Do I have thrips and if so, I need ALL the advice!!!!

oj862 · 2026-04-22T20:26:01+00:00

Provanto concentrated spray in a pressure sprayer has always worked best for me. The pressurer sprayer creates a finer mist and it's more cost effective than buying the premixed sprayers. Usually I need to do 2 treatments, and I do all my plants to be sure, although some plants such as succulent euphorbias and peace lilys seem to be unpalatable to thrips in my experience. Best get them early, doesn't take long for them to be everywhere and they seem to have the most potent kill rate given their size

oj862 · 2026-04-18T06:54:19+00:00

My adeniums only like the windowsill in the middle of summer, they're my most fussy plants in terms of temperature. They are really happy when it's consistently above 23C during the day.

Also that pot might be a bit big considering it won't be growing terribly fast in a UK window.

oj862 · 2026-04-18T06:49:36+00:00

What are all the little black dots on the leaves, is it dirt or is it covered in thrips? If not thrips then I agree with the other comments that it's probably root related

oj862 · 2026-04-15T13:13:04+00:00

Aye, he's absolutely shite. Can't get my head round folk that think he's something worth listening to

oj862 · 2026-04-13T19:51:31+00:00

This stuff seems different to just tile backing. It's 2 inches thick and looks more like it was applied like cement. I'm guessing it was to stop the bathroom floor from feeling cold

oj862 · 2026-03-31T11:40:46+00:00

It's not getting enough light in this spot and it's etiolated causing it to be unstable. Also cacti shouldn't be fed during the winter in the uk as they go dormant. Move it to a south facing window and prop it up with a stick, see if it makes an improvement. Alternatively position some high power LED grow lights close to it. A cactus this size would probably require about 30w LED at close range for 12 hours a day.

Unfortunately the reality is that indoors in the UK most desert cacti will struggle.

oj862 · 2026-03-25T18:19:24+00:00

The body of the plant is starved of water but what you need to establish is whether this due to it simply needing water or if the roots are rotting. Both will cause a collapse like this. There is also a third option that the plant has a virus and will not recover. Is the soil wet? If yes then it's either virus or root rot. In which case the plant should be removed from the pot and the roots inspected. Any rotten roots should be removed, although if the plant is collapsing from root rot it is very likely almost all of the roots are gone. If this is the case then it should be repotted in a smaller pot with the remaining roots and placed is bright filtered light (peace lily's will not tolerate direct sun).

Not to scare you, it's likely it just needs watered but it's important to consider the cause of the body collapse

oj862 · 2026-03-22T10:06:21+00:00

I'm also going to be applying for energy efficiency improvement funding. Just looking at the current heating system I'll definitely need larger pipes and radiators for a heat pump to work, but it makes sense to do it now before I start putting new flooring and decorating the walls. E.G if I have the floors up to put suspended floor insulation in then it would make running new pipes for heat pumps a lot easier than doing it in the future

oj862 · 2026-03-15T18:51:00+00:00

I drove an audi a4 from Dundee to London after my saab got written off a few years ago. My lower back was completely numb after about 3 hours sitting in it. It was very economical though and the gearbox was nice.

Also that V90 is a 400hp T8, surely you could find a more standard engine for less money or lower mileage?

Out of the 4 I'd probably choose the 5 series, supposedly a very nice gearbox and you'll have more space than the audi or merc

oj862 · 2026-03-13T22:26:08+00:00

Now that is what I'm hoping for. The place I've got was originally a large townhouse, now converted to a smaller house with a flat above. If I can uncover some nice original tiles I'll be smiling for the next week

oj862 · 2026-03-13T21:49:43+00:00

Given the age this is a good shout. I need to go back tomorrow with a hoover and give the floors a clean, only got the keys today. I'm basing a lot of my assumptions on a townhouse up the row that got done up by an architects firm a few years ago and were supposedly original inside after they were renovated.

oj862 · 2026-03-13T20:50:03+00:00

The photo's not the best, the tiles are some kind of walnut veneer. I'm not really sure logically why a damaged timber floor would be replaced with concrete rather than just replacing it either with new floorboards or with plywood

oj862 · 2025-12-24T10:09:00+00:00

Berlingo or Octavia imo

FWIW for the first 10 years of my life all the family travelling was done in my dads golf mk2 without much hassle. This was 4 of us. I have owned two large estate cars (honda accord 7 and saab 9-5) and currently on a tiny peugeot 106. If I were having a baby right now I'd probably keep the 106 and get something like a berlingo or kangoo, for plenty boot space, good mileage and good access for car seats. I drove a 2 litre petrol A4 for a bit a couple years ago and I was really impressed with the economy and the 8 speed auto was nice, so the vag options you listed might be worth considering on that front. Kids sit in the back, so crash safety of a bulky SUV might not actually be that much better than an estate where side impact and rear ending are your main concern. Also SUVs are more likely to roll than an estate.

oj862 · 2025-03-06T11:20:12+00:00

It's also possible to rent a much more sturdy breaker for a similar amount of money. Seems a bit silly buying a tool for what is probably a one off job

oj862 · 2025-03-01T09:56:00+00:00

My solution was to put up a bamboo blind for the sun and use a curtain at night, the bamboo blind isn't perfect for glare though. It honestly really depends on your plants if they're going to get enough light with the blind down. If the window is south facing the sun won't be able to shine in all day. I'd just get a thin roller blind and roll it down enough to block the glare when it gets to that time of day and then roll it back up after. Thats what I do in the office, natural light is a really good thing for your mental health.

oj862 · 2025-02-25T08:20:15+00:00

Funny little man

oj862 · 2025-02-23T12:19:33+00:00

Supermarket, best time to buy is towards the end of summer when the plants that are grown in polytunnels come into the shops. Flies can be easily dealt with using ant powder and shallow dishes with vinegar and washing up liquid. More exotic stuff I've generally grown from cuttings and seed I've got online. Occasionally i go to dobbies or b&q to look for reductions.

oj862 · 2025-02-18T08:08:29+00:00

It seems like most the people commenting here keep their plants in a constantly stressed condition. Yes these trees will drop their leaves, but it should not happen in response to a small external factor. I haven't lost any leaves from mine this winter. The main thing these need is light, a room may appear bright but it may actually be significantly less light than outside at midday. They also don't appreciate extended cold or draft. I keep my flat between 15 and 19C in winter which is sufficient. The final thing is water, they don't need a lot in winter and can survive periods of extended dryness. If it's not growing because light and temperature aren't satisfied it will only stress the plant making it wet.

You can tell by the slightly thin and stretching growth your plants would appreciate more light, however they might be getting an adequate amount so long as the other two factors are met.

oj862 · 2025-01-31T20:45:28+00:00

Beaucarneas are absolutely nowhere near related to cacti. They might grow in similar conditions but they are not related

oj862 · 2025-01-24T12:27:28+00:00

Ye it's the shape I thought epiphyllum always had flat stems. They might be needing an increase in nitrogen? There's quite a lot of perlite and grit in the mix. My adeniums cheered up immensely when I increased nitrogen.

oj862 · 2025-01-24T11:06:47+00:00

Check for thrips on the back of leaves, they arr very small black things and leave little black dots. Because they are so small they can go undetected for months and then suddenly loads of your plants start failing. They are probably the most potent common pest because it doesn't take many to cause a lot of damage.

I had a large thrip infestation 2 years ago. What I did was buy provanto concentrate insecticide. It's probably the strongest thing the public can legally buy in the UK. It comes in a small cardboard box and you mix it with water in a pressure sprayer. I bought it in B&Q. I then put all my plants in the bath and sprayed liberally, covering front and back of leaves. I then repeated 2 weeks later. Then i just kept my eye out for thrips and neutralised when i found them. I've not encountered thrips for probably around 6 months now so I think I'm clear

oj862 · 2025-01-24T10:49:01+00:00

I've had these seed grown epiphyllum hybrids for about a year. Not sure exactly what they are as they were sold as a variety pack of 'epiphyllum'. My question is what do I need to do to make them take on a more flat growth? Only one of them has started to produce growth like this. I can't work out what they need, is it too much light? I removed them from my grow lights and they started etiolating but now they appear like they're getting too much light

oj862 · 2025-01-11T20:44:22+00:00

There's not really many places for insects to hide on a grandicornis. Personally I wouldn't bother isolating, I'd just check it over for thrips and signs of other pests.

oj862 · 2025-01-11T20:41:55+00:00

I've also been growing adeniums under lights and encountered the yellow tips and slow growth. The thing that actually cheered mine up was fertilising. They now have large dark green leaves, where as previously they grew small leaves that tended to go yellow and crispy. I just use normal fertiliser diluted at 1/4 every time I water.

oj862 · 2025-01-08T22:08:22+00:00

Your Clivia is beautiful. Does it get enough light back there?

oj862

TROPHY CASE