I also use transorb roundup. If I spray it and a few minutes later it starts to mist or rain, it still takes effect. Yes, it is a week or so before you notice any difference in the plants but it is very very effective. Someone said that the stuff that is in the local Cdn Tire and other hardware stores is a different kind...almost watered down...and you have to have no moisture for up to a week for it to take effect. Here the grass is definitely starting to grow. Today I want to mix up a batch of roundup and spray around the raspberries (they haven't leafed out yet and there are a few grass that I saw in there the other day). I only have to spray once with the transorb compared to the 3 times with the super concentrated stuff. It comes in a large jug and costs over $150 for the jug. When mixing it up in my backpack sprayer I put just over 1/2 a cup in a 4 litre milk jug of water. Two jugs of mixed roundup and I am ready to go. As soon as the roundup hits the soil it becomes inactive. What it does is make the plant grow so fast that it bursts its seams...therefore dying. Anyways, here on the 10 acres I have no quams about using it and absolutely would recommend Transorb. BTW, you can freeze roundup so, there is no need to store it in the house....important fact for us FNers. Been there and done the landscape fabric thing. Not any more. I use flax shives and find that they are wonderful. Easy to place down, a little layer will do you, cheap (a semi load just dropped off here for free since they wanted to get rid of it), makes a nice smooth surface and looks good. I am really interested to find out whether slugs like or dislike the little sharp flax shives. No problem on any plants that were mulched with flax last year. So, all the rest of the beds will hopefully be mulched with flax this year. Brenda

Hi Plllog! "That is, I know it's possible, but might not be in your budget." See, there's the crux of it. This little beverage center idea of mine was not in the original budget. (Nor, alas, were new drywall in the livingroom and halls, the gorgeous walnut top on my used cabinet island, the matching gorgeous top that will soon be on the new media cabinet and the near full gut of the bathroom.) And we're still determined to get through remodeling our ugly duckling without taking out a loan or dipping into savings. Conventional wisdom says: Wait until the coffers are full again but that's so hard to do. First off, I'm a cheapskate. Even if the goose who laid the golden egg waddled up onto my deck and built a nest, I'm not sure I would willingly pay someone to mess up the walls I just paid to fix. Second, I'm not quite cheap enough. My new kitchen is starting to look pretty good but, gosh, it would look so much better if the microwave and coffee maker didn't take up so much room on that one counter. I'm willing to spend a little bit more to change that, especially since I'm going to have a piece of countertop leftover that should be just the right size. Still, it's nice to know that it's possible. Maybe when the coffers ARE full again I'll put a tile counter outside on my deck to shade the golden goose should she happen to wander by ;) Thanks for your help!

It's certainly something you can start to do on your own, with the help of the Kitchen forum -- many of us here have done that. But to do that, you need to read through the link I posted before, https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5500754/new-to-kitchens-read-me-first#23482868 to understand how it's done here in the forum. It's also worthwhile reading through the archives to see how others have done it. Then, once you've done that, post pictures with more detailed measurements. Let us know how many people live in the house, how many use (or will use, if you have small children) the kitchen, what sort of cooking you do (do you just reheat takeout or love to bake or cook three meals from scratch every day), what are your sort of storage needs, what have you found difficult/awkward since you started using the kitchen last summer, etc. Also, what do you envision for the breakfast room space? How do you use your dining room? Do you like the dining room and living room set-ups as they are currently in your house, and do they work with your needs? Do you need a mudroom? Would it be better to turn the breakfast room into a mudroom area, keeping the wall that separates the space from the kitchen, and perhaps instead remove the wall between the kitchen and dining room? But whatever you, do NOT buy appliances next week, or you will have to plan around the appliances, rather than your needs. And do NOT skimp on the planning phase. Consider the time it takes as a great investment in a great kitchen that works for you and looks beautiful.

Thank you for posting photo. It could be jade, but not absolutely sure: jade has, usually, woodier trunk and it is more upright in growth. But these could be fresh cuttings, so the stems are still softer. Maybe you can repost photo in few days, when plants recuperate somehow. I can't see anything black/dark in the photo - where is it? I think I see bit of sunburn on 1 leaf (circled in red): It may be on other leaves, but I can't see for sure. Looks like plant in pot behind has similar sunburn. Definitely take out of full sun, and start with dappled sunlight, moving into more and more every fwe days to acclimatize. If I may suggest, that soil should be improved for better dainage. Simplest way is to mix in lots of sifted perlite. It should look similar to this: (Photo by one of our members that also lives in Florida, IIRC). Do not water until soil mostly dries up. To find out, use a wooden or bamboo skewer or chopstick, or even pencil. Insert deep into pot (at least 3/4 deep), and leave in for few minutes. When pulled out and is dry - time to water. If damp, wait with watering. Succulents usually recover easier from underwatering than from overwatering. You don't want to keep them overly thirsty, but they do not need watering as often as many other plants - they store lots of water. Jades are very easy to root and grow, but constant and excess water will kill them by rotting.