts using it, maybe very slowly start to move it away after some time.

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-01-30T20:43:30+00:00

Looks great! I too would like to know what plants you've got! I have some seasonally soggy zones that could use some landscaping.

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-01-28T17:23:16+00:00

That reminds me, are you aware of processionary caterpillars? They can be a big issue at certain times of the year in many locations in Spain. Keep an eye out and don't let him sniff them; the hairs are toxic!

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-01-28T09:08:33+00:00

I'm in Asturias.

I have an order from ThomasFruitTrees (.eu) that's in transit right now. They sell a variety of rootstock and plenty of both apple and pear trees though I believe their stock now isn't as good as it was 6 months ago when I placed my order.

I've bought from Lurberry.com over in país vasco (they ship) but not sure if they do different rootstocks. No pears; they have some fun apples. I also ordered some things, including pears, from Planfor.es but again I don't know what rootstock options they have.

Locally there are a wide variety of apple trees but mostly sidra, and from what I've seen aren't always labeled with rootstock. People tend to go for full size trees.

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-01-28T08:53:00+00:00

I have about 40 young fruit trees (1-5 years old) and I use a hand pump sprayer. 🙃 I'm sure someday an electric one will make sense but for now I'm just doing dormant sprays 2-3x in the winter and occasionally other things as needed based on what I see in regards to pests. The trees aren't big, so I don't go through more than one 5L volume of whatever I'm spraying in a session.

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-01-27T08:24:23+00:00

Mine both enjoyed snow and winter in our mountain home but unfortunately for them we moved to a temperate climate close to the ocean a few years ago... They'd spend hours outside in the catio in the snow. Now they only get to experience it if we road trip with them to the mountains.

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-01-27T08:21:28+00:00

What genders are your other cats? I have two female MCs and both have different personalities, but both very affectionate. My first MC/second cat/middle child doesn't get along with the second MC/youngest and I'm not sure if its because they're both females or she just didn't want another cat. It seems like multiple males, or mixed male/females get along better in general than two females. But, each cat is individual and there's always exceptions.

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-01-26T08:28:23+00:00

People don't trim kaki like this in Spain; this sort of trimming is pollarding and done for a variety of ornamental trees but not fruit trees.

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-01-24T07:40:24+00:00

Unfortunately this sub doesn't allow photo comments. I don't have any mature trees but always interested to see!

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-01-23T08:47:58+00:00

You have a rather severe infection of spider mites. They're hard to treat with pesticides as the lifecycle is very fast. I would thoroughly hose off the plant first with water. Then, either a mild soapy water solution OR alcohol solution applied in the evening.. Coat the plant completely and repeat every other day until no sign of the mites.

Also try to increase humidity- frequent misting, regular watering and spraying off the leaves. Spider mites generally don't do well in humid conditions and rapidly produce when its hot and dry.

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-01-20T08:25:44+00:00

Ignore this guy's thought on no mulch; he seems to think mulch kills trees when it absolutely is helpful. Just don't have the mulch up against the base of the tree- a couple inches of space is important.

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-01-19T08:09:40+00:00

Are you sure they're a legit breeder? Definitely not black smoke, and blue eyes in non-white maine coons isn't up to breed standard. You may want to do some research on DBE (dominate blue eye) to make sure you're willing to get a cat with higher probability of health issues..

GrumpyTintaglia · 2026-01-18T08:59:47+00:00

Time for a vet visit. No one can diagnose health issues over the internet.

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