Um. Small problem with citrus seeds. Need to be planted while fresh out of the fruit.

I sprayed with neem, but I read some posts saying neem isn't all that effective in the later stages of blight. It's not. Neem really isn't a fungicide. It's use as a fungicide is primarily due to it's being an oil. Horticultural oils can 'seal up' attachment sites making it more difficult for fungal spores to attach and infect and they can also smother existing spores so they can't develop. As such neem and all oil products are best used as a preventative rather than a cure. Now, is it that milk encourages fungus that curtails blight, or is it that it encourages bacteria, specifically lacto bacteria, which does the same? Some of the questions you are asking go beyond my knowledge so I won't comment/speculate and risk leading you astray on those, but will speak more generally. There are competing theories as to why milk seems effective against some fungal diseases on some plants. To the best of my knowledge it was first found effective against powdery mildew on grapes, but was subsequently tested against powdery mildew on some other plants and found ineffective or inconsistently effective. It has also had some testing for other fungal pathogens with mixed results. Corn meal is another means of controlling fungal pathogens. In this case it is suspected that corn meal, for whatever reason, attracts/feeds trichoderma fungi which are mycoparasitic and kill *some* other fungi. There are even commercial strains of lab bred trichoderma (T22 aka root shield is one). However, results are inconsistent. That's the primary problem when biological controls or substances meant to attract biological controls are employed. The biologicals require fairly narrow environmental parameters to work effectively and there is no way to guarantee nature provides them when/where needed.

1. Try less milk - no more than 1 to 2 cups for 1/4-cup of grains until they start to grow. The grains will grow faster if you do consecutive batches and not rest the grains in the refrigerator between batches. They grow slowly if you only use them once a week (or so) and rest them for a week. 2. Temperature does make a difference. The cooler the ambient temperature the longer it takes to ferment (maybe 12-24-hours at 65-degrees F for 1-2 cups of milk), but the curd is very smooth and more mild (I like winter kefir the best). If the temperature is too warm the curd gets gritty, almost like it has crystals in it, and the taste is more pungent. 3. Once you break-up (stir or shake) the curd it will remain a liquid. Kefir curd is smaller than yogurt curd so it's more "delicate", but easier to digest than yogurt because of the smaller curd structure. 4. If you want the solid curd you need to be careful plucking the grains out of the top of the fermenting container. The grains will move to the top as soon as the milk starts to sour (that's how you know it's doing its "job"), and that's where you'll find them when the kefir is done when it comes time to remove them. 5. If you want a solid curd, ferment it until the curd and whey separate (you'll have a visible layer of whey-liquid and curd, and it's easier to scoop out the curd when it's separated. You can also drain the curd at that point - like you would drain yogurt in a yogurt cheese strainer - for an even firmer curd. 6. I use liquid kefir as a substitute for buttermilk, and the solid curd as a substitute for plain yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, and you can even get a cottage cheese-like product from it. 7. When you get extra grains, try fermenting it in coconut milk. That's oh so good! I use reconstituted powdered coconut milk or homemade coconut milk made from unsweetened coconut, but you can make I with canned coconut milk. I then slip the grains back into cow's milk until I want coconut kefir again. Coconut kefir is great topped with granola or in a pineapple/orange juice smoothie. The best web site for kefir information is Dom's Kefir In-site and the link is below. -Grailady Here is a link that might be useful: Dom's Kefir In-site

Congratulations, it sounds like you have the real deal, but they must be very small kefir grains, which will continue to grow the more frequently you make kefir with them. As they grow they will become a gelatinous (rubbery) "glob" that looks a little like a cauliflower. The grains grow for a never-ending source of kefir grains, which is the beauty of kefir grains over making yogurt. Kefir is also healthier for you than yogurt. You don't say how many grains you have - would they fill a teaspoon, tablespoon, or 1/4 cup...? The ratio of grains to the amount of milk you are fermenting will also determine how long you need to ferment your grains in the milk to make kefir. I use approx. 1/3-1/2 c. of grains to 2-3 cups of milk in a quart jar. When they get as large as a quarter, I'll pull them apart into 2-3 pieces. Sometimes they will separate themselves at the weakest point the larger they get. Just make sure you wash AND rinse your hands thoroughly before you handle your grains. Any remaining soap residue on your clean hands can transfer to and affect your grains. The more frequently you make kefir, the quicker your grains grow. So if you only have a small amount of grains (say enough to fill a teaspoon or tablespoon, you will want to use a small amount of milk - up to 1 cup until you get some growth, then use more milk. I usually make 2, sometimes 3, consecutive batches (make a batch, take the grains out and immediately start the next batch), then rest my grains in 1-cup of milk in a pint jar in the refrigerator until I need to make kefir again (within 7-10 days). I make this much once or twice a week, depending on my needs. The one cup of milk I rested the grains in will have enough good bacteria in it from the grains that it will also make kefir sitting at room temperature, even after the grains are removed. The grains float to the top of the kefir and I use a plastic slotted spoon to gently scoop them out. That will help to keep the curd (the solid part) whole. This is important if I want to drain the whey out of the curd and use the curd as a substitute in a recipe for sour cream or cream cheese. If you shake the kefir, the curds will break down and you will have a liquid, which I use as a substitute in recipes calling for buttermilk. Once the curd is liquified, it will remain a liquid. Kefir curds are smaller than yogurt curds (which makes kefir easier to digest than yogurt), and the curds are more delicate than yogurt curds and easily destroyed (mixing, shaking, etc.) Only ferment it to the point you like the results (thickness or taste). The longer you ferment it, the more tart the kefir will be. The warmer the ambient temperature, the quicker the kefir will ferment and the more tart it will be. I might ferment it for 8-12 hours in the summer when the ambient temperature is much warmer, but 18-24 hours (or longer) in the winter. I personally like the kefir best made in the winter in my cold kitchen (which is a little cooler than your temperatures), because it is less tart and smoother. I use kefir every morning in a smoothie (1 part kefir to 2 parts fruit juice - orange/pineapple is a favorite, but we use a variety of 100% fruit juices), plus some flaxmeal, hi-maize resistant starch, and a powdered supplement we take, and I mix it in a Hamilton Beach Drink (Malt) Mixer. When I get extra grains, I also ferment coconut milk (especially good by itself, topped with homemade granola for breakfast or snack, or mixed with orange/pineapple juice for our morning smoothie). I buy coconut milk powder (Wilderness Family Naturals - on line at http://www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com) and reconstitute it in water like making powdered milk, but you can use coconut milk in a can as well. I'll make one to two cups of coconut milk at a time using 2-4 marble-size kefir grains. I rest the grains in cows milk between batches, but continue to use these grains for coconut milk. I'll also take some of my extra grains and ferment grape juice. The grains won't continue to grow, so after a few batches of grape juice they will fizzle-out. I'm going to assume you read Dom's Kefir Insite web site. It's the best one for information about kefir. You will get your own rhythm for fermenting kefir. The more you make it, the quicker your grains will grow. But you will also need to find ways to use it. I was an avid yogurt maker for 30-years until I got my kefir grains (about 10-years ago). Now I make kefir all the time and only make yogurt a few times a year. The link below will give you some ideas what to do with the whey if you drain your curd. Along with lacto fermentation of vegetables and soaking grains using whey, I use it in the summer to make whey lemonade, which is a wonderful thirst quencher when working outdoors. Better than sports drinks! -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Prairie Homestead - 16-ways to use whey