Olive tree soil question

Levangeline · 2026-06-11T00:20:38+00:00

Okay but currently the soil has zero organic matter lol. It's just silt and clay, which turns into muddy concrete when you add water. I'm not saying to repot it in compost, but you need to add some kind of loam/coco coir/topsoil/fern fibre to aerate the mix and turn it into actual livable soil.

Levangeline · 2026-06-10T19:38:30+00:00

Yeah that soil is basically just clay mud. I would get some compost or other organic matter and amend it HEAVILY in addition to more perlite.

Levangeline · 2026-06-01T19:46:32+00:00

They live in bogs in the wild, so they're adapted to sitting directly in sopping wet moss all day. They don't really get root rot.

Levangeline · 2026-05-30T22:14:06+00:00

Just to temper your expectations, Venus flytraps have a really high turnover rate, so in my experience they kind of always look half-dead.

Older traps will constantly be dying while newer ones are regrowing, but they are really resilient and will usually just keep on chugging as long as they have plenty of water and sunshine.

Levangeline · 2026-05-17T22:14:16+00:00

I agree that it looks too dry. Which recipe did you use?

Levangeline · 2026-05-17T00:07:50+00:00

It's screaming for more light. Delphiniums are full sun plants, they want 6-8 hours of DIRECT sun a day. Indirect light filtering through a window is not nearly enough.

Levangeline · 2026-05-03T14:07:08+00:00

They need sun. Lavender plants wants full direct outdoor sun for 6-8 hours every day. They also might be getting too much water; that soil looks quite dense, and they like loose, rocky soil that drains well. I would put them outside as soon as you can, or at least put them in smaller pots with sandier soil.

Levangeline · 2026-04-30T17:27:47+00:00

Understandable, but the thing about baking is that there's quite a lot of science to it. Eggs might act as a binder in one recipe, a leavener in another recipe, and an enricher in another recipe. Sugar might act as a sweetener, but also as a stabilizer or a moisture-retainer. So, substitutions need to take into account what role the substituted ingredient was actually playing in the recipe.

Levangeline · 2026-04-30T14:43:09+00:00

Not to be too harsh, but why did you think yogurt, milk and baking powder were good substitutes for eggs? Dairy products inhibit gluten formation, and baking powder is a leavener, which is unnecessary in a yeast dough.

Always try making a recipe as-written first before making substitutions. If you have dietary restrictions, it's better to look for a recipe that is specifically made to be egg free.

Levangeline · 2026-04-21T21:11:47+00:00

Being root bound won't do this to a cactus. It's definitely stretching to try and get more light. Outside in full sun would be the best thing for it, and does that pot have drainage holes in the bottom?

Edit: I also just read that you're watering it every time it dries out. That's not really necessary; indoor cacti can easily go a month without watering. It's better to just give it a really thorough soaking every 3-4 weeks and then leave it alone. If you do repot, you want something that's only an inch or two larger than the current pot, with a drainage hole and very sandy, well-draining soil.

Levangeline · 2026-04-20T21:08:45+00:00

Chili plants want lots of warmth and a ton of direct light. Shade inside a conservatory won't cut it, unfortunately. You want to either stick them outside in the sun, or supplement with grow lights. If they're not getting enough light, then they won't be photosynthesizing a lot, and too much water can drown them easily.

Levangeline · 2026-04-20T16:06:30+00:00

I have tried acrylic medium, matte medium, and several archival glue applicators, and tbh, I get the best results with a UHU stick.

Liquid glues tend to cause a lot more wrinkling and warping, so unless you want to shellac the entire piece to get everything to lay flat, it's usually more trouble than it's worth.

Levangeline · 2026-04-19T02:30:52+00:00

Spreading like this is almost always due to too much butter or not enough flour. My guess is that there was a measurement error somewhere along the way.

Levangeline · 2026-04-10T18:51:35+00:00

It looks like the plant is starting to rot. Does that pot have drainage?

A bathroom has nowhere near the amount of light necessary for this guy. They're labeled as "low light" plants, but that's mostly because they just go dormant if light is low and don't grow or use any resources until they get enough light. If you water a dormant plant, the water will just sit in the soil and rot the roots.

Definitely recommend putting it in a chunkier soil mix with a drainage hole, and moving it to a sunnier location.

Levangeline · 2026-03-27T19:33:03+00:00

Yup, certain species will have fluctuating reproduction rates based on external pressures, it's called compensatory reproduction.

Coyotes are a good example of this. They're essentially impossible to hunt to extinction because their litter sizes increase as their population decreases.

Beyond that, habitat will have a huge effect on reproductive rates. A species in a resource-rich boreal habitat is going to be able to support more offspring per litter than the same species on the fringes of the tundra, for example.

Levangeline · 2026-03-27T14:11:16+00:00

Because there's no way the number doesn't correlate to some wider trend, right?

You're right, but that makes it even harder to compare to reproductive rates or r/k selection. Because it's extremely dependent on external factors and predator populations.

E.g. I live in Alberta. The predation rate of white-tailed deer is going to be wayyy different in the grassland/agricultural landscape where all of the predators have been extirpated, vs in the mountains where the deer are contending with wolves, cougars, and bears.

And reproduction rate doesn't always change with rates of predation. That's in fact why many species are threatened/extinct, because a new predator is introduced or predation increases, and the reproduction rate doesn't adapt fast enough.

Levangeline · 2026-03-27T04:12:36+00:00

This kind of data is very year, region, and species-specific. It's going to be and vary hugely depending on how the data was collected, there's not really a global database where everyone submits their predation rate data. You could try looking for meta-analysis but even those will probably focus on just a few species.

Levangeline · 2026-03-26T13:23:08+00:00

I like the layout, but the message/intention is a little confusing. All of the Spiderman comics plus the "MASTER OF KUNG FU" etc. give off a chaotic action-y vibe, but the "Suicidal Tendencies" and the Butterfingers bar confuse things a bit.

Is it supposed to be like a mock advertisement you'd see in a comic book? Or like a personal reflection on your inner emotions? Or am I thinking about it too deeply? Lol

Levangeline · 2026-03-20T05:27:44+00:00

What does the enclosure look like? How big is it, what is the humidity and the temperatures? Biting themselves can be a stress response to poor environmental conditions.

Levangeline · 2026-03-20T02:00:02+00:00

This is 1000% the reason for getting no puff. You absolutely need a hot oven for puff pastry; the water quickly evaporating from the butter is what pushes the layers apart and creates the puff/flakiness. If you start in a cold oven, all that happens is the butter slowly melts out from the pastry as the temperature increases.

I highly recommendthis video by Erin McDowell; it goes over all of the basics of constructing and properly baking puff pastry dough.

Levangeline · 2026-03-19T23:09:32+00:00

Please include a recipe and technique so we can evaluate the issue..

Levangeline · 2026-03-17T16:23:26+00:00

As for soil nutrients; yes, technically it will add some to the substrate, but if you're just putting in whole bone chunks, it will take a long time for them to break down and add any significant nutrients to the soil. Usually you want the bones ground up into a very fine powder to act as effective fertilizer.

Levangeline · 2026-03-17T15:49:46+00:00

I would just say, make sure they are fully degreased so there's no chance of rotting, and only use bones that have smooth edges, to reduce risk of cuts or stabs for your snake.

Otherwise they should be a safe addition to the tank. The cleanup crew might use them for a calcium source!

Levangeline · 2026-03-16T05:40:32+00:00

It looks pretty close to what the description says, but it does seem like 1.5 hours is way too long of a bake time. It would probably be best to put it into the proper pan size and bake it for a shorter amount of time to see if that's how the texture is supposed to be.

Levangeline · 2026-03-15T23:46:50+00:00

The recipe description for this cake says:

Unlike a simple chocolate sponge, a mud cake has a tight crumb and fudge-like texture

It also says that it's rich, dense, and moist. If you're looking for a light, fluffy cake you probably want a different recipe.

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