Coincidentally, I left a post on another thread a little while ago that addresses the idea that certain plants "must dry between waterings." This is one of those statements that could be useful if it was properly qualified, but is simply wrong on its face. Strangely enough, I even used aralia as an example of plants that do indeed rebel quickly and notably when over-watered; however, that the plant doesn't like the stress associated with over-watering is not an indication it likes the stress associated with a dry soil, either. Following, is a copy/paste of what I offered on a thread about F alii. Remember it was written and posted before this thread appeared: [The question was asked] "Before I lightly water, should the soil be completely dry from top to bottom of my pot?" Your question begs a yes/no answer, but if I answered YES, I would be wrong, and NO wouldn't be very helpful because it needs qualifying to be useful. Some growers confidently give the advice that plants like succulents, schefflera, aralia, ficus, and many others, should be allowed to go dry before you water again. This is an error that cuts against the well-being of the plant. These plants TOLERATE drought stress better than most other plants when they're taken as a group, but that doesn't mean they are immune to the ill effects of drought stress - they're not. Let's add some perspective though, to what I just said. It's easy to see how that advice originated and came to be accepted as a near universal truth, when in fact it should be relegated to the pile of horticultural myths. Aralia, for example, is a plant that reacts quickly and poorly to soggy soil conditions. Somewhere, someone writing a plant book said, "I don't think my readers will understand, or want to be bothered with what it takes to understand, this watering business, so I'd better make sure the information I supply at least keeps them from killing their plant from over-watering." The author then evaluates whether or not it's better to let the plant go dry and suffer the effects of drought stress, or to tell them to keep the soil moist and risk the grower being too heavy-handed on the watering can. The lesser of the evils is to let the plant dry down before you water. It's not "good for the plant"; it's simply 'less bad' than over-watering. 'Balance', is a nuance that escapes a high % of even long-time growers. It's important to understand that what you THINK you're seeing isn't always what is actually happening. For instance, many growers assume that when you can only detect (with finger/probe) moisture in the extreme bottom of the pot, all the roots above the detectable moisture level are unable to take up water and nutrients. That's what it LOOKS like - the soil is dry - right? That's what we assume and what we act on, if we don't understand that plants take up water a molecule at a time from a microscopically water in the bottom of the pot diffuses in vapor form throughout the entire soil mass. So in actuality, it might only be the top 10% of the soil that is actually too dry for the plant ..... and the roots in the top 10% of the soil are going to be almost all conducting/anchoring roots anyway. Additionally, when there is moisture detectable only at the pot bottom, the diffusion rate can easily be high enough that not only will there be water available in vapor form in the upper part of the pot, but enough diffusion might be going on that it maintains the integrity of that microscopic film of water on colloidal surfaces from which plants gather water. Remember, plants don't take up water in sips/gulps like we do. Water moves into the plant a molecule at a time, so water that can actually be SEEN in soils is inhibiting of root function. That's why it's so important to understand that evenly damp or moist is the ideal state of water retention for almost everything we grow. HOW to achieve 'evenly moist' is part of the same play - just a different act. At this juncture, what's important is that 'evenly moist' is ideal, but if you have to err, err on the dry side - but not TOO dry. One thing you need to consider is where the roots are in the container. A 12" pot containing a plant with 3" of root depth due to a recent root pruning/repotting/potting up, shouldn't be allowed to dry down as much as the same set-up that's mature (roots have thoroughly colonized the soil mass). The key to this whole watering thing is reducing the amount of perched water in the soil to the greatest degree possible. It may seem like word play, but reducing the amount of perched water a soil CAN hold is better than working toward reducing the amount of perched water a soil DOES hold. The reason there is a difference is, the former is achieved as a function of particle size and the physical properties of the particles, both of which affect ACTUAL aeration and drainage. The later can be achieved via a variety of ways that don't necessarily depend on changes in particle size and aeration; so while the net result is still an improvement, it's not as significant an improvement as reducing the amount of water a soil is capable of holding. Al

Bagman, oddly enough, we have a large population of hawks in our rural area, yet our chickens are never bothered. Maybe because we chose large breeds, instead of Bantams? The hawks regularly kill native birds, but do not attempt to attack the 5-6 lb Buff Orpingtons. The Silver Leghorn Rooster is also a terrific deterrant. He even scares my 195 lb husband(G). There are no problems with Foxes, Raccoons or othe poultry predators due to the Mastiffs and a Jack Russell Terrier guarding the property. We have no coyotes to deal with, but we do have Bobcats. Locking up the poultry at night keeps them safe while the dogs are sleeping in the A/C. Here in Florida, I see so much waste of fruits. I admit it does cause strong feelings and I don't know why people do it. Can you explain why you would let fruit/nuts fall to the ground instead of harvesting them? Why plant 50+ fruit trees if you plan to let the fruit fall? Or did I misread your post? Lisa

I'm not sure, but I think it depends on how thickly you mulch, and with what kind of mulch. If you use a few inches of wood chips or shredded bark, and put fresh chicken manure on top, I think you'd be ok. Wood mulches sponge up nitrogen as they decay, then release it back slowly into the soil once fully composted. And if you have a few inches of wood mulch between the chicken manure and the rose roots, it'd take be so diluted as it rains down that I'd think any danger of burning would be little to none. And with just one or two birds, I'm imagining the amount of fresh manure used would amount to a sprinkling every few days (as it's spread around the beds). But this is just me thinking -- I've never tried it. I'm sure others would know better. I think I remember seeing one of "Fred's Fine Fowl" youtube videos in which he said he put fresh manure (mixed with dirty henhouse bedding) directly on top of previous-season's wood mulch, then topped it with fresh mulch, and repeated every year. This was for his vegetables, but he said he didn't have any nitrogen burn. :-) ~Christopher Here is a link that might be useful: Chicken droppings and mulch This post was edited by AquaEyes on Sun, May 26, 13 at 2:13

I am not an egg drop soup person, but after seeing your tutorial, I might be for a homemade version. That looks delicious like I've never seen egg drop soup before. Your soup really looks awesome delicious. I'm a hot sour soup person, and I think from what you showed, the egg drop might be better than I remembered so many years ago when I decided I didn't like it.