Hi Everyone, I'm jumping into this conversation with another question. Feel free to send to a link as I'm sure this question has been asked a million times. I'm starting Alpine Strawberries and Tomatoes. I'm using a Sun Blaze light fixture with 4ct, T5, fluorescent lights per fixture. No reflectors. My seeds are on wire shelving and by a window. Outside temp is still below 32 at night and around 45 days. The room is 60 + degrees. With no heat mat and seedlings covered, my lights still give enough heat to create condensation. 1) One fixture literally raises the ambient temp in the room. Does that seem strangely hot for these types of lights? 2) Given the variables: by a window, hot lights, covered, should I use a mat? 3) How many hours of artificial light should I give them? 4) Any thoughts on mixing bulbs (Red & Blue) in the same fixture. Should I throw in a red spectrum bulb or two if I want my Alpines to bloom? Or best to keep move the Alpines to an all red fixture once they look ready? Thanks everyone..I bow to your expertise! Sharron

I went to look for laws in Washington State and Spokane, and found these things: Unlike other states what require peepholes, Washington State's STATE law merely says "adequate locks and keys." But that brings up the idea that your locks are NOT adequate. I think any city apartment dweller would say these 3 things are required: a deadbolt lock w/ a "bump-proof" Medeco (NOT a Segal) cylinder; a peephole; a chain. A bolt such as the one you were interested in would be extra. But that chain should work. http://www.tenantsunion.org/rights/11/landlords-obligations A landlord must: 0. 5. Provide adequate locks and keys. Some cities and counties in Washington have enacted additional requirements. For example, the Seattle Housing and Building Maintenance Code requires that the locks be changed between tenants, and that doors have peepholes as well as deadbolts or deadlatches (SMC 22.206.140). You can check your own citys codes by calling the Housing Code Enforcement office. In King County, deadbolts and peepholes are required. You can certainly call the Tenants Union at the hotline without being a member. However, because the need is so great it may be quite hard to get through, so youÂll need to be patient and keep dialing in (206-723-0500). Another source: http://www.offcampusliving.wsu.edu/ltlaw.html Fulcrum Institute Dispute Resolution Center: (Spokane) 838-2799 THE LANDLORD-TENANT ACT Online here http://www.atg.wa.gov/LandlordTenant/default.aspx or write to:?Attorney GeneralÂs Office?2000 Bank of California Center ?900 4th Avenue ?Seattle, WA 98164 Free copies of the Landlord-Tenant Law are also available at Pullman City Hall, ASWSU, and the Pullman Chamber of Commerce http://www.atg.wa.gov/LandlordTenant/default.aspx To Contact the Consumer Resource Centers of the Attorney General: Statewide (800) 551-4636?Bellingham (360) 738-6185?Seattle (206) 464-6684?Spokane (509) 456-3123?Tacoma (253) 593-2904?Vancouver (360) 759-2150 http://www.atg.wa.gov/ResidentialLT/default.aspx I understand the lock you want to use, and why--and it will serve all purposes. Since the unlockable "chain" type part if it can't be engaged from the outside when you leave (It must be flipped into place from the inside after the door is fully closed), the landlord can get in w/ his key when you are away. If the door is engaged, you are home, and he can knock and have you let him in. If somebody shot you, then he could break a window, or use bolt cutters to get in, the same as he could w/ a chain. As to the "master cylinder" part: they should be able to put THEIR cylinder into YOUR lock body. my oldest daughter knows to always lock up when she stops by (which she did know, she just forgot to do it) I live in NYC--this is just not acceptable on your daughter's part. I don't know how you get through to her now that she's old enough not to live with you, but this is one of the more inconsiderate and irresponsible things I've ever heard of from a city dweller.

Another great informative post, Dr. Meghane! :-) I'd sure hope there a C+S done for the urine but as I'm sure you've experienced too ... often the client declines it and you're forced to do one of those ~best guess~ treatment options. Unfortunately people often can't spend the $$ for one culture and forget multiple cultures so one can only try to do their best within the constraints the client allows us. It's *REALLY* frustrating when there's a stone culture and the lab can't identify a specific nidus or worse ... no bacteria! We had one lady who's cat was developing bladder stones because she was a vegetarian and forced her cat into a vegeterian diet. After the second surgery she was annoyed with US because her cat kept developing stones. She wasn't listening to our diet recommendations so referred her to OSU for a nutrition consult. She didn't listen to them either. :-( *~*~*~*~*~* Hi Elly. Sorry you lost your kitties. :*( Pee issues can be so very frustrating for everyone. When I was an animal tech. a thousand years ago one of my cats had FUS, was obstructed BIG TIME, and had the PU surgery. He still had crystals and blood in his urine. We did repeated cultures, dye studies of the urinary tract ... no improvement. Finally we went to Ohio State Univ. and met with Dr. Chew, the kitty pee problem guru. He too did all we had done and concluded there was NO reason why my cat should have crystals and blood in the urine. All these years later I remember his asking me, "Do you want to try some voodoo medicine? ... Give your cat Vit. C daily ..." (For the reasons I mentioned earlier) "... and he'll be fine." What did we have to lose? Woody got Vit. C , 100mg. tablet once a day for 17 years! If we miss one dose, he'd have blood in the urine for 3 consecutive days. Of course, bear in mind, every kitty is different but that's what worked for my kitty early on and I have no problem recommending it for my patients either, unless there's other medical issues to consider. As Dr. Meghane stated, the struvite crystals can be normal for dogs but, especially in male kitties, they can be a real risk for problems. I tend to think that very early castration of the male cats could predispose them to obstruction because the urethra doesn't have a chance to develop more fully. That's just my own personal theory from observation of the male patients who are obstructed. As with anything, PLEASE consult YOUR veterinarian BEFORE changing anything for your kitty! Don't take the word of a faceless, nameless me when it comes to your pets health! Your vet. and you know your kitty better than anyone and you need to make sure any changes are safe for them. :-)

Sam: Wow! Great insight. Thank you. I admire Jim for his honesty & photography skills, and admire you for your insights & smarts. You are right that fungi are everywhere, and I agree with "The purpose of fungus is to decay plant material .. A healthy plant should be able to keep the fungus out of the cells of the leaves." We can't get away from fungi, it's everywhere. My kid soaked green-mung-beans in distilled water, put that in a plastic bowl, cover with lid, and put in a dark-pantry. After 24 hours she drained off the water, then put the wet beansprout back (covered). We forgot for a few days, so the sprout grew whitish molds inside the bowl. She planted it anyway, and those moldy sprouts grew healthier & bigger plants than the no-mold-sprouts. I make pickled cabbage often. I have to make the water salty, plus use a plastic-zip-loc (filled with water) to push the cabbage UNDER the salty-water (plus a cap so there's no air inside) ... otherwise they grow greenish mold on top. Other people put a big rock to push the cabbage under, then cover the top. If air gets in, then the veggies rot, and grow bad mold. A few conditions to grow fungi such as mold, blackspots, and mildew: organic matter, water, shade, right pH, and air. From the soil research, it's known that fungi decrease at pH above 8 (while bacteria increases). But BOTH are suppressed at pH below 4.5 http://aem.asm.org/content/75/6/1589 What makes leaves healthy so fungi can't grow? We need to supply roses with enough calcium and potassium, both strengthen cell tissue and make leaves thicker. Both JessJennings and I witnessed blackspots STOPPED, plus new 100% clean growth when we use sulfate of potash and gypsum together. Nitrogen should also be supplied while roses are blooming to provide energy for new leaves. Keeping the surface of soil dry and alkaline helps, so fungi can't germinate on the wet ground, and be splashed up to leaves. Dr. Henry Kuska was the one who shed light to my sufate-of-potash solution. Henry suggested that potassium is depleted AFTER blooming, that's why roses break out black spots right after a heavy blooming. I agree, when roses are stingy with zero blooms ... they are healthier just like my Thai Basil with very little blooms (less potassium used-up for flowers.). For the 2 years that I topped alkaline horse manure (has lime, with pH 8), on top of lots of alfalfa-meal (pH 5.8, NPK 2-1-2) ... my roses were clean since the pH on top was alkaline, plus a constant slow-released of nutrients. Picture of Francis Blaise rose below, taken late Oct. 2012, when the tomato-branches wilted from frost. When roses are hungry, be it lack of water or nutrients, they break out in fungal diseases. And when roses have too much, be it poor-drainage & too wet, or excess of nutrients (such as phosphorus that zap out anti-fungal agent zinc) ... they also break out in blackspots. Below is my neighbor's 100% clean hybrid tea (grafted on Dr. Huey), picture taken on a hot summer day with humidity over 80%. She mulched with big-size pea-gravel, and fertilize with MG-soluble (plenty of potassium & nitrogen, and the high phosphorus got zap out by the pea-gravel's high pH).