So what do you suggest to test the water PH? Should I also check out the water quality report too? Where's the best place to find that out? I went to the water site for my city (Austin, Tx) but I'm not sure if I need to narrow by zip code? Here was the report: Davis WTP Ullrich WTP Parameter Units Method Cd T2,T2H T3 ----------------- ----- --------------- ----------- ----------- pH SU SM 4500-H B AVG 9.7 AVG 9.6 MAX 9.8 MAX 9.8 MIN 9.5 MIN 9.4 Total Alkalinity MG/L SM 2320 B AVG 61 AVG 67 MAX 65 MAX 72 MIN 56 MIN 62 Total Hardness MG/L SM 2340 C AVG 94 AVG 102 MAX 99 MAX 106 MIN 89 MIN 96 Total Solids MG/L SM 2540 B AVG 188 AVG 198 MAX 204 MAX 202 MIN 168 MIN 188 Total Chlorine MG/L SM 4500-CL F AVG 2.93 AVG 2.61 Residual MAX 3.25 MAX 2.80 MIN 2.70 MIN 2.30 Sulfate MG/L SM 4500-SO4 E AVG 36.4 AVG 34.4 MAX 37.5 MAX 34.4 MIN 35.3 MIN 34.4 Total Organic MG/L SM 5310 C AVG 2.70 AVG 2.60 Carbon MAX 2.96 MAX 2.73 MIN 2.45 MIN 2.46 Conductivity UMHOS/cm SM 2510 B AVG 335 AVG 354 MAX 335 MAX 354 MIN 335 MIN 354 Total UG/L EPA 524.3 THM AVG 28.9 AVG 35.9 Trihalomethanes MAX 32.4 MAX 42.9 MIN 24.8 MIN 30.8 Turbidity NTU SM 2130 B AVG 0.06 AVG 0.04 MAX 0.10 MAX 0.06 MIN 0.03 MIN 0.02 Drinking Water Quality Report Date Range: 01-SEP-2013 to 30-SEP-2013 Now what if I repotted plants from soil that had a bunch of fertilizer salts on the top despite not fertilizing? I'm using 5-1-1 mix, should I add dolomite lime or not because the water is too alkaline? Or is the problem that I haven't been fertilizing regularly?! AAAAh! I don't know where to start! lol!

1 Persicaria or Polygonum of some sort. Weeds, count on it. 2 Crabapple seedling 3 Probably Solanum dulcamara, Bittersweet Nightshade 4 ?? 5 Another tree seedling - Crabapple or flowering plum or something 6 More Solanum dulcamara 7 Might be Lovage but I don't think so. 8 Lepidium campestre, like FataMorgana said 9 Possibly Erigeron. OR it might be Pilewort, Erechtites . 10 Bleeding Heart 11 Prbably Nutsedge, Carex 12 Maybe Goldenrod/Aster. Or it might be a garden plant, I'd give that one a shot. 13 I was going to say Amaranth (Pigweed) of some kind, but on second look I think Jeanne is right, it's a potato. I made my own list so I put it in even though it's about the same as the others. Too lazy to edit. Lovage is a culinary herb, although it's not very common these days. I don't know if you use the seeds (like dill, which it's rather similar to) but the leaves taste just like strong celery. Which I guess is also related. However, I don't think it looks exactly like lovage, and there are some poisonous wild members of that family, so I wouldn't eat it until you've figured out for sure what it is. But it probably is something that was planted on purpose, I'd let it grow and see what it turns into. WW

I started to say they must be mealybugs - but then I realized they could be the mealybug destroyer larvae, too: How to tell the good bugs from the bad bugs Search on "mealy" to take you down to the entry on mealybugs vs mealybug destroyers. Mealybug destroyer larvae get up to about 1/2" - about twice the size of mealybugs. If that's what you've got, good on you! (Copies Aussie talk because they are an Australian import - that works for the GOOD!) There are some other beneficial ladybug larvae that look similar, this article discusses another species whose larvae look similar to the mealybug destroyer: Scymnus ladybeetle article Search on scymnus larva and click on that link to see a pic of that larva. I can't tell from the picture - how big are these critters?

No, I believe it may be MEALYBUG DESTROYER. See the posting in Nevada gardening for links to more about this. http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/nvgard/msg0817561323158.html?3 It sort of depends on how big that thing is. Mealybug destroyer larvae are about twice the size of mealybugs. They will eat mealybugs (of course) but also aphids and other softbodied pests. Here is a link that might be useful: Mealybug destroyer - a GOOD bug