discarding seed that floats is standard practice when fermemting seed, but I would'nt on seed that is already processed and dried. If I wanted 12 cucmber plants I would check the germination rate of the seed on the package and if it was 80% then I would plant at least 15 seeds probably 20 and plant all that sprouted then thin to the strongest 12 after set out. Rodger

Thanks. Yes, I added the lime because of the soil test recommendation, but they did recommend calcitic lime, and none of the ones at Home Depot said calcitic, so I just assumed they were all calcitic. I still don't know if they are or not, but I went to Agway recently and saw virtually no magnesium in their lime, and the cashier told me it was calcitic lime. I bought a bag, which I haven't yet used. I figure I'll wait until the next soil test. I'll do the structural test you mention. I'll gather it from different areas and test each. I do already notice some bumpiness in the new lawn area, so that's not a comforting thing after what you've told me can happen over years. It seems very sensitive to the lawnmower. At nearly every mower turn, I feel I disturb at least some of the grading that I did before seeding. It was dead flat then. I also pulled a lot of weeds, which made it even more bumpy. I'm a bit concerned now about potential amendments. Am I understanding you correctly that you don't believe it's possible to repair the areas of your lawn and your neighbors because of the addition of topsoil over the years? I want to believe there's a solution for everything. Core or liquid aeration maybe? Different seed variety? Digging up the soil and adding a deep layer of good soil? There has to be something, right? BTW, a sprinkler system was just installed here and talk about bumpy! The sprinkler guy recommended getting soil and feathering it out around the bumps. But yes, this lawn is going to need some real work to get it flat again. Now you're making me wonder about topdressing, which I was planning on doing later on this year. This is becoming quite a project. I really should have sodded, and I'm thinking that careful cutting down of the high spots might be better in many areas than feathering with more soil.

Hi. I've raised Lotus from seeds for four Years now. It has been MY expirence that floating seeds are no longer viable. I generally toss the floaters. My first couple of years doing this I tried to keep my floaters thinking they just might survive. But each time the seeds only grew fungus and fouled up the water. Now when I'm growing my lotus I always just toss out the floating seeds as they have NEVER sprouted for me. If you received a package of seeds and they all floated as you stated, I would defiently ask for a replacement pack of seeds from the vender! What kind of lotus are you growing? I've ordered nuciferia seeds and have had venders send lutea seeds in the past so be careful of your venders also they like to swich up seeds sometimes. The nucefieria is the asian lotus and the lutea is the American lotus and there is a difference. Also a difference in the flowers. So get a good vender you can trust that won't send floating seeds and will send you the correct seeds you have ordered. Good luck growing your lotus! Remember to have fun and lotus growing is very rewarding so don't give up! :) happy growing

Mary, this is an excellent question and one you shouldn't be embarrassed by :-) The terms 'green' and 'brown' to describe either carbon or nitrogen sources really do describe their coloration as well. Greens - the N source - really are "green"....or very close to it. They are fresh plant parts - grass clippings, debris from the veg garden, plant trimmings, weeds (without seeds), seaweed, fresh leaves, kitchen waste, etc. The non-green greens also include coffee grounds and eggshells (as considered kitchen waste). And fresh animal manures. Browns - the C source - are more "brown" than not: fall leaves, twigs, stems, chipped brush, other wood products, straw or hay, cardboard and other paper products, sawdust, pine straw, etc. IOW, dry or dead material. And yes, some materials can be both, depending on the stage they are in their life cycle. Green, fresh leaves, like might be generated by pruning, are a N source - dried, fallen leaves (dead) gathered up in fall become a prime source of C. It is a little bit more complicated than this - what determines whether a material is really a green or a brown is its ratio of carbon to nitrogen. But in general, most greens are green and fresh and most browns are brown and dried/dead. From th Organic Gardening Forum FAQ:the difference between greens and browns.