So many gardens putting up stop signs even when they have advertised or you have been watering for a while.This should not be allowed to happen in open gardens.I could move on to another garden and say ou well theres plenty of gardens but i have to say the gardens are becoming fewer.They have the option to go private if they want to have rules as to who can water(against the rules)so i hope you will consider bringing the game back to the rules you made.

garden owners have always been able to make there own rules from the start of the game over 5 years ago.... if a  owner wants to go private or  close for a friend its there own right to....  the problem will be in  the end so much bickering and  hot headed comments made will ruin the game  thus it will be shut down.. i my self sprinkled a garden and got a message back that was rude.. i may add it was a no rules garden and the owner was in mine.. everyone needs to calm down and play  the game as a game. not at a constant pace where it is no fun and frankly stressful... angie you are welcome in mine anytime and i will help you where i can ..

If you report the stop sign, somebody has said that it looks like the devs are doing something about it.

I've reported stop signs, and I'm pretty sure the devs have warned the owners to go private instead of using stop signs.  I can't be 100% certain, but I've seen behaviors change and also seen some back wall chatter that would back that up.  Thing is, the devs can't do anything about it if we don't report it...so, when you run across this behavior, I encourage you to do just that.  If they've made a post in their garden, you can click the "report" link on the post.  If it's part of their fairy or garden status, you can click the "report this garden" link at the bottom of the page.

I see that as a double edged sword. First, I don't agree with someone posting a stop sign if someone has been watering consistently for a long time. I do post signs myself, but not if I have had stalkers looking for a critter. I generally will do it for a first feed. You may or may not like that I help my friends, but it's my choice. Second, I NEVER post a sign if I advertise. Once I post an advertisement, I consider my garden a free for all. No rules for anyone who comes because of my advertisement.

If the reports result in the devs punishing those who use the stop signs, that just encourages more people to go private. I do help friends, however that is few and far between. My garden is open to all for the majority of the time. Rare critters are hard to come by. If you start reporting people for helping friends, there will be far fewer places to get those rare critters.

Can't get rare critters if we are blocked for watering in a public garden anyway Laurie.

That being said your suppose to go Private if you want to control who waters in your gardens. Thats the point of Private. You don't want to control who waters then stay public but your not suppose to stay public and then pick and choose when you want to be "private" mid plate. This is why Mike took out the option to go Private if you have food out so that people can't see that its a "good" creature and prevent people from watering.

So yes Angie if you see a stop sign in a public garden then I suggest doing what quite a few of us are doing and report them. I have seen evidence that something is being done as well because like Rachel I have seen the behaviors change.

This is a complicated subject.    The first players to do the challenge reported they closed their gardens,   I don't know if with signs or by going private.     They helped each other with the requirements to go on to the next level and then opened their gardens for everyone and attracted extra plates of the level up critter for the public.       This is what they reported here.      I see that as a win-win!     Much more productive for all players to have some reach the next level than to have many stopped in their tracks because the mass could not reach the requirements.         It sounds to me that now there are many more gardens able to advance this practice is no longer needed and those with stop signs do not have the resources to do extra plates for the general public.         I agree with the majority that the devs need to address this problem through the game and it is not the players responsibility.

Maybe they cannot go private mid platter superspawn?  People are reporting very easily, sad that Fairyland is being policed vigorously by players and not the developers themselves. 

I think Fairyland would be a much calmer and more friendly place, if we don`t have a challenge every 5mins.

I can fully understand why some fairies feel the need to put stop signs whilst doing the challenges.