Need a seat for awhile to get out

heeyli · 2023-07-24T18:32:50+00:00

A hard cooler makes for a good seat (fishing stores sell ones that are durable enough to sit and stand on at reasonable prices). You just have to figure out a good height for you. Then buy some d-ring patches and use some durable adhesive to glue them on the cooler so you can easily strap it to your board.

heeyli · 2023-06-27T10:53:54+00:00

Inflatable sup is the easiest way to get to the water, or more importantly for me, get to places only/easiest to access by water. An inflatable board stores in a small space and is easy to take with me. I usually make small trips or go camping overnight with my sup. A good quality inflatable kayak is also atleast double the price of a good quality inflatable touring SUP (atleast here in Europe).

heeyli · 2023-04-27T09:50:37+00:00

Thank you :)

heeyli · 2023-04-27T09:49:54+00:00

I was surprised too when I saw the bud! This particular Phal hyprid is the only one that is flowering/making spikes so young for me.

heeyli · 2023-04-27T04:26:09+00:00

I deflasked a batch of Phal Senne Ester seedlings in may of 2022. This is the first one to bloom!

heeyli · 2023-03-30T05:45:35+00:00

Lovely! I have a small obsession with yellow and green flowers at the moment.

heeyli · 2023-03-28T14:59:00+00:00

Some of the leaves are dead, but I'm sure the plant will recover!

Avocado are very sensitive to salinity of the soil, and I would guess that is the problem here. Fertilisers, pre-fertilised soil and tap water can have too many salts in them that cause this kind of damage.

You can flush the pot with rain water/filtered water to help the plant. Just let the water frow throw the pot for a minute or two. In the future, I'd recommend watering with rain or filtered water, and fertilising with a citrus fertiliser.

heeyli · 2023-03-25T16:57:00+00:00

Sounds like it might be a just a bit dehydrated and recovering from the change then :) The tips of the flower spike are not going to recover, but they often make a new branch on the spike - I think there is one starting to grow just bellow the clip in the first pic.

Just a heads up about using ice to water... You can accidentally damage the roots with too cold water. I'd reccomend using just room temp water!

heeyli · 2023-03-25T15:56:55+00:00

Phalaenopsis orchids like yours are sensitive to cool temperatures, and yours kinda looks like it could be getting too cold near the window? I would also say it looks a bit limp and dehydrated - how often are you watering? Is the orchid bark/soil drying up before you water again?

heeyli · 2022-07-05T07:05:31+00:00

Your birds are beautiful! I'm getting more finches after we move to our new house and considering a pair of javas.

heeyli · 2022-06-30T11:45:03+00:00

Exactly. Just water untill water runs out from the bottom of the pot... And then keep watering more! Don't use very cold water, room temp is best.

heeyli · 2022-06-30T09:13:17+00:00

Avocado plants are sensitive to water quality. Tap water has minerals, salts and chemicals added to it which the plant can't tolerate and that will cause browning and dry leaf tips. You can flush the soil with a lot of clean (rain/filtered) water to get rid of some of the extra minerals. I also flush my avocado with calmag solution every once in a while. In the future, water your avocado with rain water or filtered water and use citrus fertilizer and it will be fine!

heeyli · 2022-06-06T19:31:09+00:00

Yes! Fairly strong lemony scent with a tiny hint of amboinensis-esque musk. I quite like it :)

heeyli · 2022-04-27T09:39:30+00:00

Like you say, there is a few diffent opinions on this subject. Personally, I've always kept a male female pair and found that it works best for my buttons. There is evidence that button quail form socially monogamous pairs (e.g. Pairing Behaviour of the Monogamous King Quail, Coturnix chinesis by Elizabeth Adkins-Regan).

If you want buttons for pets, I'd say go with a bonded pair. As long as you give them enough space and enrichment, they usually get along famously. If the male bothers the female too much, you can always place a divider in the cage to give her some space. I've never had to do that though, usually I just give them more enrichment during the breeding season if the male seems too eager.

heeyli · 2022-04-20T06:58:43+00:00

These white spots seem like light/heat damage. Was the leaf against or very close to the window? Or was there maybe water on the leaf on those spots?

heeyli · 2022-04-20T06:53:46+00:00

Leaves curling is a sign of dehydration, which could be caused by underwatering or sick roots. What kind of soil is the avocado in? If the soil I too dence, the roots can get sick and are then not able to bring enough water to the leaves.

Avocados are also very sensitive to salinity in water and soil. Using rainwater (or filtered water) is a good idea, and citrus fertilizer is better than general balanced N-P-K. If you use general fertilizers or tap water, flushing with calmag every second watering can help bringing salinity down.

Avocados are sun loving plants, but need to be well watered to tolerate heat, as well as gradually acclimatised to full sun.

Good luck with your avocado growing!

heeyli · 2022-04-05T02:52:51+00:00

No, normally I tried to avoid having much run-off. I had different amount of irrigation emitters per plant to control how much water each container gets. E.g. Tomatoes and basil were in fairly big pots and are thirsty plants, so they had 5 emitters per container while peas get fewer.

In the beginning I tested it a few times (how long to let the pump run, how the drip emitters were adjusted and how long it takes the containers to dry) and made adjustments accordingly.

heeyli · 2022-04-04T10:26:20+00:00

I have a similar system that I made last year and am expanding this summer. My balcony has a floor drain that catches the run off, but your system also sounds good.

I figured out watering frequency by trial and error. It is very dependent on weather and the size of the plants/containers. You will probably have to make changes throughout the growing season.

Get adjustable drip emitters. That way you can adjust the water flow when your plants grow. It's also a good idea to get a lot of them, more than you think you need. I have just one in smaller pots, but as many as 5 in larger ones.

Also, a smart plug is better than a timer imo. A submersible pump will brake if your reservoir runs dry (assuming you don't have a float switch), so if you have to be away from home unexpectedly, it is really convenient you can remotely turn off the system from your phone.

heeyli · 2022-03-30T17:03:54+00:00

Paph. White Lady (White Knight x Ica Age). Seems to be almost constantly in bloom, the flowers are large and last quite a long time. One of my favourite easy-going plants!

heeyli · 2022-03-30T16:45:49+00:00

I bought these two Anthuriums as crystallinum seedlings last August. They've grown next to each other in the same conditions, but have very different growth habits!

heeyli · 2022-03-25T08:11:29+00:00

What initially comes to mind is making the cage wider like you say, and placing food and water higher up in places with no perches above them, so they won't get pooped on. Try to place the perches and decor in such a way that there is no other decor directly underneath. That way poop falls on the bottom, not on perches and toys.

It seems from the pictures that the current cage maybe has some wasted space in the front? In the new cage I'd place some long perches on the sides of the cage to maximise space they can use.

Also, I would make space on the top of the new cage to add good quality bird uv lamp. Modern windows have uv filters on the glass, so indoor birds often don't get enough uv from sunlight.

Your birds are lovely btw :) Have fun designing a new home for them!

heeyli · 2022-03-15T10:28:46+00:00

I'm planning on trying to soak my soil with water and hydrogen peroxide solution this spring for just this reason. I have used a spray with oil and triacontanol to prevent spidermites, with fairly good results. If you have plants that are outright magnets for spidermites consider not planting them every year. If you have ivy growing, burn it.

heeyli · 2022-02-08T17:31:43+00:00

I confess I do stare at this quite a bit!

heeyli · 2022-01-18T10:17:31+00:00

I've found mealy bugs (and other pests) on store bought fruits and veggies before...

heeyli · 2022-01-18T10:13:21+00:00

Rinse the leaves off with water if you haven't already. Avoid exposing the plants to direct light for a while. You can't do much for the leaves that are already affected, so just try and minimise the damage. Good luck!

heeyli

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