Hi had a similar experience ,not with hail but bac k to back hurricanes. There was not a single leaf in the entire yard lol. Just as things started to leaf out again ,Jeanne hit and repeated the whole process. Pool and plants were flatened. Total of 32 days without electricity. Not only did everything survive within three months it was difficult to tell anything had happened at all. I removed as much broken debris as possible which turned out to be a good idea as we had a third that year and the trees needed pruning for sure .lol. Only one tree still has scars from the storms but everything survived including us lol. I did lose 6 birds from the aviary from escape when the side was torn out and the Marine aquarium crashed . Decided not to replace it due to the expense. About the only thing you can do is remove as much broken material as possible from the pool . Hopefully there'll be enough time to recover before cold weather sets in??? gary

The biggest issue is fungus gnats. Tiny black flies that love to live indoors or out and infest every single plant even if its in a pot. They are smaller than fruit flies. Outdoors, I use a form of Bt and also benefical nematodes as I used to get a LOT of these fungus gnats, they even get inside the leaf layers of brussles sprouts, which are not good eating when you see tiny back flies in the cooking water. Indoors, when I start seeds, I use a mix of seed starting soils, like Natural Beginnings from Gardens Alive, as well as a Jiffy mix that is sold by the bag through sevral web sites, and even shreaded coconut husk fibers called coir. These are all quite 'clean' and have little to no real soil in them. They help hold just the right amount of moisture too. The fungus gnats usually come from outdoor soils, lay eggs in the soil that turn into tiny maggots and these feed off the tender roots of any plants. Thats one reason you see house plants suddenly dieing for no apparent reason. To check indoor plants, I use yellow sticky traps that rest horizontally on the edges of the pots. After just a couple of days, these traps can become loaded with tiny black gnats! Outside is where I use a form of Bt and also water in the beneficial nematodes that live in soil and go after the fungus maggots. My garden soil here isn't perfect, but if I can reduce harmful bugs from killing plants, its a big help. I use scent lures and sticky traps for my apples, peaches, and even cucumbers. Each sticky trap has a scent lure that attracts the pests common to these plants. Some plants and trees are highly resistant to diseases and bugs. Asian pears, asparagus, and blueberries to name a few. It may be better to head to a nursery/garden shop, as Home Depot and Lowes tend to offer a very limited amount of organic supplies. Here, we have only a very few products that are organic and most are for bugs (Neem) and disease control (Serende). The bags of soil offered by Miracle Grow tend to be a bit harsh as they simply use chemical equivilents to the real soil nutrients. I have a small leanto shed that stores corn gluten, fish meal, humate, kelp meal, and a few others. I use these as natural nitrogen additives, or in the case of humate, many minerals and micro nutrients. If you do plan to spray for any bugs that might be feeding on the leaves, try Neem. I wouldnt spray any herbs with anything unless the bugs are chewing holes in the leaves however. Bt, is a liquid mixed with water and has several different strains, of which one is for the gnat control. Ever hear of squash vine borers? These bugs bore into the base of squash vines and destroy the insides which cause the plants to quickly die. I have used another form of Bt and actually injected it into the main stems of squash plants, by using an insulin syringe. The Bt attacks the borers and kills them. Imagine a garden thats a living thing like us, it just can't survive all by itself if you want good yields and quality crops. I have only 2000 sq. feet of garden space, and there is also areas all around the edges of my garden that have fruit trees, or some permanent plants like asparagus and horse radish, which I harvest every spring. For your pot of cilantro, add some seeds every 2-3 weeks, so they can give you more than 1 or 2 harvests. Only thing is, if they are clumped together, they are hard to seperate if there are two stages of growth within each other. Indoors, I start about 60 petunia plants, 60 or so impatien plants, peppers, tomatos, basil, and a few others about mid April. This year, seedless watermelons with a necessary pollinator, as well as a few cantaloupe types. Brussels sprouts again too, but will be covered with a light weight white plastic fabric to block out the bugs, then my big batch of corn, which I plant every other year. I have a small tractor and a big rototiller to turn the soil over every spring, and work in any soil ammendments needed. Here is a link that might be useful: Natural Beginnings

Hi! I bought a fiddle fig a few weeks ago. I have put it in the brightest part of my living room, and tried to make sure it would only get watered when dry. But, it started developing dark spots at the edges of the leaves, and two leaves have dropped off. The tops where the buds would be are black and dry. It got worse, and I was so afraid I had overdone keeping it dry that I brought it out and let some rain fall on it, and watered it. I noticed roots on the surface, so decided that it must be pot bound and I need to repot. So I took it out, teased the roots and took out the soil around the roots. There was only one major strand of roots circling the pot. I then spread out the roots and put it in the pot with fresh soil. I noticed that, despite the watering it got 2 days ago, the roots and soil was so barely damp that my hands didn't really get wet, and I could brush off the soil from my hands and they were pretty dry. I do not know if I should water it now, a good long drink, or wait a bit more... I was seeing videos where they dry it out for a few weeks... what do I do please? I don't want my fig to die!!! I brought it out to get more sun and fresh air... Btw, I live in Asia where it is warm year round... it is just a bit more rainy these days.

Pot as stupidlazydog suggested. Sifted perlite or pumice should be added to C&S soil, in generous amounts. Do not keep succulents in water...You can cut off inflorescence or keep it. If you worry about any discoloration, pls. post photo. Otherwise, we are just guessing.