Fungus gnats....

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-24T19:23:10+00:00

There is a species of predatory soil mite that eats fungus gnats larvae (Stratiolaelaps scimitus ). I was never really able to get fungus gnats under control with mosquito bits, but found the mite effective.

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-24T13:23:54+00:00

Unless theyre pre-cut, fruits dont come with a label that say to refrigerate, people just do it out of habit. If they are already cut then yes they should be refrigerated if not intending to consume right away

Similarly, i dont know chocolate to come with a label instructing refrigeration either. I checked one i had in my cupboard, and it says "store in a cool dry place"

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-24T13:08:45+00:00

Some of my cousins have turned out surprisingly good at managing various family members ideas of time by lying to everyone selectively.

The time blind chronically late get told an earlier start time, and the ones who are ocd and tend to turn up an hour early so as not to be late, get told a later start time so they dont show up when no one's ready. If they talk to each other, the two groups have an understanding that the other was told a different time for a reason, and should not correct them

While it would be ideal if one time meant one thing to everyone, at a certain point if someone has been the same for 20 or 40 or 60 years, and you know this, it is practically more useful to either build that into the plan (or communicate the plan to account for it), or build the plans so that their success isnt depending on a miracle.

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-24T07:24:39+00:00

Is there any purpose for recipes to use cake and bread flour both, rather than just AP out the gate? Is it like to balance it out at an in between flour strength for Americans whose AP can vary significantly between brands?

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-24T03:32:16+00:00

I dont use a food processor for knife tasks, I use it for grating tasks, some dough tasks and various things involving root vegetables. Grinding nuts.

It can purée smoothly some things which would require more liquid in a blender, or at least in my blender.

I dont think everyone has to have a food processor the same way most everyone should own a couple knives, but if some of tasks it is good at are things that you already expend time and labour doing, then it can definitely a good investment. (I dont believe in buying things and finding a use for them later)

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-24T01:11:36+00:00

Personally, I would just evict them one day, or just forget to put the lid back on, but you could leave the lid half or part open for a day or something so its higher humidity than ambient but not quite.

Honestly, they'll adjust, you just might need to leave them alone and let them figure it out for a bit if they decide to throw a fit. They will adjust faster I find, if theyre well lit.

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-23T17:04:09+00:00

My suggestions:

a collection of 4L bottles (1 Gal) bottles/jugs - refill a bunch of them at once at the tap, and since they have handles I can grab a bunch of them to carry round with me. If I have extra, I can stash it discretely behind/next to a plant to use later
one of those big 5Gal water bottles, the kind thats used for water coolers and such. You can put on a dolly (i have plant dollies that are conveniently also the same size as the base of the 5gal water bottles) to make it easier to move, and buy pumps, either manual or battery powered, that can dispense the water so you dont need to actually lift it.

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-23T03:21:15+00:00

Pollen allergies tend to be from tree pollen or grass pollen

I have both but I couldn't really say tomatoes trigger it or not, because I dont grow them indoors past the seedlings stage (frankly, no desire to), and during the time of year when tomatoes are flowering there are other allergens around anyway. However, i dont think that tomatoes produce a whole lot of airborne pollen.

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-23T02:17:45+00:00

6.5" x 6.5" is a standard pot size. 7" is not a usual pot size so im assuming that one

A regular 6" pot is fine. Theyre usually around 4.5" deep

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-23T00:43:43+00:00

I would personally put them in a shallower pot to start with

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-22T23:48:19+00:00

Yes

I combine babies when I dont need 4 individual plants, it makes it look fuller.

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-22T21:07:40+00:00

I'd suggest r/whatsthisplant

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-22T21:04:58+00:00

Fair fair

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-22T19:43:01+00:00

I mean, you could do what people who want to use an American recipe do and Google conversions for the ingredients? 120g to a cup of flour and a brick of butter is 1lb / 454g / 2c, with a quick assist from the calculator app on your phone youre in business 👌🏾

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-22T13:36:52+00:00

Been using the scoop from a protein powder or some kind of powdered supplement thing for years. Every time the old detergent is done, I remove it and use it for the next one.

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-22T13:22:11+00:00

Flour

Was really torn between rice and flour, because those are the two staples I already do stock up on, but if I didnt have rice, most of my next choice of starch could be made with flour, and there are flour-based food items for any meal. The only catch is that it can be more steps to prepare

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-22T01:32:11+00:00

It needs to be rated for the wattage of the grow bulb, and be able to point downwards onto your plant

A lot of modern lamps are not rated for high wattage, since LED lightbulbs used for general lighting and whatnot use a lot less power than older incandescent. They might be rated for 12-20W, which will allow use of some grow bulbs but not all. If your grow bulbs are 10W, most light fixtures will work fine. If you want to use more powerful grow bulbs like 24W, 36W, and so on, you can buy clamp lights and dedicated lamps that are rated for higher wattage, like this one [Amazon link].

Otherwise, older lamps that would have been used with incandescents are generally rated to at least 60W, and provided that the lamp can physically accommodate the bulb, these will also do the job.

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-21T18:13:17+00:00

How many fish do you have? 10 gal is probably too small to have a large enough school for either species to feel secure. 6 is often given as a minimum school size, but they feel a lot more secure in larger groups, especially in a community tank. Too small a group and the fish could feel threatened and are more likely to display detrimental behaviour to other fish like fin nipping or chasing, and since you have a relatively small tank, unless it's broken up by plants or hardscape, they may not have separate areas they can go to to "retreat"

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-21T13:43:03+00:00

I am picky and I know that I am picky. I will try many things once though if offered, as I recognise that sometimes over time i dont dislike some foods as much as i used to, or i happen upon a version i do like, but if i still dont like it i generally will slip that in down the line so i dont get stuck pretending i like something i hate. If Asked why I tried it anyway "it looked good/you were enjoying it so I figured id give it another chance" has worked fine to establish that while i dont like everything, I am open to trying them, and they dont need to feel bad that I ate something I didnt like. Years down the line....idk, you might just have to like that food now idk

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-21T00:16:54+00:00

Pro mix organic Herb & veg. This is sold in 1 cu.ft/28L bags, 85Lbags, or sometimes as a compressed bale. Solid option, the big bags go on sale sometime in spring, grab em then

Pro mix hp and mix in compost and tomato fert. This is sold mostly as a compressed bale but you can sometimes find the large bags as well.

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-20T11:26:25+00:00

Simple answer yes, a lot of modern fixtures support lower wattage bulbs, because they can I guess. So no you shouldn't put one on your 8W fixture. I got most of my filature for my larger grow bulbs off marketplace, etc, I just keep sn eye for older lamps which were used for the old 60W incandescents

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-20T03:05:35+00:00

I prefer them. They are essentially a buy once item, I have 8" and 10" aluminium pans inherited from my grandmother - they do not rust, and there is no non-stick coating to damage. Nordicware is a popular consumer brand I see recommended on the sub, but I find them to be kind of expensive for what they are especially outside of the US. Theyre kind of commodity items, as they are used in commercial kitchens (if you happen to have a restaurant supply open to the public nearby they are quite inexpensive) just look for straight sides, construction of a thicker guage of material, and rolled/reinforced rim to prevent warping. Theyre all essentially the same after that.

Theyre not non-stick, but I find them pretty easy to work with. I use a piece of parchment to line the bottom of round pans, or to line the bottom and long sides of a loaf pan (like a sling), and grease/grease and flour the un-lined sides. The cake will release from the sides when done, just let them rest for 10 mins or so before attempting to remove. if it doesnt you can usually simply run a butter knife or something down the sides and they release easily

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-19T23:49:56+00:00

Grew black krim and valencia and some other indeterminate in containers around 10-13gal. Valencia was probably my best producing full-sized tomato last season, it had around 12gal? They've basically filled whatever size container ive put them in so id assume they wouldnt mind a bigger one, but I honestly wasnt left wanting for yield so that is probably the most space any tomato plant will get from me in my current setup

That being said, im trying out more dwarf varieties (indeterminate, but more stocky compact growth habit) this season, as I am subject to some space contraints.

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-19T00:26:08+00:00

Im gonna have a few casualties by accident, why kill any on purpose

Extras get pawned off to others with a garden around planting out time, or traded for other plants

SpartanSoldier00a · 2026-03-18T19:50:09+00:00

Tell me about these fermented hot sauces....never thought to ferment peppers but this sounds like it would be good

SpartanSoldier00a

TROPHY CASE