I make sure to use water that has sat out overnight to water my plants. Does that not make a difference? Or not enough of a difference? You already learned that the crystalline structures on the leaves of your plant is composed of dissolved solids (sugar and mineral salts) left behind as the water in the exudate associated with the guttation (primarily driven by over-watering) evaporates. If you allow your water to rest overnight in an open pan, some of the water in the pan evaporates, but ALL of the dissolved solids in the water are left behind, So technically, the concentration of dissolved solids in the water (which includes fluoride, and chloramine, used now to chlorinate most tapwater) would be slightly higher than water straight from the tap. The pH of water straight from the tap is also slightly lower than water that has rested for a period of time, due to dissolved CO2 gassing off. Also yes, can you point me in the direction of drain hole tutorials?? I'm guessing you mean how to drill the holes? This should help: Drilling holes in pots The 2 types of drill bits most appropriate for drilling holes in pots are a diamond core drill for the highly vitrified (hard material - baked at very high temps - glass, ceramic, ......) pots, and a drill with several names for drilling clay pots fired at low temps, such as terra cotta. That (carbide) drill is called a 3-point drill, spear point drill, or a spade drill, seen here: You only need 1 - in 1/2 or 3/8" size. For the hard stuff, diamond core drills are best, though the 3 point drill will drill the hard stuff, too. Diamond core drills: You can buy either type at big box stores. They're not that expensive, and they last a long time if you take care of them. They are best used with a steady stream of coolant from a squeeze bottle (contact lens solution bottles work great for this) or with the work surface barely submerged. IE, put the pot upside down in a tub and fill the tub with water until it just covers the work surface. If you use a spritzer or squirt bottle, a 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water is an excellent coolant, and soapy water is better than plain water but not as good as the antifreeze mix. The coolant keeps the tool from over-heating, and in doing so, increases the life of the tool substantially - like triple or quadruple the number of holes you can drill. Regular masonry bits are "ok" for drilling terra cotta or cement (you can make them work), but inappropriate for anything harder. The right tool makes everything easier. And lastly, should I be flushing all my plants (pothos, croton, aloe, snake plant...) when I water? One way or another - YES, absolutely. Ideally, your choice of soil should allow you to water to beyond the point of saturation, so you're flushing the soil as you water. If you can't do that w/o worry that the soil will remain soggy for a prolonged period, limiting root function, or worse, wrecking root health it would be best to consider learning how to amend the soil you're using or make a soil that allows you to flush the soil regularly. There are also a few very simple work-arounds that will allow you to use a soil that would otherwise be inappropriate. For example - if you're using a soil too water-retentive for a plant's well-being, and you need to flush it - you can flush thoroughly over a sink or tub or outdoors. When the pot stops draining, hold it in your hand(s) and move it up and down. You'll note that on the reversal from downward to upward motion, Newton's First Law of Motion takes over and some of the excess water in the pot exits through the drain hole. As the amount of water diminishes, more can be forced from the soil by reversing directions more forcibly. As long as your pot is of a manageable size, this simple trick is invaluable for anyone using an excessively water-retentive soil. If the pot is too large, you can use a wick to drain excess water, or even tipping the pot at a 45* angle to drain makes a very significant difference in how much excess water a medium can hold. Compare B with A to see how much excess water the simple act of tipping the pot forces from the pot. E shows what a wick, used correctly for best benefit, can achieve. D shows one way of using ballast to reduce excess water. Even when using extremely water retentive soils, ballast can reduce the amount of excess water a soil can hold to less than 5% of what it would hold w/o use of ballast. Al

thanks for all the nice comments :) I cant tell u right now what the diameter is, you'll have to w8 for the weekend before i can tell you that :) The tree took a bit of damage last year (09), my dad had forgotten about it, and i wasnt brought out from its dark dry winter spot before late may, so it lost a few leafs. As you can see the other jade in the back ground took it pretty hard too, it used to have a big thick crown, but last year (09) it lost all its leafs + a big branch that fell off. He made about 20-25 new plants out of the branch and gave them to the local store owner, and she gave them away to the locals. both jades is about the same age and has both served as mother plants in a greenhouse. the plants was taken inside in the middle of November, this time they got to be inside the house and not just a cold dark basement as usual :) heres my own little jade that i broke of a bush in Portugal last year in june. i hope that it will some day look my dads :) im not really sure how im gonna prune it, any suggestions? i was thinking of cutting it down so that it only has the 3 bottom branches left.

Looks like blossom drop to me. Many tomatoes will have poor fruit set when the temperatures and/or humidity are high. Tomatoes grow best if daytime temperatures range between 70F and 85F, with nights in the 55-75 range. Tomato plants can tolerate more extreme temperatures for short periods, several days or nights with temps outside the ideal range will cause the plant to abort fruit set and focus on survival. According to the University of NV, "...temperatures over 104F for only four hours can cause the flowers to abort." They should know, h*** is right next door... ;-) Betsy Here is a link that might be useful: "Blossom Drop" FAQ

I took my plant out and cut some of its root until they were white and covered the roots with some cinnamon as I don’t have the anti infection root medicine/powder. The plant has been shedding leaves and this is how it looks. It’s been a day and it’s been drying like this. The bottom part of the stem looks wet but it still feels hard.what should I do next. Leave it dry like this for some more time or repot it in the new soil? I waters it last Saturday a week ago so whene should I water it. The bottom looks wet so should I cut the stem from the bottom to stop the rotting or will be the plant do fine without doing it? It’s only the bottom now that looks like it’s holding water and is wet. Pls tell me what should I do? Should I propagate the stem. What do you think about the success rate of the plant to live or it’s late. If it’s late Ashokji I propagate the food stems and cuttings. Will the rotting continue upward or will it stop moving up in some days. If it won’t stop I can cut the stem where it feels fine and shows no symptom of rotting . Will this option help or doing nothing will stop the rotting going up. The roots now are hard looks white on the inside and outside both. The second photo shows till where it looks wet but still feels hard. Pls reply so that if something had to be I can do it right away as I don’t want to late.