Usually there are so few of these that damage is minimal but conditions can exist where they can become major pests. If hand picking (early morning is the best time) is not feasible then Insecticidal Soaps may be of some help, or possibly Neem Oil, and then if absolutely necessary pyrethrin based dusts or sprays used with real care since that is a broad spectrum poison. Eggs are laid in the fall in stalks and stems of border plants mostly. Here is a link that might be useful: About the fourlined Plant bug

First you need to find out if your problem is actually Late Blight, or if it is something else. Good Late Blight pics: http://www.longislandhort.cornell.edu/vegpath/photos/lateblight_tomato.htm Pics and/or good descriptions of multiple diseases: http://kdcomm.net/~tomato/Tomato/d_out1.html -- take a look at B. and C. http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/DiagnosticKeys/TomWlt/TomWiltKey.html -- Begin with the green chart. Look at the diseases which have an X in the "Stem" column and also say "leaves" in the right-most column. Do they match your symptoms? http://vegdis.cas.psu.edu/VegDisases/Identification_files/tomatoleafspot.htm#septorialeaf

Thanks! I only started growing succulents this Spring, and got into mesembs in July :P Can't really tell you how long it would take, since mine hasn't gone through regeneration yet, but I think usually it would take the whole winter to do so, so perhaps 3-4 months? Keep an eye on the mushy parts, if it is getting infested with bugs you have to act quick. I've only dealt with mealy bugs and usually using 50/50 rubbing alcohol X water spray to wipe it off or spray the plant would do. I would wait for others to chime in on this, I don't know perhaps you could just remove the mushy part of the plant already so it doesn't spread... Yeah I also have a split rock (pics to follow) the Royal Flush, when I got it I was adviced here not to pot them with Lithops since their watering regime is quite different. The Pleiospilos could get water any time of the year, while Lithops is usually kept dry in winter. However, you're on the right track about no watering when it is regenerating. Make sure they only have 2 pairs of leaves at maximum, and I would water only when it becomes quite soft to the touch as well, if it's hard and turgid then it is not in need of water. This when I first potted it in late June: Flowered in August: Now regenerating slow and steady (Oct-Dec): Through these pics you can sort of see how "fast" the old leaves finally shriveled away to nothingness. And below was my watering regime for it: July-August, normal watering of once every 10-14 days since it was getting ready for flower. September-October, watering every 14-20 days since flower died off and plant is not doing much November-December, ZERO watering so far since I saw the new little leaves saying hello, and it is looking happy so far.

That PLs are usually found in riparian settings (streamside or in boggy environments) where they naturally occur is absolutely no cause to believe they will do well in boggy soils. They adapt well to various types of water culture, and perform very well in fast-draining, well-aerated soils, but should be expected to perform poorly when asked to make the transition in soils from lengthy periods of significant saturation to times when the soil has dried down and become reasonably well-aerated and more hospitable to the plant. The reason, as has been pointed out, is the fact that the plant will grow roots structured to allow the plant to deal with one or the other set of conditions, but not both in a cycle that starts with a long period of saturation transitioning to the more appropriate moist (rather than wet or soggy) medium. How well a soil drains is determined almost exclusively by the size of the particles it is comprised of. While the arrangement you have with the pot sitting above the effluent in the collection saucer is commendable, it has no impact on how well the soil drains or its level of aeration. 1. How often should I water? Intervals will vary with season, light load, amount of air movement, ....... Unless you use a soil that allows watering on a schedule as opposed to on an 'as needed' basis, and yours doesn't, you should absolutely stick to watering only when the plant gets dry to the point it needs water. In fact, in spite of the stress it would create, it would actually be better if you waited for this plant to exhibit signs of the first stage of wilt before you water than to water before the plant need it. I'm not advocating using drought stress indicators to signal the plants need for water - just trying to establish a feel for the idea that a little under-watering is less limiting than over-watering. For this plant, marking your watering date on the calendar and OCCASIONALLY waiting for the first signs of wilt to establish appropriate intervals between waterings is a reasonable strategy. If you'd rather, buy a wooden birch dowel rod (1/4 or 5/16") from a hardware or big box store. Cut into appropriate length pieces for your plants, sharpen the ends with a pencil sharpener, and use the pieces stuck deep into the pot as 'tells' that will let you know the moisture conditions deep in the pot. If they come out wet or stained dark from wet soil, withhold water until they come out clean. MUCH better than "watering gauges/meters". 2. What else can I do for this plant? The answer to that could easily fill a book. You could try reading this (click on link). I read someplace that liquid fertilizer once a month is good too. Yay or nay on that? To be meaningful, any advice regarding frequency of fertilizer applications has to take into consideration your soil choice and watering habits. For example, if you water in small sips to avoid your MG soil remaining soggy too long, a one month interval at the regular rate is an automatic problem for more than one reason, and the type of fertilizer as well as its NPK %s both play a part in determining the criticality of the issue. If you're using a soil that allows you to water at will w/o the need to fear consequences centering on the fact the soil will be saturated for a length of time measured in weeks, you can actually fertilize at low doses every time you water, which is how I choose to fertilize all my plants during the winter. One type of soil (those that are very water-retentive, like yours) make it almost impossible to maintain control over effective nutritional supplementation; other types of soil that support little or no saturation make establishing and maintaining a sound supplementation program monkey easy. Al