I think the guy who sold it to you had one too many shots outta that glass! You can wrap the roots with very thin gauge steel wire which is more flexible than fishing line and hang it in a well-lit area (no direct sun) where after a few years you'll get the making of a nice clump. It can be used as a temporary houseplant for a couple of days (to impress your guests) but then it's back outside with it. Bulbosa is a lover of very frequent misting and like all Tillandsias, constant air circulation, since it's habitat is in the jungles. The reason they are usually mounted sideways or upside down is to prevent water from collecting in the leaf bases, which can rot the pseudo-bulb tills like bulbosa. The greener the Tillandsia, the less light is needed. Good luck....and find another person to buy from ;-)

OK... both of you are recommending a heat pump. Is that yet another item I need? There was nothing in the quote they gave me about a heat pump and I thought they were selling me a whole new system. We did discuss a higher than 80% furnace but he recommended against it since more efficient one would costs $2K more and it would take forever to recoup that in utility bills. I don't think letting the whole thing be (ie.e, not even repairing the AC coil and pan) is an option since there is a significant amount of water coming onto the floor through the furnace right now. Should I call the company back and ask about a heat pump???

Hi all, as the original poster... I'd like to add some thoughts to this discussion. My hope in listing manufacturers and models was to solicit specific feedback. As a homeowner with no previous pool build experience, I need to hear from those in the pool industry or from other homeowners who have personally used or are using that equipment. Maybe someone has a similar setup and is thrilled with the results. Maybe someone upgraded an item or items and, since hindsight is 20/20... can offer insight so that I can make a better choice. I have learned so much from reading hundreds of other posts. I've been able to make informed decisions when discussing the project with the potential pool builder. And this forum provides an unique opportunity to get the opinions of those in the know. Had it not been for the info here and the pictures of pool builds, I may have made some costly mistakes. Because of detailed questions and information... I've been able to negotiate a very smart pool package and know what to look for as the build begins. And, maybe even more importantly, I feel good about my decision because the experts here have been willing to freely share their knowledge. Where else would I go? I personally know no one in the pool building industry. It's taken weeks of exacting research... hours online sifting through varying opinions in the search of objective input. So, thanks to all who've contributed here. Scott, if you have a moment.. would you mind looking over the original post and suggesting any changes or additions you feel might improve the project? Thanks again!

It is really difficult to sort through a massive post and address all the issues in one thread without creating more confusion for you or giving mis-information, much less writing a whole book long answer. So I hope you don't mind if I sort of pick and choose some of the issues you are dealing with to discuss. First, AFTER the bed is constructed and planted is not the best time to seek advice on how to do it. That time is before you do it. :-) So unfortunately you are going to get more done-wrong replies than done-right replies. But that is part of learning too and we were all there at one time or another. You have some problems to fix and they do need to be fixed. "3.5 ft square raised bed with soil about 6 inches deep filled with 3 cu. ft Nature's care organic raised bed soil, 1 bag Black Cow composted manure, and 1.8 cu. ft. Whitney farms planting soil." 6" is not deep enough for the plants you have there. They are tap root plants and that tap root is often 1-2 feet long or longer. So hopefully there is good soil below that bed that they can access. 6" is not deep enough for much of anything except some shallow rooted leafy greens. So yes the bed needs to at least be filled to the brimand before next season increased to at least 10" deep and deeper if possible. I couldn't find the info on what is beneath it, what it is sitting on? The fill components you used, while not ideal in some respects, are ok but they lack the needed minerals so yes, use good quality top soil and try to mix it in well with all the other ingredients. Do it now while the plant roots are still small so you can mix it well as close as possible to the plants. That first bed is also over-planted. A 3.5' bed can hold 2 tomato plants and 1 pepper plant MAX. Since it is so shallow all the roots are going to have to run horizontal just below the surface. San Marzano is normally a large plant and if it was given ideal growing conditions it could easily be 6' tall and 4' wide. It is going to shade the pepper plants badly. I would move the egg plant and most of the pepper plants out of the bed and into containers. Pepper plants will do well in a 5 gallon bucket if necessary. I don't understand the purpose of the PVC pipes so won't talk about those. But I agree with rgreen that the extra boards need to go. On the 3x10 plot what is all the black plastic? Hope fully the whole bed isn't just soil piled on top of black plastic or you are going to have real serious problems with drainage and rotting plant roots. The plastic needs to go ASAP. The plot diagram for the second bed is crowded but since already planted, too late to fix now. The spacing on the tomato plants is too close to be ideal so will require some extensive pruning and a great deal of support to keep them from taking over the whole 3 foot width and shading out everything else. And you need to get your trellis support in ASAP so installing it doesn't do root or plant damage. How deep is this bed? You are going to have some problems this year but you will learn a great deal in the process so treat it as a learning season and don't let it discourage you. Keep your expectations focused on that learning. Keep good notes to refer to next year, do some research in to the nutrient needs of your plants and how to feed them, learn about the differences between the water needs of tomatoes vs. peppers, keep adding more and more growing mediums to the beds as much as possible, and fix as much of the problems as possible. Hope this is of some help to you. Dave