LGBTQ+ Poultry Keepers

[TwoCrows]

Yeah, I've watched a lot of people say they put their Jades outside and they love it (will even flower with some cold and drought conditions) but I am scared of getting bugs! I think I will get some bugs inside, too, so then maybe I will want to chuck them outside, haha. Hopefully I can propagate enough cuttings so I will have some extra and can experiment with some outdoors as well.

Thanks for all the plant and succulent support! Under my care, they will need it.

I don't put my plants out either! Last year I tried that and I swear, it was a biblical plague of bugs! I lost several plants too. I do keep my columnar and barrel cacti outside along with the Lithops and a humungous Medusa Head Euphorbia outside. And bugs have never bothered any of these plants. Soft succulents are a big target as are leafy plants. So yeah, leave your plants inside. As long as you don't bring in any new plants or any plant that has been outside, bugs really shouldn't bother your plants inside. Fungus gnats love damp soil so if you keep plants that need a lot of moisture, use those sticky butterfly things you poke into the soil to catch the gnats. They will keep them under control. Knock on wood, I haven't had a single bug this entire season bother any of my plants. I have brought a couple of them inside already and I'm de-bugging them first. So far, so good!

 

[Jener8or]

I don't put my plants out either! Last year I tried that and I swear, it was a biblical plague of bugs! I lost several plants too. I do keep my columnar and barrel cacti outside along with the Lithops and a humungous Medusa Head Euphorbia outside. And bugs have never bothered any of these plants. Soft succulents are a big target as are leafy plants. So yeah, leave your plants inside. As long as you don't bring in any new plants or any plant that has been outside, bugs really shouldn't bother your plants inside. Fungus gnats love damp soil so if you keep plants that need a lot of moisture, use those sticky butterfly things you poke into the soil to catch the gnats. They will keep them under control. Knock on wood, I haven't had a single bug this entire season bother any of my plants. I have brought a couple of them inside already and I'm de-bugging them first. So far, so good!

I had a big fungus gnat problem oh maybe 8 or ten years ago or so and I got rid of them with nematodes. I didn't think they would work, but after that, no problems. It was pretty neat. Hoping we don't have to resort to that again (not too many plants I keep that can't dry out, hehe) but I will do it again if I have to! Never used the traps, I will find some and keep them on hand as a prophylactic (if they know I have them...) Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[TwoCrows]

I had a big fungus gnat problem oh maybe 8 or ten years ago or so and I got rid of them with nematodes. I didn't think they would work, but after that, no problems. It was pretty neat. Hoping we don't have to resort to that again (not too many plants I keep that can't dry out, hehe) but I will do it again if I have to! Never used the traps, I will find some and keep them on hand as a prophylactic (if they know I have them...) Thanks for the suggestion!

These are great, they look good and catch those pesky bugs! You could potentially cut them in half for small pots as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Mosqueda-Fruit-Traps-Sticky-Pack/dp/B08MZN1K2Y

 

[KikiDeAnime]

I hope everyone has been having a wonderful week so far.
We're currently going through a heat wave here so I've been making sure they have plenty of shade and water.

I also recently ordered a HelloFresh box using a code for my Twitch followers to use for discounts.
StreamElements has sponsorships that Streamers can sign up for and they get either a link or code for their followers to use.
I decided to test out the code myself so I could also try out HelloFresh.
First and only box will be here on Friday. I'll try to post some photos of the meals I make.
Funny thing about using the code, is StreamElements counts it towards the sponsorship so not only did I only pay $35 with the discount but StreamElements will be sending me $125 for it.

 

[Jener8or]

I hope everyone has been having a wonderful week so far.
We're currently going through a heat wave here so I've been making sure they have plenty of shade and water.

I also recently ordered a HelloFresh box using a code for my Twitch followers to use for discounts.
StreamElements has sponsorships that Streamers can sign up for and they get either a link or code for their followers to use.
I decided to test out the code myself so I could also try out HelloFresh.
First and only box will be here on Friday. I'll try to post some photos of the meals I make.
Funny thing about using the code, is StreamElements counts it towards the sponsorship so not only did I only pay $35 with the discount but StreamElements will be sending me $125 for it.

I've never tried HelloFresh; I'll be looking forward to hearing what you think! It sounds like a good opportunity for content creators.

 

[Jener8or]

These are great, they look good and catch those pesky bugs! You could potentially cut them in half for small pots as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Mosqueda-Fruit-Traps-Sticky-Pack/dp/B08MZN1K2Y

Thanks for the link! I will keep those on hand!

Tami brought home a succulent tray we started about a year ago... can mealybugs make homes on your cacti without doing any (or much) damage? I removed them all (the nests or whatever) with iso and some manual labor, but it doesn't really look like they chomped on it too much (it was only on one). I didn't see anything living, either, so I'm hoping that's a good sign. I'm keeping an eye on it away from my other plants for now.

 

[TwoCrows]

Thanks for the link! I will keep those on hand!

Tami brought home a succulent tray we started about a year ago... can mealybugs make homes on your cacti without doing any (or much) damage? I removed them all (the nests or whatever) with iso and some manual labor, but it doesn't really look like they chomped on it too much (it was only on one). I didn't see anything living, either, so I'm hoping that's a good sign. I'm keeping an eye on it away from my other plants for now.

Mealybugs suck the juices out of the plants so if you have them, you definitely want to exterminate them. As long as you aren't seeing any evidence, white fuzz or haze, bugs themselves, leaves getting damaged, then the bugs are probably dead. I believe their life cycle is about 2 to 3 weeks. And it never hurts to spray the plants once a week for a couple weeks after you think bugs are dead with something like Captain Jacks Dead Bug or something I really like to use and it works well without hurting the plant is Maggie's Farm 3 in 1 spray. It's extracts of natural plant juices that repel and kill, it isn't as photosensitive to the plant leaves 24 hours after spraying like Neem, Maggie's kills bugs fast. Ive killed off all manner of things with this stuff, and it smells good too!

 

[Jener8or]

Mealybugs suck the juices out of the plants so if you have them, you definitely want to exterminate them. As long as you aren't seeing any evidence, white fuzz or haze, bugs themselves, leaves getting damaged, then the bugs are probably dead. I believe their life cycle is about 2 to 3 weeks. And it never hurts to spray the plants once a week for a couple weeks after you think bugs are dead with something like Captain Jacks Dead Bug or something I really like to use and it works well without hurting the plant is Maggie's Farm 3 in 1 spray. It's extracts of natural plant juices that repel and kill, it isn't as photosensitive to the plant leaves 24 hours after spraying like Neem, Maggie's kills bugs fast. Ive killed off all manner of things with this stuff, and it smells good too!

You're the best, thank you so much! Captain Jacks Dead Bug and Maggies sound like winners. I will look for them. What kind of bugs were you battling? Too bad you lost some plants because of those $#&*@s.

These guys will thank you, too (sorry for the bad pic.) Of Course I added the jade and the Haworthia before I saw the mealys (it was only on the orange part) but next time I will put them in time-out and be more careful first. I really appreciate it! I hope you're having a great day!

 

[allosaurusrock]

Oof. Feedstore was out of the feed I usually feed my birds because they still haven’t hired a farm and feed ordering person.

I applied for the position WEEKS ago. I’m very qualified for it. The only reason I think they don’t want to hire me is because they’re transphobic and ableist. Which on one hand sucks, but on the other I also need my chicken food!!

 

[Jener8or]

Oof. Feedstore was out of the feed I usually feed my birds because they still haven’t hired a farm and feed ordering person.

I applied for the position WEEKS ago. I’m very qualified for it. The only reason I think they don’t want to hire me is because they’re transphobic and ableist. Which on one hand sucks, but on the other I also need my chicken food!!

Darn, I hate that. My feed store is always out of the pellets but always has the crumbles. I don't ever need the crumbles because I can make a mash for everyone with the pellets if I need to. It's annoying. (I know I shouldn't complain, at least I can get the crumbles...)

Anyways, that's a bummer. Unfortunately it seems (I'm totally over-generalizing here and somewhat resemble my generalizations) that a lot of the feed store places come with a somewhat small-town mentality. Hopefully you can strike up a conversation with a manager/owner or such and help dissolve any possible barriers that might be keeping them from hiring you. I know when I was an employer, the people that kept coming back (almost annoyingly) and talking to me and hanging out, usually got a job. It's not an easy thing to do, though, especially if you're somewhat introverted.

Best of luck! They could just be slow to process everything as well, so sometimes it just takes awhile. Following up never hurts, though! I hope you can acquire some feed soon, too!