Larissa: Firstly, if the media that you've been using for your orchids work, then why switch to lava? I'm new to lava myself. Only started using it this spring to counter over-watering tendencies. Still, it can hold a lot of water as folks here have noted. Do read previous posts on this forum about lava rock usage. The major downside with lava rock is that it absorbs/precipitates salts/minerals in hard water. If you're using rain/distilled water/naturally soft water, this should not be a problem. My dendrobiums (all sorts) are in 100% red lava rock in clay pots - they seem to do very well. My phalaenopsis (amabilis, bellina, etc.) are in clay pots with larger (~3/4" diameter) lava at the lower 1/3 of the pot, and 1:3 finer lava:fir bark mix for the upper 2/3's - they seem to do great too - indoors, South windowsill. Cannot speak for oncidiums and BLCs - I imagine they'd do fine in lava since they like to dry between watering. Hope this helps, alvin Here is a link that might be useful: Lava and Phalaenopsis

If you think they are re-usable by someone else, perhaps post a message on CraigsList, a local newspaper, or maybe the bulletin board of a church or supermarket. I'm sure someone would be glad to take it all. People pay good money for stuff like that, so they would be glad to take it for free.

Hey, Patrick, Glad to see the guy got rid of it! He came into the nursery where I work the weekend of the 11th, wondering how to get rid of it. Well, as *I* certainly don't like it , I told him to post it on Craigslist. Happy to see he got a taker! How are your gardens growing? I have been sidelined by a bad knee/replacement the past year and a half, so mine have been largely un-tended. Cathy Jensen

Msgirl asked very good questions that I always learn from her. Sam, thank you for the reply. Looking at Hawaii's rose park: vivid & deep color, indicative of DEEP & fertile soil rich in volcanic ash. Plus roses in public parks are GRAFTED on Dr. Huey which can reach deep below for nutrients. Chicago Botanical Gardens' hybrid-tea roses are grafted. Even with their loamy fluffy soil: their Old Garden Roses (most are own-roots) can't go down deep ... and their blooms become 1/2 size in our record-rain this year, due to calcium & nutrients leaching. It's worse in my heavy clay, only 1 foot of top soil, below is ICKY sub-clay that no plants can grow, not even weeds. With wimpy own-roots, really tiny like alfalfa sprouts, in 1-foot-soil, and 40 inch. of rain, plus 32 inch. of snow per year ... that will leach out nutrients UNLESS solid stuff is added on top. I see own-roots like babies: if they are really tiny like Jude the Obscure, they can't handle solids, and have to be spoon-fed constantly with tiny, diluted amount of SOLUBLE fertilizer ... tiny roots can't hold much at one time, and die if too much is given. That's why slow-released organics, low NPK 2-1-2 & low-salt like alfalfa works well with own-roots. Re-mineralization on top works for own-roots, since they can't reach deep down. Even with aggressive own-roots like Romantica French roses: it's thick & woody surface roots, rather than a straight stick down like Dr. Huey. Frederic Mistral died after many years in my garden, when I dug that up, thick & woody, but within the top 6" of soil ... I put 1 bag of sand, 1 bag of organics, and 2 bags of top soil. The soil is deep & fluffy & loamy soil ... it's just the nature of the root expanding across, rather than a straight stick down like Dr. Huey. Mirandy is known to survive zone 5a for decades, when I killed it on purpose, the root was a straight-stick deep down, very much like Dr. Huey. Dr. Huey is a huge & woody straight-down stick. He doesn't need to be fed nor watered that often. Dr. Huey is so aggressive that within one month of planting, it reached deep down to the sub-clay beneath, I broke 1/4 of Dr. Huey when I dug up Pink Peace ... but the rose was perky after I re-planted. So re-mineralization is NOT needed for Dr. Huey, he can extend 4 feet across to steal water and nutrients from elsewhere. I spent 1 and 1/2 hour killing Dr.Huey rootstock. Yes, the root extended that far: 4 feet across, and at least 2 feet deep. Someone in Colorado reported killing Dr. Huey, and 5-years later, it sprouted again. My neighbor spent $$$ to have a tree chopped down, but they did not dig up all the roots. Few years later, I saw a bunch of shoots where the tree was chopped off. My zone 5a is infested with ugly, tall Dr. Huey take-overs . Homeowners don't have the time to kill Dr. Huey.