For those that think "it does not make a difference where the NPK atoms come from," do you also get the nutrition you need for your body in pill form only? It isn't the same thing. This is an apples and oranges comparison. Study after study has been done and plants are not physiologically capable of determining where it gets nutrients from. Plant response is the same regardless. A case in point is hydroponics. There ain't no soil, but the plants do just fine. Whether a bag of organic fertilizer, a cow's butt or a bag of synthetic fertilizer the 'stuff' that enters the roots is the same regardless. All fertilizer and no organic matter makes soil unhappy. This is not the same as saying 100% of nutrients have to come from organic matter or plants will be unhealthy. Take organic matter, strip away the organics to make the mineral available to the plant (which is what the soil herd do) and it's the same thing as is in the bag of fertilizer. That's what the plants take up into themselves.

For the sake of having fun with both sides of the issue, I'll play plastic pot advocate:-). Keep in mind I can only speak from my personal experience of growing tropicals in containers here in Oklahoma over the last 30 or so years. What works for you somewhere else in the world may trump anything I might say. All plastic pots is a stretch :-). I use the Rootmaker inc. plastic pot which probably is the best plastic pot in the world. The one gallon pot has 28 holes (actually 56 with 2 side by side) in it and it dries out faster than your clay pots. I've done side by side tests with a decent number of plants to see. The black plastic Rootmaker 1 with the predrilled holes all around the container dry out faster than a red clay pot of similar size in full sun. I grow almost exclusively in plastic. Big plants weigh too much on their own even without the clay pot. I will put some specimen Adenium down the road in very nice very shallow ceramic pots. If I want an adenium to develop a more shallow and wider root span, I'll take a 10 inch hanging basket (I have a bunch of used ones laying around) and drill 1/4 inch holes in it for faster drainage. The 20-30 holes will be on the bottom and on the sides maybe an 1/8 inch above where the bottom of the pot is. With bulb pans I dont bother. I can make a plastic pot drain much better and faster "easier" than I can modify a clay pot. A modified plastic pot can give you a good run for your money. I've got literally hundreds of clay pots I bought at a garage sale about 15 years ago that I don't use. As far as adeniums overpotted, no matter the pot make up, they will rot if grown in marginal soil. Crappy soil is crappy soil. A pot will not make the difference. Personally I think soil is the most important part of what we do with plants outside of care. Containers or container sizes are probably next. 3 years ago I skimped on soil with a bunch of adeniums because money was tight and I paid a huge price. Over half rotted and many were slow to recover. A few with nice blooms I rerooted after I lost most of the root system. I just don't loose adeniums with good soil. Never have and hopefully never will :-). I can put a nice adenium in crappy soil and kill it over the winter unless I'm totally focused on that plant and watch it very close. I can put a another nice adenium in a great soil mix and rarely have to focus as intensely on it as I do the one in crappy soil. Bad soils can hide rot problems sometimes until it's too late. Good soils with good care hide nothing. There's nothing to hide. randy

Hi there Sue and Karyn, great to see you posting about DR's. I think they are amazing plants, I really hope I can get one to flower at some point for me!! These guys have really been through the mill to get to this stage, earlier in the year I thought they were gonners, but the heated propagator bought them back from the brink of death. I started some others from seed a few weeks back but only got 3 to germinate this time....don't know what I was playing at as I later realised I'd had them too wet and too hot so they just rotted away....drat, a silly mistake to make. Karyn, how old are your seedlings that are blooming? These in the pics above were sown on 10th Feb '08. Would love to see some pics of yours if poss? Your new seedling with the variegated leaves looks really interesting...keep us posted on its progress please? Regards, Gill.

Cool season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass (KBG) , rye, turf type tall fescue, (tttf) are fertilized mainly in the fall (with one application in late spring). How much depends on the type of grass. Fescue needs 2-3 lb/K of nitrogen a year. KBG needs 3-5 lb/K a year. An application at bag rate usually gives you a lb/K of nitrogen. Warm season grasses like Bermuda are fertilized mainly in late spring and the summer. If you need phosphorus or potassium, you should look for fertilizers that include a good amount of the nutrient needed. Otherwise, a fertilizer with mainly nitrogen is fine. The NPK numbers on the bag are the percentages of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) in the fertilizer. You will have choices between slow release (generally a good choice) and fast release fertilizer. Always water after applying synthetic fertilizers (or put it down right before rain). Milorganite is an organic fertilizer that is a good choice if you're not sure what to get. Milorganite does not need to be watered in. Grains like soybean meal and corn can also used as organic fertilizers. Leave your clippings on the lawn when you cut grass; they help fertilize.