tobina, I had the exact same problem with leaf drop on my IML. I had left the tree in the 1 gallon pot in which I purchased it in late 2007. I was watering it once a week but it always seemed to be dry. I took it out of the pot and found that it was TOTALLY root bound to a degree which I have not seen before. I have my IML inside in a south window and I thought it was a light issue but after seeing the roots I repotted it. I did a drastic re-pot as I had to cut the root ball to untangle some of the roots. I lost about 50% of my leaves (or more) and 50% of the blossoms before the repot. The tree is now in a much larger pot and is very happy. No more of the flowers have dropped and after the repot I only lost about another 5% of the leaves. I do fertilize my IML with weak seaweed/fish emulsion solution (1 tsp in a gallon water). I saw so many different techniques on keeping citrus indoors in pots that my head was swimming. I decided to take matters into my own hands -and boy am I ever glad I did. Next time I buy a citrus plant I will surely knock it out of the pot at the store to check the root ball. Good Luck with your Meyer. DL

LBD asks: "Should I continue to feed it with seaweed? foliar spray too?" Two questions that seem to beg yes/no answers, but in any case need qualifying. I look at nutrition methodically. I prefer to use the least number of nutrient mixtures that will ensure my plants are getting all the essential nutrients they normally take from the soil. The reason is, supplying more of any one element than a plant can use can be as limiting as supplying too little. 'How did he get THERE?' you might ask. Seaweed emulsion usually lists K as a nutrient, and not much else, even though we know it contains other trace elements. So - you use it ..... then what? Obviously, it is going to be entirely inadequate in supplying the major elements, N P K Ca Mg S. So what do you do .... you fertilize. Since you have no idea what you supplied with the fish emulsion, you still need to be sure all the bases are covered. You maybe reach for the Miracle-Gro to supply the needed NPK. So you fertilize - then what? Did you cover the plant's need for Ca and Mg? No. So now what? You still haven't covered all the bases. The point is, if you're using fertilizers that only cover a few of the elements required for growth, additional fertilizers are required to fill in the gaps, Almost always, there will be overlaps, where you are supplying the same element in both products, or the same element will be missing from both products - gaps. Why not choose a fertilizer that supplies ALL the elements required for normal growth, and in a ratio to each other that is favorable, thereby eliminating gaps, overlaps, and potential antagonisms? [Antagonistic deficiencies occur when an excess of one element in the soil solution prevents adequate uptake of 1 or more other elements. Common antagonisms exist between Fe/Mn, P/Fe and Mn, Ca/Mg, others.] I'm not saying the seaweed emulsion is harmful, only that if you're employing a fertilizer like Foliage-Pro 9-3-6, it's probably redundant. This question in another form often comes up when discussing the use of aquarium water as a nutrient source. We know the aquarium water is not a complete fertilizer, and since you have no idea what you DID supply when you used it, you will certainly need to fertilize anyway - thus making the aquarium water of little or no value. ****** From the perspective of getting nutrients from outside the plant, inside the plant, foliar feeding is generally extremely inefficient. In those plants that benefit from foliar feeding, fertilizers in ionic form are far more effective than various emulsions/suspensions at providing supplemental nutrition, but roots are still, by far, the more efficient and reliable pathway. If your plants actually NEED foliar feeding - by default, there is something wrong with your basic nutritional supplementation program and your efforts are best concentrated there. Foliar feeding is usually only used effectively to supply a few elements in ionic form (mainly N,Fe,Cu,Mn,Z), and only when plants that are able to provide a foliar pathway into the plant are growing so rapidly the nutrient stream cannot supply certain nutrients fast enough. Remember - over-supplying a nutrient the plant doesn't need can be as bad as, or worse than a deficiency. If you have a genuine deficiency, it's better by far to address it via the most efficient pathway - the root system. You can't make plants grow at beyond their genetic limitations, no matter what you do, and supplying more of this or that than plants need is counter-productive. Trying to ensure the 12 elements you have control over are available in the soil and in the right ratio is about the best you can do. Al

Hi & thank you again Lori. I see I am not taking enough, although it is separated throughout the day (that is, with eating one can corn at 2 different times, when I'm hungry). Yes, my husband ground up a bunch in the coffee grinder, and it's handy in a jar in the fridge. I absolutely love cranberry juice the most (haven't tried cranrasberry - sounds great too). What a good excuse for getting it/these! I think both in themselves are supposed to be quite good for you to boot - the flavonoids (sp?) and other stuff i don't recall at the moment. I really should still try the cottage cheese too - as mentioned i think it should go down ok too. One of those people who just eats to stop hunger pangs - don't really enjoy eating. Hope you stay around - will let you know of any changes in the night sweats accordingly. Thanks again for your time. Much appreciated.

Try starting with a clean slate. Your son is at an age of self accountability and should make decissions based on right or wrong, not on what his parents want. Of course parents want thier children to make the right decisions, so please don't take that the wrong way. My suggestion is you sit him down and tell him all the good things you have told us about him, let him know what a bright individual you think he is and that you know he wants to be trusted. Tell him right now he has lost some or all of you and your husbands trust due to his recent action. Tell him you want to give him the opportunity to earn that trust back and you are wiping the slat clean and starting fresh to give him the opportunity to earn your trust back. Explain that he has chores because he is part of your family and in every family every one has to take part in chores so it is not left to just mom and dad to work and do all of the house work. Besides next year he will be 18 years old and can get a place of his own, then he will have to do ALL the housework with no one to split the duties with. Tell him you are giving him an opportunity to regain your trust by allowing him to start fresh. Lay down your rules again, but this time in writing and have him sign the agreement stating he understands your rules and is willing to abide by them as long as he lives in your household. In return he will experience more freedom by regaining your trust through making good decisions for himself. Put the ball in his field. He is after all 17, one more year and he can live on his own, he needs to be treated more like an adult then a juvenile. Concequences for adult decisions can be far more drastic then what you can hand out. Once he lives on his own, he will make the decisions for his own household and his outlook will be different. For him to only now, at 17, to be acting out, he has done better then most teens who have acted out at a much earlier age. Much credit to you both as parents. He may be struggling between teenage and adult years in his own mind. It's just a suggestion, toss it if you don't agree.