A few years ago I bought a packet of Sea Magic (?), and mixed it up into the concentrate as stated on the packet. I used it all that summer but had some left over, so I put it on a shelf in my basement that stays a constant 60* and no sunlight. I used it the following summer, but toward the end of the summer it really smelled funky, so I no longer used it as a foilar spray and only as a soil drench with no ill effects. I now use the Neptune's Harvest and put the gallon jug on the same shelf in the basement, I'm a believer in the constant cool temperature and no sunlight.

I don't grow tuberous as a general rule but the tuber should sprout anew. The broken stems can be rooted as well but are typically harder to propagate than other begonias.

Jo Jo this is a reply to your question, I have been ridiculed by people here so must be careful what I say. Jojo you may email me privately. I am going to say it again, and stick my chin out. I have used diatomaceous earth about 1/2 tsp per small 4" square pot, dont sprinkle on top, the mealies arn't there. I just mix it into a batch of soil, and mix it well. If you water regularly you won't get mealies. They like dried up roots, they do not like moisture. D. earth cuts them, and they will not X it. Now all of you who are laughing, don't come to me when you geting mealies in your pots. You can't find this in feed stores, it is a horticultural product. I think most nurseries will have it even in the eastern states. soapy water is a fix for the leaves, or an alcohol spray 50 -50 don't use so much that it will burn the plants and wait five minutes, then water off, so spray before you plan to water. I have used 409 in my Hoya House, it stopped them cold ants have never returned there. I have used left over Vodka diluted of course. I have used Windex it works, diluted. Soap and Water with a little oil is the safest, 'Safer's Soap' for the top of succulents and on ants, but not on cactus. Neem oil, for white fly, top and bottom of every leaf, they never returned for the past 8 years. That was my job at the Huntington one week. Some one had to do it. I just wonder how many more house hold products the rest of you can come up with? I'm not going to proof this and you can laugh all you want. Sorry, Jo Jo this is for you. I have a stymetic that can be used as well, but I don't like to do it. It goes in through our water system straight into the ocean. It kills all the fish that used to be in the Los Angeles River on the way down to the sea. Norma

You may want to keep it seperate and refrigerate it for safety. The jar lifter tongs, have good rubberized grips to hold jars as big as half gallons. Lids on jars are not going to cause a ring to loosen unless the rings were barely tightened to begin with. My dad used to use all his strength to crank down on them and was the only person able to open them. Obviosuly that way too much. Some commercail foods covers are also very tight, as most of the lug type have that tendency. I would use 3 fingers and thumb to tioghten the rings/bands before they go into the canner. The lids need to be resting in hot, not boiling water up to the point where they get placed on the filled jar with the seal area wiped clean with a damp cloth, and the ring is screwed on snugly. Unless threads on the ring were dented or damaged or worst, cross threaded, the lid may have been floating on the jar the whole time. Was this pressure canning or boiling water bath canning? The latter would allow canning water in, and contents out, which would be noiced once the canner is opened. Or by the unusual smell if PC was used.