Fungus gnats are one good reason to avoid an active organic medium. It's common to get gnats from bagged soil products. The larva are the problem, though. Not the adults. So, unless I'm wrong, your hydroton medium should not be infested. The damage doesn't look the same. Actually, gnat larva damage looks more like root rot damage in regard to your top growth. The plant will wilt and yellow due to a lack of ability to take up water and nutrients through the damaged root system. You obviously have fungus in your miracle gro medium. That will invite fungus gnats. But fungus gnats are named that for a reason. They will eat the fungus. Just because you have gnats doesn't mean that they are damaging your plants yet. It certainly doesn't mean the present damage is a result of gnat infestation. Do you want to prevent them from causing future problems? Absolutely. Will it fix your current one? I doubt it. Your plants don't appear to be suffering from a root problem. Why not neem? I didn't say it's bad for hydro. It just has too many drawbacks in my opinion. Oils don't wash off so easily and thus inhibit transpiration. Transpiration is very important. You're inhibiting the plants ability to exhale or absorb CO2 if you are coating the leaves periodically. Soaps wash off and also break down. So I don't feel as bad about putting those in our waterways. I have read that adding a surfactant to the neem oil helps with being able to wash it off leaves. Smell of root rot? I don't think the root rot actually produces the worst smell, but the opportunistic bacteria that grows as a result will. It smells like a sewer to me. The roots will be brown and look unhealthy. Brown doesn't mean anything alone, though. I wouldn't be concerned, though. I only suggested that because the plant appeared to be yellow throughout. Since that was due to technology, I doubt root rot is an issue at this time.

I had an ablation about 6 years ago. I had previously had surgery to remove a couple of fibroids and that helped considerably, but a year later I was still having bleeding issues and I had the ablation. (my doctor had suggested it at the time of the fibroid removal, but I didn't want to do them both at the same time). My periods didn't stop, but I discovered Light tampons, and only needed about 5 of them a month. I haven't heard of women having hormonal problems after ablation. I certainly didn't have any problems with my procedure, which was done with the balloon method. I had cramping for less than 12 hours, then felt fine. You do need to use birth control, because you can conceive, but there is no where for the embryo to implant without the lining, so a pregnancy could be dangerous. I think that it's important to know why you are having bleeding problems. For example,if you have fibroids like I did, an ablation isn't going to remove the underlying problem.

Hi fraternal member of the zoo, I'm sure that you'll be able to arrange an alternative, or successor, or "fall-back" Power of Attorney, and it'll be necessary to have each of the various alternatives (who gets incapacitated, dies, etc. first) provided for ... though with your Mom being deeply into Alzheimers, there's no way that she can be POA for Dad. You need both the financial situation, and the medical issues dealt with. I like the idea of having all/most of you have a meeting with lawyer and Dad. In fact, if Dad's lawyer isn't pretty well aware of the various ramifications at the moment, it might be a good idea for some of you to meet with him/her prior to your and her/his meeting with Dad, to get him/her up to speed. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he'll likely be able to convince your Dad of some stuff that you can't/haven't been able to, up till now. A while ago one of the posters around here, in the finance forum, told of talking till she was blue in the face with her husband about some financial situations that she, who is fairly literate financially, thought that they should do, to be met with world-class foot-dragging. When the financial planner, that they've been with for years and respect deeply, suggested pretty well the same thing(s), he agreed to pretty well everything like a little lamb. Well, not exactly that docile, I guess ... but sort of close. Whether her grinding had worn him down somewhat and the meeting with the planner pretty well was the tipping point, or whether he'd have gone along meekly if he hadn't heard such proposals earlier, I can't say, of course. But quite a few of us will go along with something proposed by a professional, when we wouldn't hear of it from someone else ... even a spouse (especially a spouse, perhaps?). I rather like the idea of them going into a facility in the place where two of the siblings live, if they can be together, would welcome/accept that idea and you feel that the siblings are willing and able to provide a great deal of the care that he needs (and will need increasingly, no doubt). And would actually come through, if that arrangement were to be set up. Has your Dad enjoyed a substantial amount of direct interaction with the folks who were his buddies through the years of his life, especially in recent years? Would he be able to phone them were he to move to the other city? Would he find that satisfactory? That seems to be about all that I have to suggest, at the moment. Good wishes to you all as you go about making the necessary decisions and putting them into effect. I send some good thoughts and hopes to you, with a prayer that you all may choose well and all be pleased with those choices after a period has elapsed. ole joyful

I never had anything for the pms, or the pmdd they call it in todays world. ALTHOUGH, I would have GLADLY taken anything the week before, and during my period when I had one. The week afterward was no problem. I had terrible cramps, all over aching, headaches and extreme moodiness. I would cry, bit%h, aat everyone and anything around me, I even hated myself.... I went to a psychologist one time to talk about how I would feel during that time. Diagnosis? emotional distress caused by general non well feeling before and during mensis..It was written in the DRese language, but that is generally what my diagnosis was. I was sent to my Family dr. for a physical and he sent me back to the psychologist, DR. told me every woman has a period and I had a choice whether to allow myself to get through it. This was back in the late 60's. I never went back to complain to any Dr..I just figured I needed to try harder to cope. (I never succeeded at that) I had a hysterectomy(complete) about 20 years ago, because I started hemmoraging. I was a mess inside, with multitude of tumors.(pre cancer cells were found in the tumors or at least what they sent off for a biopsy) I was a changed human being after that. Yes, I had the hot flashes but I refused any kind of hormone, I truly started LIVING after that hysterectomy. If I knew what back then in the late 60's what a change after a hysterectomy would be like I would have DEMANDED a hys. after my last baby. If you have never suffered with pms or the newest diagnosis pmdd, call yourself blessed. Some of us went through He$$ and back because of the female cycle. Thank GOD and my Dr. I am through with it. If you have/or have had the pms or pmdd, I TRULY empathize with you. I know your pain!!!!!!!!!