I grew Black Beauty last year and it was a beautiful plant, and the fruit was pretty tasty. I also grew Black Egg and was less impressed - I had a ton of fruit but they were rather flavorless. This year, I'm trying Black Beauty, Black Egg (just to give the variety another chance), Florida Highbush, Listada da Granada, and Pingtung. I keep trying to grow Turkish Orange, but haven't been successful, so I'm giving up on that variety.

In response to a six year old comment on a very old thread, urine is actually quite sterile. What comes out the other end is not. That's the best thing to wrap your head around. I find that putting urine on my compost pile raises the temperature noticeably. It really does seem to accelerate composting. Urine sure won't do anything about the pH level of the bed, and wood ash is about the worst thing you can do about alkaline soil. My soil is alkaline, and I consider wood ash mildly toxic waste. (Though in very modest quantities, it is fine to put in a compost pile.) Per unit weight, wood ash is about half as effective in increasing alkalinity as lime.

My husband always says, "Pretty is as pretty does... pretty won't save your butt in a tight situation. Gimme the ugly dog that bites like a shark and will lay down her own life to save mine. To me, that's a pretty dog." He's an old school breeder with the finest reputation in his line of dogs. We've hosted shows, but they're mainly designed to bring the breed community together... the conformation rings are always very sparse. The get-together is always fun, though. I almost dislike giving advice for growing hippeastrums... mainly because what works for me may not necessarily work for someone else. Be it soil, or fertilizer, or watering techniques... or even container type... it's all relevant to an individual's climate and gardening habits... I think we all have to do our own bit of research, take what we learn and read with a grain of salt and a lot of common sense... and in so doing, we eventually find a way that works for our situation. I hope everyone takes my postings as what they are... my own personal opinions and findings... something to think about, maybe, or a jumping-off place for research... but still, only my own observations... I'm not an expert by a long shot... I just want to get some ideas across that may help in a given situation... or may help get you thinking about other ways to do things...something I do may make you think about something you're doing or not doing... but in the end... we all have to find the equation that works for us. For me, MiracleGro houseplant liquid seems to make my bulbs happy... I've tried other fertilizers, but I always come back to the liquid... they just seem to grow well on it.

Sorry for the delay, I've been a bit busy! California, Santa Ana, Bermuda grass. Got it. Nitrogen (under Other): I ignore these as they change hour by hour, by moisture level in the soil, temperature, and so on. In the future, don't bother with this test. Exchange Capacity 13: Most likely a fairly dense silt soil, which is great to have. This is a near-optimal EC as far as I'm concerned and only requires retesting about every 3 years once balanced. Organic Matter 2.4%: Fair. I wouldn't mind seeing this go up, so mulch mow, mow any fall leaves (if you get those there), and maybe feed organically if you wish. pH 7.5: A little high, but no barrier to a fantastic lawn. More below under Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium and Potassium. Sulfur 20: Normal! Phosphorous 97: Somewhat low. The target here would be 240 or so. We raise this using any starter fertilizer (get the cheapest, they're all pretty much the same). Recommendations below. Calcium 69.1%: On the high edge of normal, but normal (high Ca wouldn't do any harm anyway). None required or desired, and this is helping to set off your high pH. Magnesium 20.4%: Extremely high. Although still fine, for a soil with an EC of 13 would only require about 11-12% Mg. Excess Mg raises soil pH, and tightens soils and makes them hard to dig and rock-like when dry. I'd avoid anything that lists magnesium in it for quite some time to come! Potassium 3.2%: This is a touch trim, but nothing severe, and I'm going to ignore it this year. Excess K isn't a problem and doesn't raise pH that much, but I'd still rather avoid it. Sodium 3.4%: A little high. Sodium sharply raises pH, and serves no useful purpose. Excess Na is toxic. We could dispel it...at the cost of adding even more calcium, so I'm inclined to let it ride this year. I'd definitely advise against using softened water on the lawn, but sodium is frequently from salt spray or natural in the soil. Perhaps you could tell us about conditions? Minor elements: Boron is a touch low but nothing to worry about. Most others are OK, although all tend to be sky high (your copper levels might be a slight problem, but there's nothing we can really do about it, so...) Definitely avoid feed with micronutrients. You don't need them! Iron, however, is a bit low at 101. It's not severe, but may result in lighter colors in the lawn. You can always use Milorganite to feed the lawn and add iron (slowly). Recommendations April 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. May 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. September 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate. October 1: Apply starter fertilizer at bag rate.