its a little early for my zone 5 ... to be putting out tender annuals ... so... work in the garage .. today .. and do one pot.. and see what happens to the babes in the next few days/weeks ... experiments are always better than the thoughts of peeps all over the country .... i presume you have a few to spare.. and if the media is so volatile that it will kill them.. i presume it will do so within the next 2 weeks.. until the last frost date ... so give it a go ..... ken

Not all is as you might imagine it to be. I save a lot of the stuff I write as a document when the question comes up over & over. Coffee & tea as plant 'tonics' is a frequent topic. Here's what I discovered: Forum discussions frequently center on the question of adding dilute coffee/tea or grounds to plants as a 'tonic', but Arabica (coffee) and Camellia (tea) are known for their toxic alkaloid (caffeine) content and their allelopathic affect on plants as well as autotoxic (poison to their own seedlings) effects on future generations. Caffeine interferes with root development by impairing protein metabolism. This affects activity of an important bio-compound (PPO) and lignification (the process of becoming woody), crucial steps for root formation. We also know that the tannins in both coffee and tea are known allelopaths (growth inhibitors). There are ongoing experiments to develop herbicides using extracts from both coffee and tea that cause me to want to say they might serve better as a nonselective herbicide than as a tonic. I would not use either (stale coffee or tea) by applying directly to my plants - especially containerized plants; nor would I add tea bags/coffee grounds to my container soils. Rob - you can use white vinegar or citric acid (and other acids, but stick with the safer stuff) to lower the pH of your irrigation water (for the acid lovers) to about 5.5. Note how much acid is required per unit (like a gallon or 5 gallon unit) and repeat as needed. Note that pH of freshly drawn water rises as the dissolved CO2 gases off over a 24 hr period, so let the water you'll use rest for a day before adding the acid (first time only) for an accurate read. You'll need some pH paper - like what is used for ponds or aquariums. Al

Hi aptosca - It said - for potted plants. How are you to know that doesn't mean house plants? That was one of your questions. The terms potted plants and house plants are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference. All houseplants are potted, but not all potted plants are grown in the house; many people have potted plants outside, on patios and porches, or summering their houseplants outside, or just growing-on plants for size or whatever - many reasons. Plants grown outside in pots tend to dry out faster than plants grown indoors, and that's why some people prefer "water retentive" soils for outdoor potted plants. But one thing is true outdoors or indoors - wet soil that never dries out makes for wet roots, and wet roots make for dead plants. As you can see from reading all of this thread, there's a lot of 'different strokes for different folks.' It's one reason that you find so much conflicting information if you do much research. One thing that's absolutely true, though, is that if roots stay too wet, plants die. But... That's not always true, either, because many plants are incredibly, amazingly adaptable. Species that are known to hate "wet feet" sometimes adapt to living in a constantly wet - I mean soaking wet - pot. I know, I have one. This is another source of much conflicting information. My advice to you would be to try what seems reasonable to you, what seems to fit your own requirements best. If things don't work as well as you would like, try something else. Even if you are satisfied with results, go ahead and try something different, just as an experiment. That's one reason you never get tired of working with plants, once you get into it.

Miracle Gro soil mix has earned a reputation for being toxic to young roses whose root systems are still developing, because its nutrient content is overly rich; too much nutrient available immediately. I suspect it appears to be effective because it pumps a lot of Nitrogen into the plants instantly, giving the impression it is beneficial in the long run. Chances are, the N supply will be exhausted fairly quickly and then you will see what the actual soil components are capable of. If you want something to amend your existing soil with, this is likely a waste of $$$; stick with the amendments you already have at your disposal. If you want a good potting mixture for container grown roses, look to a brand that has a lot of organic nutrient components (manure, cottonseed meal, green sand, alfalfa, fish meal, etc) which will release nutrients as the components break down, slowly, over a long period of time. A steady, slow supply of Nitrogen is much more beneficial to the plant than is a sudden burst of intense nutrient.