Late August is way too late. I plant my fall crop of peas at the end of July. Last year did them July 23-26. Worked out really well and they produced thru October.

Tomas, thanks again for the kind words, and your advice makes a lot of sense. Yes I will continue to grow the hardier broms in trees, and pot the special ones so I can move them onto our back and/or front verandah if necessary - some into the house if I have to. I will also invest in a lot of frost cloth for my shade house, and landscaped broms, and spray them with a product called 'Envy' which is supposed to work quite well against light frosts. Have you or Sander heard of this or similar product? Apparently it's like a polymer glue, but still allows the broms to breath. The regrowth of that fig is encouraging - thanks :) Sander, I can see now why buses might often go past your house - but a very nice house! I like your windows, and yes I can see the broms through them. What size backyard do you have? Continuing with Tomas' suggestion of using a dark area for protection in winter, have you considered some kind of grow-lights in your garage/workshop? I imagine you have. Any chance of building a glass house in your backyard? Any spare bedrooms - if you kick out any unwanted relatives? One must get their bromeliad priorities right! Maybe you'll just have to move to a bigger place to accommodate your precious ones. Eeny meeny miny mo....... Cheers, Kerry

I suspect that you are right in part. Now that the pipes are clean, they drain much faster and the strong flow of water would be causing a vibration. In addition, I suspect that a stapl or strap has come loose and is no longer holding your drain pipe as securly to the joists as it once was. If the pipes are visible from any vantage point (ie the basement), fill up the tub and go find the loose strap. My knee-jerk reaction is that this is just an annoyance and not anything to be concerned about - however if the vibration is strong enough (and your pipes are old) I suppose you could break a seam somewhere and cause a water leak. unlikely, but possible (I suppose). Another possibility is that sometimes when air gets into pipes they can cause your pipes to 'bang.' This is more common from a hotwater source like a boiler or hot water heater - I'm not even sure it's likely from the drainage - but in any case, some presure tests may be able to determine/fix those kinds of issues.

homebound is correct if your problem is root related. Also, home depot, lowe's and some of the ace hardware chains sell used equipment for just about the same cost of one or two days rental. If you anticipate an ongoing problem, you might consider one of these, just follow homebound's advice on choosing one. If the camera assessment determined the problem was grease related, the cleaner you are using will do the job over time. I suspect this is your problem if jetting was offered as a resolution by the professionals. The "Pine Sol" smelling liquid cleaners have enzymes which break down the grease. A grease clog can cause a solid plug in the drain which is touch to break through. If it's an older home, the grease is most likely animal fat from food and soap that has built up over time. If it's a newer home, it is most likely vegetable fat (glycerin) from food and soap and some animal fat. Candles are made from both so that should give you an idea of what is down there. The enzyme type drain cleaners really do the job if you use them at the recommended levels. Bleach and some household cleaners will kill those enzymes so treatment may have to be more frequent. Try not using the disposal to dispose of food for a while. Also, try to capture as much food and grease before washing dishes. If you're careful and use the proper drain cleaners, in about 3 months your clog should be pretty much softened up or gone. Then, just as a maintenance issue, treat the drains monthly with an enzyme cleaner. In a year, if indeed this is your problem,the pipes will be as good as new.