First of all, I'm not a BB expert but I've researched asked many questions on this forum and elsewhere. I have approx. 20 BB plants in containers. Take my advice at whatever it might be worth to you. If you are set on using Azalea soil, consider reading the Dave Wilson Blueberries article (search those 3 terms). They recommend the azalea mix, small to medium bark, and sphagnum peat moss in a 1:1:1 ratio for hot CA weather like yours & mine. I can't attest to the performance (yet) but that basic recipe is sound for holding water and giving a nice low starting pH needed for BB. They also suggest adding CHC (aka COIR in "cube" form) for added water retention. I have several containers in that mix (no chc tho), along with a completely different medium of micro bark and Turface (5:2 ratio). There are pro's/con's of every type mix, so I'll merely suggest that in the Azalea (and any peat based mix) you probably understand you'll need to fully replace the soil in time (years) as it will collapse and the plants will decline for no apparent reason -- some say they go many years in the 1:1:1 DW mix above and they are happy. You should be able to add 1 tbsp/gal of white vinegar to your water at every watering. Finding the "ideal" amount and frequency requires a lot more work to measure media pH which is difficult to do with accuracy anyway (whereas simple water pH strips are fairly good). Adding pH "reducer" products like sulfur are not consistently effective in containers since they require soil micro-organisms to work; when or if they are working is questionable. Adding the vinegar should be fine to reduce the rate at which your medium pH will rise (as it will naturally do over time). Terracota is excellent for container plants (if you can afford them). But *might* be inadvisable for BB for the reason Don stated above. They keep the roots cooler as you've learned, but in doing so allows the soil to dry out faster. If you are committed to watering everyday (or however often it needs it), the TC pots are the way to go even for BB. However, it's safer to use white (or stone colored) plastic containers and shade the container itself from afternoon sun. If you do choose TC you should probably consider adding the CHC as the DW article suggests, to help offset the faster drying (though I myself have had a terrible experience with COIR). Hope this helps.

Haven't noticed a change in mood yet, but it's only been 2 weeks. Mood swings as I age have become unbearable and if anyone has any other suggestions, I'm open to them. Also looking at purchasing a product called Fem Meds, but it's only available online, so I'm a bit wary. I'm a teacher and this is a very stressful, busy time. Usually as I write my reports, I'm eating the whole time. I often gain 2 or 3 lbs. This time I'm losing - weird. Not sure what makes it "calm." I'm at work right now and can't look at the bottle. It is Jamieson brand and is available at grocery stores and pharmacies (here in Canada anyways). I've always been an advocate of getting what you need from what you eat rather than taking pills, but the last couple of years I've been popping a few different vitamins trying to get the hormones under control. So far, the only effect seems to be to make the drug companies wealthier.

I have heard and read from a guy that beat cancer without chemo and radiation that the stuff is soooo processed it causes inflammation!! The only type he recommends is by biotics research. I buy my vit d3 drops from them. seems good. better to go with CLEAN plant omega 3 and make sure your ratios are close to what they should be. Remove all processed foods with a HIGH omega 6 level because of synthetic ingredients/vitamins. For, they are SYNTHETIC and cause the body/cells HARM and DAMAGE. He says "Only flax, chia, sacha inchi, and seafood have more Omega-3 fats than Omega-6." *Otto Warburg info. Warburgs "The Metabolism of Carcinoma Cells" from The Journal of Cancer Research, 1925. "Commercially raised beef and chicken can have a ratio of as much as 15:1 Omega-6 to Omega-3 because the animals are fed grain based diets specifically designed to fatten them up." "The best building blocks of cells are unadulterated Parent Essential Fatty Acids Omega-6 and Omega-3 from organic sustainable sources. The rest of my fat intake comes from foods I consume in various amounts weekly: raw milk, raw cheese, raw pasture-raised eggs, olive oil, avocados, raw nuts and seeds, clean meats (organic grass-fed beef and lamb, organic free-range chicken, wild-caught alaskan salmon). I also take Parent EFA supplements daily. Udos Choice 3-6-9 Blend YES Ultimate EFAs" This is good information. Considering alot of fish are over processed and just full of harmful toxins. Why chance it, if you don't have to? Good luck and good health to you all. :)

Before leaving for the new post... Maybe I collect stray cats - have 9 ...and roses... can't have any beautiful objects like yours - especially not vases...the cats climb on everything and then whatever is there falls down and breaks... :-) but I love blue (cobalt especially) vases and bottles, and Jim, I adore those Gijoe doll-statues... they are so well made, perfectly rounded of, with so much attention to detail... I have never seen them. we only have Barbie and Ken dolls here... my brother used to collect Matchbox cars... I never had anything that special... except my cats and my roses... yes Carol... how sad what mankind does to nature... horrific.... I am going to delete the post with the elephant photo's until I've contacted my friends to ask their permission to post it permanently :-) so glad you liked seeing that.... please spread the news - stop purchasing ivory... the sad thing is, when you think about it - all the keys in a piano are made with ivory, that such a beautiful creature had to die to create such beautiful music..ironic isn't it? all for man's pleasure....