bmoser-that is a great price for Promix!! I buy about 300 bales (compressed) a year, and the cheapest I could get Promix for is like $20-23/bale. I was going to suggest trying another company that makes the soiless peat based mixes like Sunshine, Berger or fafard. They are the same as Promix-but cheaper. I am using Sunshine right now and I like it-they really are all the same. I could never figure out why the regular Promix ( not the new kinds with the fungicides added) was always more expensive and no sales rep could ever tell me. bmoser is correct-straight peat has a PH of about 4 and the soiless mixes have a PH of about 6.2 or so because of the slow release lime additive. They also have a wetting agent that allows the mix to absorb water immediately and peat by itself is really hard to get to retain water. If you are going to go to the trouble of germinating your own seeds-then it would be crazy not to use the soiless mixes. Another reason to use them is that after seeds germinate-its really important to come off the water some and peat mixes drain so well. Potting soil doesn't and thats where people get in trouble with damping off fungus

ssmdgardener and Kim I was talking about BARK _based potting mix, like 511. I did not say that bark is the only ingredient it it. The picture, that I posted, was borrowed from here on CG forum. BARK SIZE: it is recommended that the size not to be bigger than 1/2". That means like more than like 80% of it meat that requirement. If it is not consistent then you screen the big chunks out. This is not and exact science. In addition to the nuggets, they have crushed and much smaller pieces too. So with that and the peat moss that you add to it, that should take care of packing the nuggets. I am already employing the bark-based concept in potting my seedlings. And I will use it for my outdoors pots this year. I think this is a better alternative to peat moss-based mixes. That is why I am going to try it. Disclaimer : JIMO.

2009 Cemetery of Pecs, Hungary Introduction to the Organic (Urban) Conifering 2 Meanwhile editing the Conifer Treasury 3.0 in 2009, I found more and more datas about finding new conifer selections in american cemeteries. A really strange idea, why are breeders disturbing the peace there? After a while I separated some cemetery finds with photos. Breeders found there brooms and compact growing conifers. That time I lived in a conifer photo fog of 12000 collected pieces. I told myself, this is a good opportunity to recognize any different conifers, and tried the teoretic skills in the practice. The Christmas day in 2009 was very good in Pecs, Hungary, where they have a 150 acre cemetery, full of aged conifers. Most of them were planted by family members, mainly of seed. Very few nursery matter was recognizeble there. In this sense the cemetery area works like a wild forest. In two hours I found more than 30 coloured sports, compact or giant habit trees, giant dwarfs and any mixtures of these. After a while it was clear, the finds are much more as with the usual practice available selections. The old plants were shown not usual habit, they are impossible to select in seedbeds or by any usual selecting methods. In many cases after 20-40 years take forms their sightly real outlook. I think this was a turning point in the new concept: I have to examine aged plants, and select among them by habit, colour, form, which are important in the recognizing. I was speaking about my finding with Hodi Toth, Jozsef, Father of the Semidesert Conifering. Finally we started to discover the eastern suburbs of Budapest, Hungary. We found week to week incredible quantities of never seen aged plants. I also informed Nate Cassell and Dax Herbst about the new situation. Nate made an experimental discovery in Colorado to give me a control about my ideas. He found some incredible old beauties in cemeteries and in the neighbouring forests with his �new eye". Having seen his shots, it was clear for me, that the Organic Conifering is born, and works. In 2011 I tried to describe the substance of the Organic Conifering. I asked about my friend Dax, who informed me. �Good start on the text and photos of Urban Conifering 1. Randy (Dykstra) and Chub (Harper) - (also Dave Horst / Charlie Hunter) all were friends and as natural broom & conifer hunting started in Cemeteries. While visiting Randy Dykstra in Iowa this summer, late summer he told me that Chub and he went to every cemetery on a map for years and years until they visited them all. Of course this was Iowa and Illinois mainly. How they did the mapping was as this. They called the city (mayor office) and asked for city maps which included all the cemeteries within a city. Then they would go to the city and visit the cemetery. So yes they planned." Some weeks ago Dennis Hermsen informed me, that he also found a nice Colorado fir broom in a cemetery. I guess that the grounds of the Organic Conifering has been started about the 80�s in american cemeteries in a planned way, I followed them in 2009 with the test of the cemetery of Pecs, Hungary, and finally we turned to the examinations and selections of aged plants. We have a very characteristic series of aged Picea pungens seedlings, which start to turn down after 15-25 years, and later form a columnar habit � meanwhile pendulous. I invite you all to an introduction journey to the Organic Conifering. Feel free to join with unusual finds! Zsolt conifertreasury.org ** Abies pinsapo MPH Janus Pannonius Silvery giant dwarf globe Abies pinsapo MPH Janus Pannonius conifertreasury.org photo Abies pinsapo MPH Tudor A compact dwarf type deep green plant, 3 meters in 40 years. Abies pinsapo �MPH Tudor� conifertreasury.org photo Abies concolor MPH Hordo conifertreasury.org photo A dense upright blue dick clon, grows as usual Abies concolor MPH Hordo conifertreasury.org photo Calocedrus decurrens MPH Aranyos Citromle A goldi-lemon sport, grows as usual Calocedrus decurrens MPH Aranyos Citromle conifertreasury.org photo Cedrus libani MPH Szent Erzsebet conifertreasury.org photo Bright goldhaired princess in winter. Cedrus libani MPH Szent Erzsebet conifertreasury.org photo Cedrus libani MPH Szent Laszlo conifertreasury.org photo A compactous dense cedar in bright silvery shine, just like a hero king. Cedrus libani MPH Szent Laszlo conifertreasury.org photo Chamaecyparis lawsoniana MPH Ezusthaju Nagyanyo A dense, broad silvery clon, grows slowly Chamaecyparis lawsoniana MPH Ezusthaju Nagyanyo conifertreasury.org photo Chamaecyparis lawsoniana MPH Kincsestar Bright gold winter gold sport, grows as usual Chamaecyparis lawsoniana MPH Kincsestar conifertreasury.org photo Chamaecyparis lawsoniana MPH Malom Great conical habit, grey-silvery sport of an old Chamaecyparis lawsoniana Triomp van Boskoop Chamaecyparis lawsoniana MPH Malom conifertreasury.org photo Chamaecyparis lawsoniana MPH Misina Gold-tipped green semidwarf selection for small gardens. 3 meters in 30 years. Chamaecyparis lawsoniana MPH Misina conifertreasury.org photo Chamaecyparis lawsoniana MPH Misina conifertreasury.org photo Chamaecyparis lawsoniana MPH Thokoly Blue column with lemonade on the tops, looks like bicolor Chamaecyparis lawsoniana MPH Thokoly conifertreasury.org photo Chamaecyparis lawsoniana MPH Zsolnay Eozin An intensive greeny-lemonade sport of a young Chamaecyparis lawsoniana �Columnaris Glauca�, grows to a conical column. Chamaecyparis lawsoniana MPH Zsolnay Eozin conifertreasury.org photo Cupressocyparis leylandii x MPH Aranka Bright gold wintergold sports, grows as usual Cupressocyparis leylandii x MPH Aranka conifertreasury.org photo Cupressus arizonica MPH Bajuszkiraly An irregular upright bluish plant, picturesque habit Cupressus arizonica MPH Bajuszkiraly conifertreasury.org photo Cupressus arizonica MPH Kekszakal A narrow, dense blue sport, grows slowly Cupressus arizonica MPH Kekszakal conifertreasury.org photo Cupressus sempervirens MPH Orseg A very narrow, dense darkgreen seedling, grows slowly Cupressus sempervirens MPH Orseg conifertreasury.org photo Juniperus chinensis MPH Citromparna A juvenile goldie-lemon sport on a Juniperus chinensis Pfitzeriana with nice fresh colour. Found in a Budapest cemetery, Hungary Juniperus chinensis �MPH Citromparna� conifertreasury.org photo Juniperus chinensis MPH Aranyoska & MPH Meregzold Juniperus chinensis MPH Aranyoska & MPH Meregzold conifertreasury.org photo Juniperus sabina MPH Mecseki Citromle Bright gold also in winter, grows as usual Juniperus sabina MPH Mecseki Citromle conifertreasury.org photo Picea abies MPH Kiskaracsony A compact green semidwarf, a nice garden Christmas tree. Picea abies MPH Kiskaracsony conifertreasury.org photo Picea pungens MPH Bujtor Pici Broad, bright blue big spruce, needs place. Picea pungens MPH Bujtor Pici conifertreasury.org photo Picea pungens MPH Kekfesto We thought earlier, nothing could be so blue, like this tree. Picea pungens MPH Kekfesto conifertreasury.org photo Picea pungens MPH Kiskegyed A blue dwarf conical giant. 2 meters in 30 years. Picea pungens MPH Kiskegyed conifertreasury.org photo Pinus nigra MPH Duci & MPH Vastag Slow growing dark green broad column, with some stomack Pinus nigra MPH Duci & MPH Vastag conifertreasury.org photo Platycladus orientalis MPH Hungaria A mushroom-like dwarf green eastern arborvitae Platycladus orientalis MPH Hungaria conifertreasury.org photo Platycladus orientalis MPH Mirandolina Bright bronze gold also in winter, a dense dwarf Platycladus orientalis MPH Mirandolina conifertreasury.org photo Platycladus orientalis MPH Rezes Early copper-bronze coloured conical selection, wild found in a Budapest cemetery, Hungary. Platycladus orientalis MPH Rezes conifertreasury.org photo Thuja occidentalis MPH Citromsalata Creamy bright winter colour leaved columnar type, sport of a Thuja occidentalis Smaragd. Thuja occidentalis MPH Citromsalata conifertreasury.org photo Thuja occidentalis MPH Pepi Medium size green-blueish column Thuja occidentalis MPH Pepi conifertreasury.org photo Thuja plicata MPH Kormoci Arany Bright gold also in winter, grows as usual Thuja plicata MPH Kormoci Arany conifertreasury.org photo Thuja plicata MPH Mezes Medium gold sport also in winter, grows slowly, 2 m in 10 years Thuja plicata MPH Mezes conifertreasury.org photo

Well, I'm glad someone tried the agar. Between the odds of getting an albino and someone willing to try to save it AND post the results online, it's hard to find out what happens. If you ever get another one, you might try mycorrhizae. I've heard of mycotrophs feeding on them, and they're basically just slightly evolved albino plants. Some of them actually diverged so recently they still look almost identical to their normal green relatives. The idea is that the microbes connected to a healthy plant still connect to the albino roots, and the albino is able to hijack the network and steal nutrients. Since mycorrhizae allow plant roots to absorb nutrients more efficiently than they would be able to on their own, it might work better than agar. I've heard albino redwoods attach themselves to the roots of normal redwoods and leach off of that network, but I'm not sure if they rely on mycorrhizae as seedlings or throughout the process or not at all, though I've heard pines and other conifers have to have a mycorrhizal association to survive as seedlings. If it's just sticking to roots, then I don't see how it would be any different than grafting. By the way, could you post that albino graft picture? I've heard tell of them but I've never actually seen a successful one. A few successful variegated seedling grafts, sure, but not a true albino.