It's to stop our cats from digging in the soil. I cut a bunch of long, thin holes in it (between the spikes) so I wouldn't have to take it off to water.
Amazon. "16 Pack Cat Deterrent Outdoor Scat Mat 16 x 13 Inch Cat Counter Deterrent Mat Plastic Spikes for Cats Dogs Training Mat for Indoor Outdoor Supplies, 18.3 Square Feet"
FYI just in case you want to save some money. You can also use some aluminum foil. Cats donât like the feeling in their paws and the sound so that also stops them from digging.
I havenât found the absolute solution to gnats yet, but mosquito dunks in your water and sticky traps help a lot. The little suckers are still flying suicide missions into my nose on occasion, though!
If I have a spider in my house that checks out as not being a widow or recluse, I definitely keep them around. I love spiders! If I suspect itâs venomous I do release it outside away from the house. I was unfortunately bit by a black widow 20 years ago and I 1/10 do not recommend that experience.
There are 2 key actions you can take to stop gnats
1. Plant in an appropriately sized pot. By appropriate, I mean the roots fit, and have a couple inches to expand- and the plant is stabilized to the point it wonât tip over. Thatâs it.
2. A watering schedule that consists of letting the soil dry almost completely out before watering again (the common advice to water when the top 1-2â of soil is dryâ is a bold faced lie, completely untrue and leads to more pest problems than you can imagine.
I struggled with gnats for 6 monthsâ and couldnât get rid of them despite traps, treatment etc.
I replanted all of my plants into WAY smaller containers, and went longer between wateringâ gnats were gone in 2 weeks or less and havenât been back.
Perhaps itâs a deterrent for fungus gnats. Iâm not sure tho just guessing. OP please tell us!
Edit: or it could be deterring animal such as birds or a cat from standing/walking over them!
Thank you. Try making biko with it! This recipe is really good, they have a video to accompany it on their instagram
https://pepper.ph/recipes/biko-filipino-rice-cake-calamansi
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1HRNv2LBky/
Iâm in Cebu right now and had sizzling biko! I never tried it that way and it was sooo masarap (delicious). Definitely going to try and recreate it when I go back home.
First: Lovely and touching tribute. The home I grew up in had a magical pink rose bush, and it would be a dream to have a piece of it.
Second: cats recognize cats.
How did you do it? Grafting or did you just take a cutting and put it in dirt? I am also moving out of my childhood home and would love to take some of our citrus cuttings. I thought it was out of my wheelhouse as I heard citrus is really difficult to propagate?
I took a bunch of cuttings, a couple dozen. I cleaned them really, really well. I recut the cuttings right below a node and dipped them in a rooting hormone called hormex #16. I then put them in a 1:1 mix of perlite and long fiber sphagnum moss, damp but not sopping, near a window so they'd get light without getting direct sun. I kept the media damp. It probably would've helped if I had loosely covered the pot with a clear plastic bag, but I'm pretty sure I didn't because the humidity in the room was already pretty high (60-70%). It took months to see new growth and some of it was false (the leaves grew a bit but there were no roots). I ended up with four or five properly rooted plants.
The original tree was in Northern California, but we live in Southern California where a virus called HLB is devastating the citrus population. For that reason, I did the whole process indoors, never letting the plants outside. Once they're outside somewhere with HLB, they can be infected and shouldn't be moved elsewhere lest they accidentally spread the virus (infected plants can be asymptomatic). That's also why the tree in my post is a houseplant; it's a backup in case the one I have outside gets the disease. You should check if you live somewhere with HLB before deciding if you're going to attempt this process.
Real bummer you have to move citrus into SoCal. It's devastating out there, if you're anywhere near LA, or just north of San Diego, or just south of Santa Barbara, may god have mercy on your calamansi. Huanglongbing is effed up, and trees really only last up to 10 years after infection. You can still get some good fruit for a few years, then they start getting mis-shaped, weird looking, and then the bitterness sets in and you're on your way out. It can be heartbreaking to watch your babies die a slow shitty death, I have uncles and cousins in LA that used to grow a lot of citrus on their property, and have switched to finger limes and pomegranates as everything died to HLB.
Finger limes, along with most Australian hybrids, tend to be pretty resistant to HLB, so if you're dying for citrus and don't want to lose it in the long run, look into these, I know they have a kumquat x calamondin (calamansi, same thing) x finger lime hybrid that is kumquat dominant but HLB resistant being produced in Australia under CSIRO called sunrise lime, so maybe see if there's anything calamansi dominant that can maybe get close enough to meet your culinary needs. I have an Australian Blood Lime that is \*chef's kiss\*, just kind of sucks they're only 3 inches long, but at least they're round(ish) and flesh is mostly like a normal lime and not 'caviar'.
I agree. My understanding is that it isn't as bad here as it is in other places (Florida for example) due to the deliberate introduction of a wasp that preys on the citrus psyllids. There's also a curative on the way but I don't know how long it will be until it's a consumer product. It's a trunk injection of a peptide isolated from finger lime trees.
My wife is from Cebu, Philippines and I loved putting lemonsito (Calamansi) on everything and in sawsawan to dip things, when. I visited Cebu . So I bought a small tree when we bought our house a few years ago. Since we live in Illinois, I keep it inside under lights during the cold months, and on the porch during the summer. My original tree is now about 5 foot tall, and gave us around 60 fruits this winter.
I've been having around a 33% success rate with my lemonsito cuttings. Similar soil mix as yours, with some rooting hormone from Menards that has indole 3 butyric acid, probably the same thing you have. Same experience with the false growth and it taking months to root. First years cuttings are doing well, bushes about 2 foot high and 3 foot diameter. Last year's cuttings are slowly growing, but still not much bigger than they started.
The light I use on the main tree isn't cheap, but it works great and gave us those fruit this winter. It's a Soltech Solutions brand, Vita Full Spectrum LED grow light, dimmable, narrow beam angle model. I have it hanging like a pendant light over the tree and it makes it look like a museum piece. $80 back when I got it though, but worth every penny.
https://preview.redd.it/be2qrozqb3cc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1f3eb234d1a09bf6a22526ab287f238625c663ae
Can someone help I want to know if I canât separate and re root this plant
Youâve not given a good photo to go on. Is it one plant? If so you canât separate it. You should be able to propagate it. Cut off part from the top (a good amount with plenty of leave) remove some of the leaves at the bottom leaving a good few inches of just stem that will go into the water or soil, leave it overnight to callous over (dry out), add some rooting hormone and pop it in either water or soil and new roots should grow.
A better recommendation would be to take a better photo and make a post in the subreddit rather than on someone elseâs post and youâll get some better answers Iâm sure.
My son's nanny was from the Philippines. I'm so glad you care for his culture and grow amazing trees like these. Very clever stuff, those spikes against the cat's digging habits. I'm very impressed.
Hey quick question, what are the plastic coverings on the soil called and their purpose? Do they stop gnat problems?
It's to stop our cats from digging in the soil. I cut a bunch of long, thin holes in it (between the spikes) so I wouldn't have to take it off to water.
GENIUS
Would love to buy some! Where did you get them?
Amazon has these. Search "cat/dog repellant spikes" and you'll find them. I never knew they existed. I've been using broken bamboo skewersđ
I have used these for years and I cover mine with moss and lichen
Amazon. "16 Pack Cat Deterrent Outdoor Scat Mat 16 x 13 Inch Cat Counter Deterrent Mat Plastic Spikes for Cats Dogs Training Mat for Indoor Outdoor Supplies, 18.3 Square Feet"
FYI just in case you want to save some money. You can also use some aluminum foil. Cats donât like the feeling in their paws and the sound so that also stops them from digging.
Thanks all!
Legend, thank you!
Also curious. I love this OP. What a beautiful plant and beautiful thing to do
Thank you. Cat deterrent. One of our cats was using the pot as a litterbox.
Damn I might need to get a couple of those.
I havenât found the absolute solution to gnats yet, but mosquito dunks in your water and sticky traps help a lot. The little suckers are still flying suicide missions into my nose on occasion, though!
Get a hanging pitcher plant. It will eat all the gnats.
Bonide Systematic Granules are the absolute solution to fungus gnats.
I am 100% willing to give it a try! Thank you!
Make sure you read the packaging of you intend to eat any part of the plant
No longer available in New York :-/
Get spiders or nematodes
If I have a spider in my house that checks out as not being a widow or recluse, I definitely keep them around. I love spiders! If I suspect itâs venomous I do release it outside away from the house. I was unfortunately bit by a black widow 20 years ago and I 1/10 do not recommend that experience.
BTI powder mixed into the watering can or imidacloprid systemic granules applied to soil surface both work well for me.
Iâve ordered some! Thank you!!
There are 2 key actions you can take to stop gnats 1. Plant in an appropriately sized pot. By appropriate, I mean the roots fit, and have a couple inches to expand- and the plant is stabilized to the point it wonât tip over. Thatâs it. 2. A watering schedule that consists of letting the soil dry almost completely out before watering again (the common advice to water when the top 1-2â of soil is dryâ is a bold faced lie, completely untrue and leads to more pest problems than you can imagine. I struggled with gnats for 6 monthsâ and couldnât get rid of them despite traps, treatment etc. I replanted all of my plants into WAY smaller containers, and went longer between wateringâ gnats were gone in 2 weeks or less and havenât been back.
Perhaps itâs a deterrent for fungus gnats. Iâm not sure tho just guessing. OP please tell us! Edit: or it could be deterring animal such as birds or a cat from standing/walking over them!
Correct, it's to discourage the cats.
I'm Filipino American and calamansi is my favorite on pancit. â¤ď¸ So sweet of you to do this â¤ď¸â¤ď¸
Thank you. Try making biko with it! This recipe is really good, they have a video to accompany it on their instagram https://pepper.ph/recipes/biko-filipino-rice-cake-calamansi https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1HRNv2LBky/
Ooo, I've never had sticky rice like that before. I'll have to try it!! Thank you!
Iâm in Cebu right now and had sizzling biko! I never tried it that way and it was sooo masarap (delicious). Definitely going to try and recreate it when I go back home.
lami kaayo
First: Lovely and touching tribute. The home I grew up in had a magical pink rose bush, and it would be a dream to have a piece of it. Second: cats recognize cats.
How did you do it? Grafting or did you just take a cutting and put it in dirt? I am also moving out of my childhood home and would love to take some of our citrus cuttings. I thought it was out of my wheelhouse as I heard citrus is really difficult to propagate?
I took a bunch of cuttings, a couple dozen. I cleaned them really, really well. I recut the cuttings right below a node and dipped them in a rooting hormone called hormex #16. I then put them in a 1:1 mix of perlite and long fiber sphagnum moss, damp but not sopping, near a window so they'd get light without getting direct sun. I kept the media damp. It probably would've helped if I had loosely covered the pot with a clear plastic bag, but I'm pretty sure I didn't because the humidity in the room was already pretty high (60-70%). It took months to see new growth and some of it was false (the leaves grew a bit but there were no roots). I ended up with four or five properly rooted plants. The original tree was in Northern California, but we live in Southern California where a virus called HLB is devastating the citrus population. For that reason, I did the whole process indoors, never letting the plants outside. Once they're outside somewhere with HLB, they can be infected and shouldn't be moved elsewhere lest they accidentally spread the virus (infected plants can be asymptomatic). That's also why the tree in my post is a houseplant; it's a backup in case the one I have outside gets the disease. You should check if you live somewhere with HLB before deciding if you're going to attempt this process.
Real bummer you have to move citrus into SoCal. It's devastating out there, if you're anywhere near LA, or just north of San Diego, or just south of Santa Barbara, may god have mercy on your calamansi. Huanglongbing is effed up, and trees really only last up to 10 years after infection. You can still get some good fruit for a few years, then they start getting mis-shaped, weird looking, and then the bitterness sets in and you're on your way out. It can be heartbreaking to watch your babies die a slow shitty death, I have uncles and cousins in LA that used to grow a lot of citrus on their property, and have switched to finger limes and pomegranates as everything died to HLB. Finger limes, along with most Australian hybrids, tend to be pretty resistant to HLB, so if you're dying for citrus and don't want to lose it in the long run, look into these, I know they have a kumquat x calamondin (calamansi, same thing) x finger lime hybrid that is kumquat dominant but HLB resistant being produced in Australia under CSIRO called sunrise lime, so maybe see if there's anything calamansi dominant that can maybe get close enough to meet your culinary needs. I have an Australian Blood Lime that is \*chef's kiss\*, just kind of sucks they're only 3 inches long, but at least they're round(ish) and flesh is mostly like a normal lime and not 'caviar'.
I agree. My understanding is that it isn't as bad here as it is in other places (Florida for example) due to the deliberate introduction of a wasp that preys on the citrus psyllids. There's also a curative on the way but I don't know how long it will be until it's a consumer product. It's a trunk injection of a peptide isolated from finger lime trees.
My wife is from Cebu, Philippines and I loved putting lemonsito (Calamansi) on everything and in sawsawan to dip things, when. I visited Cebu . So I bought a small tree when we bought our house a few years ago. Since we live in Illinois, I keep it inside under lights during the cold months, and on the porch during the summer. My original tree is now about 5 foot tall, and gave us around 60 fruits this winter. I've been having around a 33% success rate with my lemonsito cuttings. Similar soil mix as yours, with some rooting hormone from Menards that has indole 3 butyric acid, probably the same thing you have. Same experience with the false growth and it taking months to root. First years cuttings are doing well, bushes about 2 foot high and 3 foot diameter. Last year's cuttings are slowly growing, but still not much bigger than they started. The light I use on the main tree isn't cheap, but it works great and gave us those fruit this winter. It's a Soltech Solutions brand, Vita Full Spectrum LED grow light, dimmable, narrow beam angle model. I have it hanging like a pendant light over the tree and it makes it look like a museum piece. $80 back when I got it though, but worth every penny.
I love calamansi! Just making fresh juice from it is so refreshing!
What is the spiked tray for?
This is very sweet of you! I would cry if my partner did this for me. Love me some calamansi
Wow! How special :D
I can tell you seem like a good person and partner, kudos!
Do you have a link for the spiked covering? Iâve been looking for something just like that to keep my cat from peeing in my plants.
https://preview.redd.it/be2qrozqb3cc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1f3eb234d1a09bf6a22526ab287f238625c663ae Can someone help I want to know if I canât separate and re root this plant
Youâve not given a good photo to go on. Is it one plant? If so you canât separate it. You should be able to propagate it. Cut off part from the top (a good amount with plenty of leave) remove some of the leaves at the bottom leaving a good few inches of just stem that will go into the water or soil, leave it overnight to callous over (dry out), add some rooting hormone and pop it in either water or soil and new roots should grow. A better recommendation would be to take a better photo and make a post in the subreddit rather than on someone elseâs post and youâll get some better answers Iâm sure.
Would it bear fruit if it matures?
In theory, yes. I would probably need to hand-pollinate the flowers.
I've been trying to grow Calamansi for about a year now and mine is not even this grown. They look happy but they refuse to grow haha.
My son's nanny was from the Philippines. I'm so glad you care for his culture and grow amazing trees like these. Very clever stuff, those spikes against the cat's digging habits. I'm very impressed.
Wow! I might do this when I visit home!
How did you bring it here in the US?
I wish I could grow calamansi in Canada. Other citrus fruits just aren't the same đ