Anurag - the thread about container soils and water retention was written with the hope that those reading it would come away with an understanding of how water behaves in soils, & particularly how particle size and other physical characteristics impact perched water retention and o/a water retention. It's up to the grower to decide what he/she wants to do - how diligently they want to work at reducing the amount of excess water their soils hold. 1:1:1, screened bark:screened Turface:grit is the most productive soil I've used, but I don't use it for everything. Veggies & plants I know are only going to live a year of go 1 year between repots, usually go in the 5:1:1 mix. All of my woody plants, housep0lants including succulents, and other plants I know will be in the same soil for 2 growth cycles or longer, go in the gritty 1:1:1 mix. The 1:1:1 and 5:1:1 ratios are guidelines, but they're good ones. They minimize the amount of perched water a soil holds, and the gritty mix makes a good run at maximizing the volume of water held inside soil particles while still offering additional adjustability. If you live in a rainy climate and you're using the gritty mix, you might want to increase the amount of grit and decrease the amount of Turface commensurately. If it's dry where you live, increase the Turface and decrease the grit - but make sure that the soil holds enough water to carry you through the dry days, but not so much your plant suffers during periods of prolonged rain. Shading the pots when it's hot is very helpful. High soil/root temps is one of the primary limiting factors for container growers. I like soluble synthetic fertilizers. There is no more efficient way to ensure your plants get what they need, when they need it, at the right ratio, and in a favorable o/a concentration. How you fertilize is up to you, but soluble synthetics make fertilizing almost foolproof, as long as the grower holds up his/her end of the deal. When you root prune, the object is to eliminate large roots that aren't attached to the trunk and are in unfavorable positions to make room for and increase the number of fine roots, which do all the work except anchoring and transport. You'll need to develop a feel for root pruning because all plants don't get the same treatment. Reread the thread about water movement in soil, and the one about trees in containers. Make sure you understand what's in those threads. If you do gain that understanding, it should make a significant difference in what you get back for your efforts. Best luck. Al

Thanks for the info. I have several AV's that are blooming great. I think I'll enter a photo or two! Linda

Lynn - the dogs love him (Shelties seem totally intrigued by cats), GrayC ignores him, and Jack can't stop watching him. No mad playing yet but I expect it to happen quickly. He and Jack will be buddies, I'm sure. The new guy is settled in enough so that he's running, dashing, skittering and all the other adorable stuff that kittens do. He's been dragging even the dog's big stuffed toys around, growing to himself over the stuggle. I think that once he is allowed out in the screen room, the lizard population will plummet. I predict him to be a little killer so I'll have to keep him in and away from the birds! We found him at www.1-800-save-a-pet.com - a rescue organization that operates all over the US. You put in your zip code to find animals listed near you, then contact the individual rescue place. It's worth some computer time just to check them out. I had a Siamese as a child so I was sort of looking for one. When I saw this Siamese mix with the Big Foot I couldn't resist. I drove up to Jacksonville to get him! If anyone is interested, he has an identical brother and a crazy little sister who is tabby striped in gray and peach. I've never seen a cat with her coloring before and she's just beautiful. Both of the siblings have the toes too. Many of the cats in Key West are polydactyl and are referred to as Hemingway cats . (If he were female, Polly Dactyl would be a great name. Maybe Paulie Dactyl???) They are common enough so that you can even do a search on that save-a-pet site for Hemingway/Polydactyl cats. There was a fluffy black poly cutie listed in Orlando but the foster people never responded to my email about that one. Kate For a picture of Peaches (the sister): Peaches the 6-toed peach/gray tabby/Siamese

Hey, could sure use your help! I'm one of 6 finalists for a photo contest and am in 2nd place but...if I win 1st place my picture will be on the COVER of Living the country life Magazine!! The website is: http://www.livingthecountrylife.com/app/voting/index.jsp?id=/templatedata/lcl/voting/data/1275688105603.xml&mediaItemID=/sharemy/04012010/18943012 Also, register for the free gardening magazine if you don't already get it. My picture is Winter is for the birds.... Please email me if you like the picture!! Thanks gardening friends!!!