Im having new issues with my calamondin plants, one plant in particular. I noticed there’s something that seems to be eating the leaves but I’m not sure what it is. I checked worms on the leaves (like the last time), but no signs of any of them on my plants. Also, there’s some distortions and discoloration on the leaves. I’ve been keeping them out from direct sunlight. Most of the direct sunlight is during early mornings, then the rest of the day it’s indirect, and I leave them at the patio so they can have fresh air and also nicer temp (between 75-87 degrees F). These are pics from a week ago. I’m not home today. I will send pics of how the plant is now. two of the leaves only has its spines left... all the leaves have been eaten by something (microscopic maybe?) What do I do?

Hi there, In my opinion, (which you won't like), chain link is by far the best trellis material for the large growing Passifloras. The problems are that it is uuuuuugly and you have to dig post holes and concrete them in. The house Crystal and I bought a decade ago already had one, so we used it for Passifloras, and it works like a charm. For alternatives, you would need to be creative. Keep in mind, these are tendril climbers, so you need fairly small, frequent spots for them to grab onto, otherwise they will use their own branches to twine around, causing a "bunched" effect. We have done some unique things, though... In one area, we have a wooden privacy fence, and we used some thin galvanized wire to create things for the plants to grab. This works well. In another area, we used some heavy fishing line, which is nice because it is nearly invisible, but you will have to replace it after a few years because it will break down in the sun. Another option we are using is nice redwood lattice. It looks nice, but the vines have trouble grabbing on, and you have to do a lot of maintenance to keep the vines in check. The best advice I can give it to be creative. Also, some varieties of P. edulis have slightly more hefty tendrils which will grapple onto slightly larger sized supports. I am sorry I cannot tell you which ones, as most P. edulis do not make much fruit in our climate, (or live for that matter). I am sure someone else here can help with that. As far as how many you need, the question goes back to how patient you are. One will do if you have many years to devote. If you want it to cover densely this year... I would think one for every 4-5 feet. That's my $0.02. I am sure someone else will post with better/more info on P. edulis. Did you know there are also other species of Passiflora that set edible tasty fruit? In fact, in some countries, (granted most of them are in South America) they don't think P. edulis is worth growing! Good luck! Hope I helped a little. Eric

I think soapstone is fabulous. Soapstone and slate are my two favorite stones, teak my favorite wood (teak for wet areas). In this case, there was just too much. With them wanting a single piece for the tub deck, there was a fair amount of waste. Waste not, want not! I've combined soapstone and teak a couple of times. Different materials but both earthy, and the colors compliment each other quite well. And when I say "slate" I don't mean the inexpensive indian or chinese slate that goes for $1.50 a sqft. I mean 1-1/2" to 2" thick slabs of real slate. Charcoal black, maybe a hint of green and/or blue, with the surface nicely honed. Mongo

Before completing our house, we stayed at a W Hotel in LA that had the best shower head we'd ever used so we got it for all five of our showers. The link is below. We have two of these in our master bath but in addition to providing a refreshing spray, their adjustability was key for us. The three bedrooms besides the master (all suites) are for guests, as is the pool shower. This shower head can easily adjust to the tallest and the shortest guests. There are similar versions sold at HD and Expo but we tried them and they don't last...ultimately the joints leak. I can't say how well they'd hold up to hard water. Fortunately, our water supply is super-soft Sierra runoff. Our master shower is 5x6 with two heads. Bob Here is a link that might be useful: Gemini's Universal Shower Head