Hi Well Neps are very mineral hardy, out of all the CP's they can do pretty well with mineral rich water, not to say that its good for them. I would not advise you put ANY fertilizer of ANY SORT in its drinking water that gets to the roots, only a foliar feed would be suggested here. Your potting mix sounds fine, you want a mix that is very well draining and that will just stay moist but never be water logged. Many people use Coir, from what Ive read it does not do that well with other CP's though. An easy mix for a Nep (traditional mix) would be something like 2 parts Perlite, 1 Part Sphagnum Peat. I went a more "deluxe route" now back in South Africa by potting like this: Put layer of Long Fibre Sphagnum on bottom of pot to stop any soil mix from escaping. 1 part of each of these mixed together: Perlite, Vermiculite, LFS, Peat Moss, Orchid Bark I did this as a test with Peter D' Amato's "Deluxe Nep Mix", Im missing 2 or 3 things from his like Pumice, Charcoal and Lava Rock. The Neps seem very happy and are growing at a good rate. I cant say that they are any happier than when I grew them in 2 parts Perlite and 1 Part Peat though. Superthrive ia a great growth addetive, but I've seen and heard the bad side of too much on many CP's news groups. Over use of it also appears to lead to a HUGE mass of leaf growth, the downside is that there are no pitchers produced. From testing the growers have found that a monthly misting (half recommeded dosage on bottle) gives the plant an extra boost with folige growth and still has its large good looking pitchers. Many people have wondered if SuperThrive is a gimick or not. I attempted to test this with leaf cuttings as well as newly purchased plants. The Superthrive soaked leaves (D Capensis) did produce plantlets long before the untreated leaves and had faster growth to begin with. The new plants that where under stress from shipping and from climatising (D. Capensis Giant, Alba, Typical and D. Aliciae Typical) had their roots soaked for 30 minutes in a solution of 1 drop per cup full of water. The results where that the soaked plants adapted and started growth a few weeks before the unsoaked plants got their act together. From what I've seen it has benefit, mabey its just coincidence, but seems to be good stuff. Happy growing n good luck Sheldon

I agree about the general lack of knowledge about soil relationships, even in some frequent posters, but in my case I try not to make the assumption they are locked into using a soil that is bound to create root issues AND that restricts them to slowly increasing pot size incrementally. People like learning new things and discovering there are viable alternatives to staying stuck in the mud some try to grow in. ;o) I explain the alternatives & why they will work better, then let them decide. Understanding soil relationships to plant material is important to being able to grow plants to our best potential. You mention you understand the concept, but I notice you skirt it. There is no one soil that will always be appropriate for a given plant in all situations. As cultural conditions and even things like pot size vary, so should the soil mix. It's far better to at least enlighten folks to that fact. Even if they don't USE the info, it will provide a puzzle piece when difficulties DO arise. As evidenced from the amount of mail I receive, people do wish to learn more about soils. Those that I have helped here & off-forum, usually settle on their own mix, based on what's available to them and what they are willing to invest (time, primarily) in the soil. Invariably, they settle on a well structured soil that retains that structure for the life of the planting and that holds good volumes of air as long as it's in use. I'm not out to get you. ;o) When people tell sad stories of rotted roots, is it more appropriate to tell them to reduce pot size, or to grow in a more open soil? No need to answer, it's rhetorical. Al

If you haven't purchased your crape myrtles yet, you might want to wait until they bloom to buy them. Lots of mis-marked crapes in garden centers, so much better to tell when blooming and leafed out. Crapes are hardy, so even though it would be best to plant now, they will be fine if you wait, as long as you are mindful of watering while they are establishing. As far as your soil quality - it depends alot on what you are going to plant. If you are going native then less ammending is better - maybe just add a little compost. But if you are planting what I call "picky plants", the more the better. I'd decide on what you want, then look at their soil requirements at ammend accordingly. You can plant shrubs and perennials just about any time - be mindful of water if you wait until it gets really warm. Enjoy your new landscape. Expect to make some mistakes - plants that don't like the spot you picked, but keep at it. Trial and error.......

First, repotting is different from potting up. It's more involved in that it usually includes bare-rooting, root pruning, returning the plant to the same pot, one smaller, or one larger - depending on soil choice. The more open (the larger the soil particles) the soil is, the less critical pot size becomes. The 3 primary considerations re when it is/isn't appropriate to repot are: 1) Timing - where the plant is in the growth cycle. Houseplants vary significantly in their ability to bounce back from repotting. While there are a few exceptions, most houseplants would rather be repotted sometime around mid-June. If you keep Father's Day or the summer solstice (June 21, annually) in mind, you can't go far wrong if you live in the N hemisphere. Working with your plant's natural rhythms instead at cross purposes to them makes good sense. In early spring, plants are usually still recovering from the adversities of winter which cause the plant to expend most or nearly all of its energy reserves. By waiting until mid-June, the plant will have substantially recovered from the outlay of most of its energy reserves; and, it will be entering into the most robust part of the growth cycle, when days are longest and light most intense. This ensures the fastest recovery possible, leaving the plant less susceptible to insects and diseases that are more likely to enter the picture during long recovery periods 2) Root congestion. At the approximate point in time where the root/soil mass can be lifted from the soil intact, important considerations like growth rate, vitality, appearances, and in some cases yields, begin to be negatively affected. The limitations increase in a direct relationship with the severity of the (root) congestion, and can rob up to 100% of the plant's genetic potential. Bare-rooting, root pruning, and a change to appropriate soil can work wonders for a plant and make you feel like you're a better nurturer. And if you think about it, the only reason we grow things is because we have that nurturing bone. 3) Existing soil. It's not at all unusual for a plant to arrive in a medium most growers would consider to be inappropriate. Sometimes a repot might be so needed that we're forced to overlook the fact roots aren't congested or the timing isn't right. For the most part, it's better to use a work-around until the timing better favors the plant; but, when you think the plant's viability is in question if you wait until mid-June, you occasionally have to 'go for it'. Your sans is sensitive to fluoride, which is accumulative in tissues. IOW, once the fluoride is in the leaf, it remains there and accumulates until it manifests in symptoms at leaf tips and margins. No matter how often the horticultural myth about allowing water to rest in an open container so the fluoride can gas off is repeated, it simply doesn't happen. In fact, as water evaporates from open containers, the fluoride left behind actually INCREASES the concentration of fluoride. If you can, irrigate with rain water, snow melt, distilled water, or condensate from air conditioners or dehumidifiers. I use a small and inexpensive reverse osmosis filtration system for drinking water and water for indoor plants. It delivers water with 0 PPM dissolved solids or the equivalent of distilled water. It's made a notable difference in my ability to keep foliage pristine. Perhaps you know someone with an r/o system you can get water from. Al