Hi Al, I feel like I should have paid better attention in science class here! Here we go: - Vigoro Citrus fertilizer: 12-5-8, continuous feeding for 3 months. Water soluble Mg 1%. Combined sulfur 8.5%. There appears to be no Ca. This was used when potting up the Misty (curled leaf), and afterwards on top of the already potted Sunshine Blue (slimy flower). - Espoma Soil Acidifier: 30% sulfur, consisting of 18% free sulfur and 12% combined sulfur. derived from elemental sulfur and gypsum. This was used when potting up the Misty with the curled leaf, and afterwards on top of the already potted Sunshine Blue with the slimy flower. This came in tiny little round balls, and when i put it on the dirt and water it, the next day the balls disappear. Does that mean it is soluble and effective? What do you think is causing the slimy flowers? The Ca deficiency you're talking about, is that for the curled leaves? Thanks! Jenny

Just checking in. I'm guessing Misty is earlier than Southmoon as many of her blossoms (?) are swelling. (Misty on left; SM on right.) They swell when they're blue, versus many of the Southmoon's blossoms are turning a pink/blue pretty color but NOT swelling at this time. Given the color change, I thought these would be earlier but my plants say otherwise. Should I turn this planter again to keep Misty in the sun since it appears she is earlier? Or leave it..... It's shocking how fast Misty has grown and quite suddenly after remaining quite compact for a couple of months since I planted them in this barrel. It's dense enough that almost none of the actual blossoms/berries are getting any more than dappled sun, at best. While I did the two-to-one-planter more to save space, I am starting to regret having put them in together. Only half the planter gets 6+ hours of sun whereas the inside half gets about 4-5 hours. These plants are THIRSTY these days. After a complete drenching, they seem to be dry on the top 1/3 of soil within 2-3 days now, even though the weather had been pretty relaxed and cool here. I still try to water every 4-5 days, though, in fear of overwatering. I'm getting excited to at least taste one before the birds do. :-) I thought about it every which way and there is no feasible yet effective netting solution I can come up with that would work in this small, cramped balcony full of plants. My best option is to attach netting to the stucco which HOA will do for you here due to the shockingly bold pigeon population, but that would make watering and harvesting my peppers and tomatoes impossible.... So my goal is to try at least one. Aim low, and be surprised, haha. Grace

Jen, First of all, I should not be the one responding to you. You see there is no cold frost or so called winter season in Hawaii. Being that this is the first year that I've grown blueberries here in Hawaii, I can only wait and see if it blooms all year. I just picked some the other day. I waited this time after they turned blue to see if they ended up being sweeter and they were. My blueberries have been providing fruit ever since I bought them in August. I have all types. I think the Fruitnut is the one you should be listening to. KennyB

Lavenderlace: I tested the below research: https://stumptuous.com/fat-sugar-metabolic-derangement "High-fat (HF) and high-fat/high-sugar (HFHS) diets both raised blood lipids. However: only rats on HFHS (fat plus sugar) diet developed hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, glucose intolerance and a diminished insulin response to a glucose load. " When I'm busy, I gulped one glass of juice for energy (100% juice with natural sugar) .. that kept my blood-sugar stabilized to finish a task for 1 hour longer. And a glass of soy milk (7 g. protein) & brewer's yeast & honey lasts me 4 hours without eating. Recently I did something different: finish the last bar of Klondite ice-cream (230 calories, 14 g of fat, 20 g white sugar) & sweet & greasy. Right after that, my blood sugar crashed, I was unbearably hungry and had to eat a meal immediately. I checked the ingredients: it has sugar & corn syrup (high fructose corn syrup). A little of fat plus protein is useful to keep one full. But fat plus sugar induce more hunger. I tested blueberry-smoothie made with 0% fat Greek yogurt versus 2% fat yogurt, and the 2% fat yogurt is more filling & last longer. CONCLUSION: Fat & protein & veggies is a good combo. Fat is needed to absorb the nutrients in veggies better. We have a friend who's a vegetarian and he ALWAYS USE full-fat salad-dressing, plus full-fat cheese on his salads, and he's just as skinny as husband in their late 50's. I used coconut oil to make banana muffin, and olive oil in my cooking. Here's what the Dean of Nutrition, Harvard Medical School said about coconut oil: http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/coconut-oil "Coconut oil is about 90% saturated fat, which is a higher percentage than butter (about 64% saturated fat), beef fat (40%), or even lard (also 40%). Too much saturated fat in the diet is unhealthy because it raises "bad" LDL cholesterol levels, which increases the risk of heart disease. So it would seem that coconut oil would be bad news for our hearts. But what's interesting about coconut oil is that it also gives "good" HDL cholesterol a boost. But, for now, I'd use coconut oil sparingly. Most of the research so far has consisted of short-term studies to examine its effect on cholesterol levels. We don't really know how coconut oil affects heart disease. And I don't think coconut oil is as healthful as vegetable oils like olive oil and soybean oil, which are mainly unsaturated fat and therefore both lower LDL and increase HDL. Coconut oil's special HDL-boosting effect may make it "less bad" than the high saturated fat content would indicate, but it's still probably not the best choice among the many available oils to reduce the risk of heart disease. — Walter C. Willett, M.D. Harvard School of Public Health Department of Nutrition Harvard Health Letter Editorial Board" *** From Straw: Just tested Solgar Brewer's yeast (made from beets). It's less tasty than NOW brand (sold out at local health food store). Solgar BY has a "plastic" & artificial taste to it, and less acidic than NOW. So I'll use Solgar BY for my roses, and still need to buy NOW brewer's yeast when they stock up.