Not sure if the poster you addressed will reply, given his post is a year old. His images appear to be symptomatic of the physiological disorder, oedema - see below. Given your issue is in the upper (youngest) leaves, it might not be the same. It's not unusual for leaves of F. lyrata to emerge with pinhead or slightly smaller size dots covering the leaf surface nearly entirely. This often occurs when the air is dry, as it usually is in winter or when air conditioning is operating for days on end. That particular condition is simply expression of the purple pigment anthocyanin, and it will fade as the leaves mature. That's said w/o my being able to see an image of what you're describing, which would be very helpful. Oedema Oedema is a physiological disorder that can affect all plants. It occurs when the plant takes up more water than it can rid itself of via the process of transpiration. The word itself means 'swelling', which is usually the first symptom, and comes in the form of pale blisters or water-filled bumps on foliage. Under a variety of circumstances/cultural conditions, a plant's internal water pressure (turgidity) can become so high that some leaf cells rupture and leak their contents into inter-cellular spaces in leaf tissue, creating wet or weepy areas. Symptoms vary by plant, but as the malady progresses, areas of the leaf turn yellow, brown, brown with reddish overtones or even black, with older damage appearing as corky/ scaly/ ridged patches, or wart/gall-like bumpy growth. Symptoms are seen more frequently in plants that are fleshy, are usually more pronounced on the underside of leaves, and older/lower leaves are more likely to be affected than younger/upper leaves. Oedema is most common in houseplants during the winter/early spring months, is driven primarily by excessive water retention in the soil, and can be intensified via several additional cultural influences. Cool temperatures, high humidity levels, low light conditions, or partial defoliation can individually or collectively act to intensify the problem, as can anything else that slows transpiration. Nutritional deficiencies of Ca and Mg are also known contributors to the malady. Some things that can help you prevent oedema: * Increase light levels and temperature * Monitor water needs carefully – avoid over-watering. I'd heartily recommend a soil with drainage so sharp (fast) that when you to water to beyond the saturation point you needn't worry about prolonged periods of soil saturation wrecking root health/function. Your soil choice should be a key that unlocks the solutions to many potential problems. * Avoid misting or getting water on foliage. It slows transpiration and increases turgidity. * Water as soon as you get up in the AM. When stomata close in preparation for the dark cycle, turgidity builds. If you water early in the day, it gives the plant an opportunity to remove (for its own needs) some of the excess water in the soil. * Put a fan in the room or otherwise increase air flow/circulation. Avoid over-crowding your plants. Questions? Al

Make sure you have even moisture supply, which can be difficult in hot weather. Too much, too little, and erratic are equally bad. Get a moisture meter and use it. Mulch heavily. BER is a bad name. It isn't "rot", it's tissue damage and a scar which damages the looks, but can usually be sliced off to leave an edible half tomato ... right up there with other scars and blemishes. I'm getting fruit set at 100-105 :)

Gorgeous aloes Stush, I really like that big one on the left in your 2nd pic, what a beauty! I have A. saponaria but haven't seen a variegated one, I'm going to check out your other aloe pics on C&S forum. I have a variegated A. arborescens, used to have variegated A. eru but think I've lost it. Have to check. I have eru species, maybe the variegated reverted. I think eru is aka camperi. I'll post some pics of a NOID large aloe , maybe you'll recognize it. Actually have several with no names. I have A. cameronii, rupestris with collection data, amudatensis, guillaumetii, jucunda, juvenna, lutescens, vaombe, sinkatana in yellow and red flowered forms. Small aristata and bunch of the little miniature aloes too many to name. Russ

Bti works on fungus gnats, but IIRC, on larvae, not on flying adults. Different strains of Bt works on different insects - there are about 1000 different strains of Bt. For FG, Bti is the strain used. (I was surprised to find out that until 1977, only 13 Bt strains were described. Other subspecies of Bt has been discovered since then.) ..."Bt has to be eaten to cause mortality. The Bt toxin dissolve in the high pH insect gut and become active. The toxins then attack the gut cells of the insect, punching holes in the lining. The Bt spores spills out of the gut and germinate in the insect causing death within a couple days"... Some other ways to control larvae: diatomaceous earth; potato slice; layer of grit or sand on surface of soil; cinnamon powder; hydrogen peroxide; beneficial nematodes. IMO, best way is to make sure there is no water sitting around, plants are not over-watered (moist soil is heaven for FG), and as little organic matter as possible. To get rid of flies (adults), I have used vinegar (actually, I use it on fruit flies, since I do not have problem with FG): not to spray, just put some in a dish or cup. Take small plastic bag, cut one corner off to create tiny hole - only big enough for fly to get in. Put this over the container with vinegar creating a small 'crater', secure with a rubber band. Flies are very attracted by vinegar, will fly inside -can't escape back out- and will drown. Or use yellow sticky traps.