Hi, Let me try and describe the entire system. It is not totaly installed yet. I've strted installing it but I still have a fair amount left. before this system I was watering once per week with a watering can. As you can probably imagine the plants did not like that. Particularly since the garden is located on a windy hill. I lost 50% of a large tomato yeild to cracking related problems as the result of uneven watering. A number of other crops were total failures and some like the corn did not have to much of a problem (not suprised given it is a c4 plant). Now for the system. On top of the hill, on a 1 ft Dirt mound and maybe cinder blocks is the large storage drum. A pvc bulkhead will be attached to this drum. Attached to the bullkehead is a 200 mesh y filter with a female hose adapter inlet and a male hose outlet. Attached to the filter is a 0 PSI hose end timer with a mesh filter on the inlet. Attached to the timer is a melanor automatic rain shutoff device. Attached to that is a 3/4" female hose adaptor with a 1/2" compression adaptor on the other end. Then there is a .700 OD 1/2" mainline running ~ 40ft across the top of the hill. There are three columns of terraced beds running paralel to the slope of the hill. The column closet to the start of the system has 4 5X8 beds. The middle column has 4 5X8 beds and the far column has three 5X8 beds. Each column will have a 1/2" mainline, attached to the 1/2" mailnie running across the hill with a tee connector, running one each side of th bed. The only exception will be the lowest bed in the farthest column which will only have a line on one side ( the far side) of the bed. Spaced 1ft apart running across the long side of each bed perpindicular to the slope of the hill will be 1/4" drip tubing with inline 1/2 gallon per hour emitters (20PSI). That should be about 40 Emitters per bed. With 11 beds that is 440 emitters. The fish pond (not sure how large exactly) is about a 10ft vertical drop from the top of the large tank. Since the drop is about the same for the bottom bed I calculated That I would have 4.3 PSI at those emitters and 2.58 at the top most emitters when the drums are full. when they are almost empty I'll have 2.58 PSI at the bottom beds and about .43 PSI at the top beds. On a sunny windy week with no rainfall at all I'm guessing the plants will need 2" of water since the normal recomendation it 1-2" of water per week. At .52 gallons of water per square foot with every inch of rain I calculated that over my 11 beds and 440 SQF that would be 228.8 Gallons of water a week per inch of rain. For 2" of rain that would be 457.6 gallons per week. Summary 440 SQF 11 Beds 10 FT from top of drum to pond surface 12" spacing between emitters 12" spacing between lines 440 emitters? 4.3 max PSI .43 Min PSI each tube is connected to two mainlines. Thanks for your help

I do not think Neem has any systemic properties, it would not be taken up by the plant to affect the earwigs.

I have grown Crassula ovata for the past 20 years recently. Take them out of the pots and examine the mix and roots. Cactus mix is not good for Succulents or Cactus. It holds too much water, and I am going to repeat my self, Succulents are from Africa, they grow on rocky outcrops, they do not like water, unless it drains fast. How much white stuff is in your mix? any rocks, if not put some stream rocks into the mix. "Jade" grow by the thousands on Rocky Hills sides, so the rain goes down rapidly through the rocks, they grow into the cracks. They do not get the care that you are giving them. In the summer they lose leaves, they don't like the heat they are winter growers. I have a wonder full book from Charles Glass and if you don't know who he is your are a beginner. Fianl words from his book. It's just plain common sense. "There is an illusiion of comfort in rules such as 'Water when dry" (what is dry?") 'Full sun" CA sun or New York Sun. African Sun'" Water ever two week, in CA we must water once a week. We have low humidity except this week. here are no rules concerning good culture which may not and and occasionally whould not be broken; there are principles and guide-lines which when followed with interest, Common Sense is the most important factor in growing plants." CActi and Succulents for the Amateur. Jade leaves are not supposed to crack, the plants are not supposed to ooze. I use Saffer's Soap, which is nothing but soapy water, and not detergent, with maybe some alcohol added. You can wash off the spider mites, if you water on a regular schedule, and get rid or soil mealies. When was the last time you changed the soil, perhaps the roots need to be cut back 1/3 and theh plant topped 1/3 not now but the first of October, just remember rules are just guide lines and use them as such. How large are your Jades ? When is the last time they were trimmed, soil changed? Does your hair fall out. So do their leaves, are they getting good air circulation? Are they getting cool nights and plenty of air circulation. I wash mine down once a week because it makes sense to me. I follow how the Huntington Gardens takes care of their plants, it workds for them and it has always worked for me since I was a child. We use no pesticides for the 100,000 plants that we have documentated growing in one green house and outside on benches with no heat. The proof in in the plants. The above suggestions are excellent I would listen if I were you. All of us have tricks in growing. Good luck, love your plants and they will love you. Randy I didn't even need to look at the photo, you are right on and so are the rest of the suggestions from others. Norma

tantanman, Thank you so much for your post and insight regarding your use of Bt (I'm assuming the 'K' strain bacillus) on orange dog caterpillars. Fortunately and as far as I'm aware, we here in the Bay Area aren't as affected with citrus leaf miners as our poor friends in SoCal/San Diego who must rely on harsher systemic insecticides like Imidacloprid. So, I should be able to use Bt on my species of leafrollers with similar positive results as you. Shortly/immediately after my initial post (and since no useful remedies were offered here), I went to my local nursery and did indeed purchase (among other things) some Bt(k), and had/have every intention of using during the growing season. However, I was still concerned that multiple applications of BT might need to be administered (as you confirm above) for full control. I wanted to knock out ALL current eating caterpillars. What I also purchased at the garden center was horticultural oil (HO) and Neem oil. Neem oil, I'd read, acts as a powerful anti-feedant and synthetic hormone that disrupts insects' metamorphic life cycle (so that they can't progress to the next stage). HO, in addition to smothering insects (so that they in essence can't breathe) like scales, mites, etc., also targets caterpillar eggs (so I'd read!). Perfect, I thought, but not knowing what to apply first (Neem or HO), I applied both - first the Neem, followed by the HO the next day (late afternoon) after the Need had dried. Well it's been a week, and I'm happy to report that not only have the scales on my one potted Meyer almost fully dried out, but I don't see any evidence of caterpillars (I just checked!) on any of the three in-ground Meyers or Trovita! For safe measure, I'm going to re-apply the Neem again today, since I've read it breaks down fairly quickly from the sun's UV rays. Hereafter, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I could certainly commence with using Bt on a periodic basis come the growing season; however, as I alluded above, there are many on this forum who have used FE to control other insects (though I don't recall seeing any mention of its use on caterpillars). There's anecdotal evidence that it may act similar to HO by the oil smothering insects. So, I may (instead of using Bt in Spring) just do the experiment and try the weekly applications of FE and see what happens (plus, I'm really curious what the answer will be!). Also, I kinda like the added benefit that FE has as a foliar fertilizer... If I end up using FE, I'll post an update on its effects on caterpillars at some point in the future (and whether or not I had to rely on Bt after all!). Tim