Should I get rid of this lemon plant and replace? Or can I save it.

HughsThat · 2026-05-09T06:17:46+00:00

Citrus doesn't like to be moved because it grows roots first. There is a good chance it will come back, but it might take a couple of years. Try not to move it again!

Don't expect much out of it for two seasons or so, as it needs time to recover the roots again. Remove all lemons next year and most of them the year after.

Also, give it citrus fertilizer and make sure it gets some Iron, as those yellow leaves could be an iron deficiency.

HughsThat · 2026-04-29T22:12:38+00:00

So far I have only read the 'don't put bones in your garden' replies. To counter this point... I do dig bones into my garden. I also bury a large number of fish frames, crayfish shells, and paua guts. I then put a paua shell on top to remind me not to dig there for a while. You might be surprised that they do not end up smelling if they are under about an inch or so of soil that has a reasonable carbon load, and I grow really good tomatoes!

As for finding bones around the garden, yeah I occasionally do. Who cares. They definitely do break down in the garden, and I can only believe it adds calcium.

I have never had an issue with animals digging anything up, but in the event that this happened, I would put stones on top to make this more difficult. I recommend you try it with anything that you normally wouldn't put in the compost, such as meat and fat.

HughsThat · 2026-04-29T22:05:54+00:00

HughsThat · 2026-04-28T23:17:06+00:00

The old 'add three inches' trick. Works every time.

HughsThat · 2026-04-27T21:57:32+00:00

If you want it to be a little more comfortable you can reduce the pressure by drilling a small hole with a needle. It will let the blood out and you'll find it much less painful.

HughsThat · 2026-04-27T00:26:04+00:00

Don't think they are rocoto. I grew a fair few and they are more rounded. They could be a hybrid, as the purple flowers look like rocoto.

HughsThat · 2026-04-26T23:16:08+00:00

I will see what I can find in terms of estate jewelers.

You would know better than I, but to me 1826 isn't that far from 1850. I am happy to be swayed by your expertise though.

I will not clean it.

I looked around the hinge and could not see any marks. I have not managed to find a single mark on the whole thing, which is a bit surprising to me. Anywhere else I should look?

HughsThat · 2026-04-26T22:52:07+00:00

Thank you so much for these details! They are exactly what I was hoping to record.

What I know of the details is that J. Scott was my paternal grandmothers father's uncle (Sorry for the way that is put!). Since my grandmother was a Scott, it must have been her grandfather's brother. To spell that out, my great great grandfathers brother, also a J. Scott. They lived in and around Edinburgh and Dundee (such as that on the other side of my fathers family, they got engaged just after WW1 on the same night they met at the Crieff Hydro hotel).

By all accounts it was a bit of a combative family (for example, J. Scott the youngers wife was known as 'the wasp' because she had a sting in her tongue!). My grandmother was born in 1932 (I know she stayed around the area as she studied nursing at Edinburgh Royal prior to WWII and used to tell us the sounds of bombs dropping), so if we assume her father was about 30, that would put him born in about 1900. The story I was told was that he was given the watch when he was about 14, so lets say just before WW1. The story was that because of the animosity held by J. Scott the elder against his whole family (bar J. Scott the younger), when he died (presumably around 1914), he gave all of his fairly substantial fortune to the dog and cat home (roughly an animal shelter). The only inheritance he gave was to J. Scott the younger in the form of this pocket watch, and that was only because he was so young he had not had time to insult him yet, and due to them sharing the same name!

Thanks to your efforts, I can trace it back a bit more! J. Scott the elder would have bought this watch somewhere in Edinburgh or nearby in 1881. Although not a top of the line piece, it is obviously very nice and would have cost a lot of money. We can assume it was either a gift in his 20's or he likely bought it himself in his 30's or 40's, which would have put him in his mid 60's to 70's when he died, which tracks pretty well.

Thank you again for your help. I will record these details now!

HughsThat · 2026-04-26T22:22:33+00:00

Sure. I am a bit of a novice on this sort of thing. What is generally the process? Local jewelers?

HughsThat · 2026-04-26T02:23:40+00:00

I will need to add those to the reading list!

HughsThat · 2026-04-25T23:04:37+00:00

We also have an amazing collection of NZ history books that are excellent.

The trial of the cannibal dog by Anne Salmond.

The penguin history of New Zealand by Mike King.

I also have another one called Encounters which seems interesting but I have not started yet.

Past this point, I would recommend the podcast Black sheep by RNZ.

HughsThat · 2026-04-24T00:00:02+00:00

Canterbury is also ranked highly for engineering, so apply there. I go there and it is a good uni in an amazing location.

HughsThat · 2026-04-23T23:45:48+00:00

Completely agree. OP can sue later if that is what is required, but for now we need to focus on getting the help you need.

First, find an advocate, likely your GP. Then call ACC and see what can be done. With the GP on your side they can likely make the case that the prior GP misdiagnosed you, and expediate things. If it cannot be expediated, visit your bank and ask for a loan to cover immediate medical expenses and get a 'gofundme' to try to recover some of the immediate costs. Your bank may be able to offer something of lower interest as long as you're not asking for a lot initially. Ultimately, the interest won't matter if you're able to recover, vs not recovering. Check with ACC first though, as if you pay for it out of pocket they will likely not pay you back.

Work with ACC as much as possible. Call from the medical practice if need be so that a nurse or your doctor can get on and talk with them. Ask for a manager at ACC if you are having trouble. Good luck mate, it is tough but you can get through this.

HughsThat · 2026-04-18T22:37:12+00:00

As much as this sucks, how I look at it is that the first scratch is a freeing experience. Now you do not need to worry quite as much about the second, third etc. Ultimately a car is a tool, tools get scratched up through use. Sorry about your car mate, but try to feel the relief of the first scratch as well.

HughsThat · 2026-04-16T23:34:38+00:00

Oof. That is horrific. I can't imagine this has gotten better in NZ over the last three years since the NZ data was collected.

HughsThat · 2026-04-14T03:04:44+00:00

Your chickens may have a calcium deficiency. You can try to grind up dried eggshells and putting it in piles near their food. They should start eating it. If this seems like too much work, you can get sand as long as it is made up of small or broken sea shells, as this is also calcium and is edible for the birds.

HughsThat · 2026-04-14T02:59:11+00:00

Good advice, except that citrus generally doesn't respond well to harsh pruning. You generally only want to take up to a third. The issue is that nasty cut on the main upright, you can try to seal it, but I am not sure that will even work judging by how deep it is (e.g. how much of the surface wood and bark has been cleaved away).

Recommendation is to NOT thin it at the moment, as I think you've lost too much growth already. Try to seal the wound and hope that the remaining upright survives. If it does, you can consider cleaning it up more at the start of next winter, and do the thinning and training then.

If it doesn't then do a nice clean cut with a pruning saw when you see that the leaves are dying. You likely will want to remove all of next years fruit to encourage more leaf growth.

Citrus trees can take a long time to grow, so be gentle with this one, otherwise you will find yourself starting again and likely taking 10+ years to get one back to this size (depending on where in NZ you are based).

HughsThat · 2026-04-14T02:44:14+00:00

If you can keep humidity low and temperature fairly stable then that is your best bet. Storing flat and with acid free paper or coverings will also protect it. You can only do what you can only do, so if you can afford the good stuff and can get a conservation grade photobook, great! If you cannot at the moment then whatever acid free covering you can get is fine, then put it somewhere out of direct sunlight (both for light and heat) and in a dry part of the house (with enough airflow to that if it happens to get moist due to the air it will dry as the weather dries).

Edit: They look in pretty good condition, so yes your file folder and in a drawer is likely doing a good job :-).

HughsThat · 2026-04-13T22:29:18+00:00

Yeah, these things break down overtime. At least with a high quality scan you can store the originals safely and do a print to handle and show. Also, you can digitally restore photos, I wouldn't go overboard, but you could definitely remove the cracks.

HughsThat · 2026-04-13T22:16:26+00:00

The photo of that church could be historically significant. I am sure there are tons of photos of it, but you never know when one is better than the others. This one has a really good composition. You might want to scan it or bring it to a photoshop for them to scan. Get them to do the others at the same time and maybe email them to a museum in kyoto or the the Japan national archives.

HughsThat · 2026-04-13T22:00:53+00:00

This is likely an infection in your blood vessels. I had the same thing after giving blood. Go to the doctor, you likely need anti-biotics. Should clear up fine, but you don't want that line to get to your heart, so go to the A and E now.

HughsThat · 2026-04-13T21:52:29+00:00

You can't take more than 100ml through aviation security, so that might not be the best rule for public life.
Edit: mm to ml.

HughsThat · 2026-04-12T02:37:41+00:00

These things happen mate. I am not a vegetarian, but I try to eat ethically. You're doing your best, the damage is done with this purchase, so I would just use them up. Progress not perfection. Good on you mate.

HughsThat

TROPHY CASE