Lamora, waiting a few days before repotting was a good idea. Some authors suggest waiting six-months, but when roots pop out of drainage holes, it's time to repot. If the pot is too large there will be problems. The max is 2" larger than the rootball. Miracle Gro is good soil, but it should be amended with other mediums like Perlite. MG has some Perlite mixed in, but not enough. So, if you decide to reduce pot size, add Perlite with MG. After repotting, 'pot needs drainage holes,' water thoroughly. Place in a bright to sunny spot, and let be. Watering depends on pot size, air moisture, and heat/cool temps. Soil should dry between waterings. Three ways to test soil is, 1. insert your finger or a thin stick deep in soil..if it comes out moist/wet, bottom soil is still wet. Don't water. 2. Lift pot. If it's heavy, soil is damp to wet. Don't water. If light, give it a drink. 3. Water guages. Don't bother with the little cardboard types..they're trash. If you want a decent guage, buy one at a reputable shop. But, inserting a stake/finger is the best, and econical way. No need spending money. Lamora..you didn't fail your plant. Losing plants is part of gardening and a way of learning. All gardeners, in and out, lost plants at times. We learn by our mistakes. Correct what we did wrong with the first plant. So, please don't feel bad. There are two other methods I use and find very helpful. you might or might not be interested. One is misting plants daily. Sprayers are inexpensive. The second is a product called Superthive. Superthrive contains hormones and 50 Vitamins. It does wonders with sick plants, seedlings or healthy plants that need a boost. It is not a fertilizer. In fact, it can be used with fertilizer, but not to be confused as a fertilizer. Neither methods are needed, but as a long-time gardener, I've been using/doing both over 20 yrs. Actually longer, but I won't go there, lol. Hope your Spider does well...Toni

Hippeastrum bulbs are pretty resilient and adaptable... I think the most you've done by cutting the leaves is thrown off it's bloom/growth schedule. What I would do, is take the potted bulb home and find a cool, dark place to let it sleep... like a basement or garage (anywhere that won't freeze)... and allow it to remain there for about 8 weeks. Do not water it, and tip the pot on its side as a reminder that you are withholding water. After 8 weeks, bring the bulb back into a warm, bright room and water it. Don't water it again until you see growth. Growth should begin within the following 6-8 weeks. Since your bulb bloomed last spring, it may not bloom for the Holidays... it may not have had enough time in the sunlight to recharge and set buds... however, it should resume its normal bloom schedule next year. Have patience! Typically, a Hippeastrum bulb is purchased in the fall, blooms for Christmas, and then proceeds to grow leaves so it can recharge itself for its next bloom cycle... that is, if it receives the proper amount of sunlight, water and fertilizer, and it remains healthy. Many people will force dormancy on their bulbs at the end of summer so they can enjoy blooms for the Christmas Holidays. There are a few different ways to put a Hippeastrum bulb through a dormant period... the most common way is to withhold water and place the potted bulb in a cool, dark location... such as a cool closet, spare room, basement, or a garage that doesn't freeze. Some will tip the pots on their sides as a reminder NOT to water. After approximately 6-8 weeks, the bulb is brought back into a warm room with good sunlight, watered, and within the next 6-8 weeks, growth should resume, and if the bulb was recharged properly, buds will appear. I, myself, don't force my bulbs through a dormant period... I allow them to grow and bloom on their own schedule, and I treat them as I would any other houseplant. They normally rest at the end of summer, losing their leaves... at this point, I cut back on watering a bit, but I still treat them as regular houseplants. Mine usually bloom in very early spring... my largest Minerva blooms in February. In the 8 years I've had my large Minerva bulb, she's bloomed faithfully almost every year... she did take a year off when I re-potted her out of season, and a second year off to rest... but other than that, she's been a joy to have growing on my east window sill! I think the most that will happen to your bulb is a missed year of flowers... but if you treat it right, blooming should resume the following year... no real harm done. If you'd care to do a bit of reading, there's a wealth of information here in the forum! You may just find that collecting these beauties has become a new hobby! Good Luck!

If you have netting on the top maybe the rats are coming in from below. I had an entire crop of lettuce and young bean and pea plants that kept showing this kind of damage. We had occasional rabbits but eventually found that a rat was coming up right beside the stems of our plants and knawing them off until they couldn't recover any more. We had lots of pets and they wouldn't go anywhere near that part of the garden. When we heard the cats set to howling one night I went out and found a pretty big rat looking at me calm as ever eating my plants. It took us two weeks to catch this critter, even though we had traps all over the yard where we were losing young plants. Finally it knocked a large plastic container my husband had found for some flowers over on top of itself. We couln't tell where he was denned up, but the loss of plants slowed way down after that. Rabbits were causing some of the same problems, but our dog scared them so we didn't get too much damage from them. One night of chewing can cause a lot of damage though. If you have farming near by you can't escape having some of these pests no matter how hard you try. Good luck in your pest removal.

Capturing your photo from Sharon's link & posting here. Your pincushion is fabulous, Beth! The print is stylish even today, and the design is clever. The story behind it is even better. I'm sorry you lost it to Irma. Though it won't be the same, I bet if we all put our heads together, we can reproduce the pattern to create a new one. Pincushion sew-along, anyone? I've read ground walnut shells topped with a bit of wool is good filler. The shells sharpen, while the lanolin in the wool helps the pins glide through fabric. Wonder if you'd have to worry about nut allergies...hmm. PS...My heart thanks yours for reaching out and taking care of those boys when they needed a Momma most. My Dad is the 2nd oldest of nine, and my grandparents started their family later than most. Grandma was 28 when she had her first in 1940. As she had each child, the oldest were sent to the local Catholic orphanage for a few weeks while the new baby was settled into a routine. Dad doesn't talk about it much, but he has recalled the kids that were so excited to be leaving on the weekends to go stay with families; and how jealous he was to be left behind. Thank you for being one of those who filled the void & simply loved.