If you haven't even tried Schultz's 3 in 1, how do you know it doesn't work??? Doing nothing will not help your plants. When you have mites, you must act quickly before they multiply and completely destroy your plants. Mites are insects. Heat treating is NOT the prescribed method for eradicating insects. Without the proper equipment, you stand a chance of losing your bulbs to this method, which is not the correct method for insect control, in the first place. Since mites WILL respond to a chemical eradication, I would definitely use a spray to kill the adults, repeat the process to kill what hatches in the interim, and also use a systemic for future prevention. If Schultz isn't a brand name sold in your area, then go to your local garden center and find a brand of insecticide that eliminates mites. ANY small insect will respond to a decent treatment with a proper insecticide, including mites, scale, mealy bugs, thrips, white fly, etc... and as you spray, IT WILL SEEP DOWN BETWEEN THE LAYERS of the bulb and help to kill anything hiding. It will kill any bugs on the leaves, the scapes, the bulb, between the layers, and the soil surface. A repeated application will kill anything left behind. The longer you wait, the more problems you will have! What, exactly, are you waiting for? You told us about this issue quite a while ago... and we answered your question. We gave you options, we told you what we use for the same problem... and these are tried and true methods! And I can tell you, without a doubt in my mind, that Schultz's 3 in 1 spray absolutely DOES work! How do I know? Because I have eradicated several different mite and insect issues using it, so I know it works. If you don't want to use that brand, choose another one. It doesn't really matter... what matters, is that the chemical you choose should be rated to kill mites. Read the labels. I would not blame seed pod loss on mites so quickly... my thought is that since you haven't done anything yet, the issue either isn't that bad, or you're not telling us the whole story... in which case, the pod loss more likely a genetic issue. Seed pods stop growing and abort all the time, for no apparent reason. It's very simple, Phil... if you don't trust our judgment, then go to your nearest garden center or greenhouse and ask them what they would recommend for eradicating mites on indoor plants. The longer you wait, the more problems you will have. We have helped you as much as we possibly can... the rest is up to you. You have to choose to give a spray a try, or choose to ask a professional in your area. I do hope you take our advice... or find someone else that can help you... good luck with your plants... and good luck with your brother!

"Ashita, I'm no expert tomato grower, but at this hour of the night, I may be the only person online here in the states, so I'll tell you what I've heard, which is that for fruit production the second number should always be higher than the first.in the N-P-K series posted on commercial fertilizers That would be the phosphorous, not the potash:" Uh-oh In many cases you would be correct jll0306, but for tomatoes you are sadly mistaken. Tomato plants use very little phosphorus compared to other flowering plants, it is only needed to initiate flowers so it is important to have in some quantity, but it doesn't take much. "In tomato crops, the requirement for potassium is about the same as for nitrogen in the early crop stages (from seedling through until fruit development). After this, the requirement for potassium keeps increasing with fruit load while nitrogen levels off. While nitrogen is important and is used in large quantities for vegetative growth, potassium is the predominant cation in tomato fruit and has major effects on fruit quality." -Dr Lynette Morgan of the Suntech hydroponic consultants I have posted a link to the full article from which this is taken below, it is hugely informative. @ashita: You are correct in your assumption about potash (K20) the molecule that provides potassium. It is the most heavily used element by fruiting tomato vines and is needed in unusually high quantities if one desires a good harvest. It is needed in a large ratio compared to nitrogen and phosphorus which is hard to find in bagged chemical fertilizers. The good news is there are readily available organic sources for potash, usually taking the form of burned organic matter. Wood ash is a good place to start, providing 4-7% potassium by mass, but if you are really serious about getting a big harvest you'll go for corn cob ash which yields 30-35% potassium! These organic ferts can be added in a tea, but it is best to pre-load your soil with them before you've done your planting. Be liberal with it as it is impossible to "burn" your plants with them like you can with chemical fertilizers. When it comes to your tall spindly issue digdirt is right, more sun exposure will help this problem, but I know that may not be possible. Another solution would be the technique of supercropping, which is the practice of crushing the phloem (the outer veins which carry things downwards) of the stem while leaving the xylem (the inner veins that carry things upwards) intact. This makes for thick, hardy stems that to a great job of holding the plant up and exponentially increase its water-carrying abilities. I have outlined the process in detail and posted pictures of the resulting effects over in my own grow diary: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg1222213220075.html?28 You may find some of my other techniques helpful. A more aggressive nutrient delivery method such as mine can help supplement a less than perfect light situation, but there's no true substitute for more nourishing sunlight. Do your best to get the most of it possible. Good luck and happy gardening! -Zach Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato Nutrition

Doesn't look like it posted my picture.... here it is

I am sad, or am I glad, to see that Dicken posted to this thread. He died last Thursday. He was a gentle spirit and a wonderful writer. We'll miss him at the Garden Party. Here's a recipe I got from Sara the Brit, she frequents the Garden Party. I wish I could say I had made it, but alas, the ease of the Crosswell jar beckoned... Dear Sylvia Here's the recipe I've been using for the last couple of years. it's fairly variable - you can leave out the nuts, add different ones, change the proportions of the fruit, to suit your own tastes. It really benefits from at least 2 weeks maturing, so you don't have to make it now if you don't feel like it. alternatively, the first year I made far too much, and it kept superbly until the following Christmas! (although it depends on how hot your summer is, I suspect). half pound, peeled finely chopped apples (I use Granny Smiths) 4 oz shredded suet or melted butter (I use butter - suet is traditional, but not used in the UK these days) 4 oz golden raisins (probably about 2/3 cup?) 6 oz raisins 4 oz chopped mixed peel (the lemon and citron stuff is best) 6 oz soft dark brown sugar (3/4 cup) grated rind and juice of 1 orange grated rind and juice of 1 lemon quarter teaspoon cinnamon quarter teaspoon allspice quarter teaspoon ground nutmeg 3 tablespoons brandy Mix everything, except the brandy, together and stir well. Leave it covered for 12 hours or overnight. To prevent fermentaiton, leave it in a cool oven 225F/120C for 3 hours. Allow to cool completely and add the brandy. Spoon into clean dry jars and seal. Don't worry if the butter separates slightly on the top - just stir it again before baking it into pastry. Makes approx. 3lbs - about 1 large mason jar. Happy cooking - and have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Best wishes Sara Sylvia wrote: > [This message originated at GardenWeb] > > Hi Sara - I would *love* a copy of your mincemeat recipe! And - how far in advance do you prepare it? > thanks so much - Sylvia Here is a link that might be useful: Dicken