thanks for the reply. quoted from my previous reply, >they are in e.b. stone "edna's best" organic potting soil. also some tomato tone fertilizer and worm castings in the hole when i planted them in. nothing since then (that was about a month ago). all plants have had blossoms for a couple weeks, no fruit yet. >i water by hand, when soil feels dry a couple inches down." re: temps - it's been in the neighborhood of 65-70 during the day and high 50's at night for the past week at least. before that...much the same, maybe a few days here and there of much warmer daytime weather. fertilizer burn would surprise me as i haven't fertilized except for a handful of tomato tone in the hole when planting, and they've been out around 6 weeks. i've been watering maybe twice a week, depending on how warm it is & how dry the soil feels.

Anita, that's too bad that your disposal isn't working as well as you'd like. I guess on the bright side, it has a great warranty, and as a percentage of your total kitchen re-do (SO gorgeous BTW!), it's not so much $$ invested. In my home growing up, we had a batch feed disposal, and it was the only kind I knew until I moved out of the house. I had a rental apartment once with a continuous feed disposal. I never really got used to it, but it's hard to change habits that formed from childhood. In my home now, I have the Kitchenaid 1 hp batch feed, which is actually made by Insinkerator (in their factory in Wisconsin). I think though, that the type of disposal someone prefers is personal taste and how s/he likes to work in a kitchen; there is no right or wrong choice. I agree with Buehl that one of the continuous feed's advantages is that you just feed the disposal continually which is convenient (although my disposal's chamber is so large, I rarely have to run it more than once). A disadvantage of a batch feed is that it takes up A LOT of room under the sink. Having said that, I do feel that the "ick factor"--and this is just MHO--is greater with the continuous feed style cause of the clammy flange. You are either having to push food through the flange with your hand or a utensil (I guess Waste King has a tool just for that purpose), or slide your wrist past its clammy surface to fish something out. Regarding brand, I used to say that Waste King was really great, but I think they have changed recently. About 1-1/2 years ago Waste King moved their manufacturing from the U.S. to China. That likely enabled them to lower their costs significantly to be able to sell a disposal at Costco for $79 when that same model when made in the U.S. used to sell for $179. In that same vein, Waste King used to have an entire page on their website devoted to the fact that their disposals are septic-tank safe. That page is no longer on their website, perhaps because the China-made disposals can no longer do that. There are people on this forum who love their Waste Kings, but I bet they have the older ones that were made in the U.S. Anita, my advice to you is that if your Waste King disposal is REALLY bothering you, switch it out for the Insinkerator Evolution Essential which is also a continuous feed style. Donate your Waste King to Habitat for Humanity, or sell it on Craig's List. I am saying this because you are going to be using the disposal every day, likely several times a day, and if you hate it, why ruin the experience of your lovely new kitchen with an irksome disposal. You already have the switch hook-up, so it wouldn't make sense to change to a batch feed style, and the Insinkerator is a well-made model, and quiet too. Just my $.02. Here is a link that might be useful: Insinkerator Evolution Essential Disposal

First could be Echeveria pulidonis...I don't see any soil? Second perhaps echeveria too, different one, probably chewed on by a rodent (I see teeth marks); also hardly any soil, too deep inside of the pot and the center of rosette seems to be rotting? I can't ID the cacti, but I think some branches/arms are blooming? I have seen photos of similar color (I thought it was dry...), but there are some dead parts there too. How do you water - how often and how much? Are they in full sun (looks like outdoors)? I believe that all need to be repotted asap into a well draining mix.

I would suggest Sluggo or the generic alternative for slugs. Must put out on a regular schedule. My plants are outside, on the patio, each pot on a brick or raised up on something. I think it helps to keep insects out. Keep the ground around the plants dry to discourage slugs. Keep a sharp eye on your plants. I'd say bring "special" ones inside, but the only insect damage I've had was on an inside plant (caterpillar!). As for flying insects, I don't know. Ditto for diatomaceous earth.