Hey Jim, I have a question about your foliar feeding experiment. I read where you were careful not to let the foliar feed drip into the soil, but (and maybe I just overlooked it), I don't see anywhere that you said you were giving the non-foliar plants the same additional food through the roots? From my experience, the question isn't "Can plants absorb water and nutrients through the leaves", but "Is foliar feeding more effective than simply pouring it directly into the soil?" I mean, if both sets of plants are treated the same otherwise, and one is getting additional feeding, it seems rather straight forward that it would do better. The real question is efficiency. If both plants receive the same amount of feeding, only one gets it only on the leaves and the other gets it only on the roots, which one will do better?

Dear Bodica: My name is Bruce Curtis and I am the Director of Marketing for DriWater, Inc. I happened to see your posted forum question "DriWater.com vs. Polymers" dated June 26, 2008 regarding our product, and thought a warranted reply would help you. DRiWATER is made from 98% water and 2% food-grade ingredients. The product is organic, all-natural, safe around people and animals, biodegradable and environmentally friendly. DRiWATER is not an absorbent polymer therefore it will not compete with the plant for moisture; a polymer may, if itÂs allowed to dry out. DRiWATER guarantees to disperse water at a predicable release rate, over a predetermined period of time, and it is not affected by climatic conditions. Polymers are unpredictable, and are affected by climatic conditions  Wind, high temperatures, etc. can accelerate the release of moisture from a polymer causing rooting problems due to too much moisture or killing the plant due to lack of moisture. DRiWATER will not over-water your plants and will stop dispersing moisture when the soil becomes too wet due to rain or other watering methods. A polymer can hold up to 400 times its weight in water, holding it at the plantÂs root zone; again, during wet weather this can saturate the root zone causing root rot, thus killing the plant. A quart of DRiWATER, used on a 12-18 inch seedling rose bush or tree will provide moisture to the shrub for up to 90-days. You may need a second unit and sometimes supplemental water may be required but this all depends on your location and the climatic conditions. Also, regular gelatin or Jello would not provide similar results to DRiWATER. These compounds are not stable thus they would drop all their moisture very quickly. They are not time-release nor would they provide predicable water release rate as DRiWATER does, plus they may attract unwanted critters damaging your shrubs. Here is a good article to may find interesting called "DRiWATER plants millionth tree in Sahara Desert" http://www.uswaternews.com/archives/arcglobal/8dripla9.html Please feel free to call one of our knowledgeable staff at 1800-DRiWATER or Email us at driwater@driwater.com if you have any more questions. Yours Sincerely, Bruce A. Curtis

hi Dixie, if you don't mind I just want to add to this from my perspective. As you know i'm growing av's in perlite ... because it's easiest available. 1. Water line: So far I do have mine standing in water. I would be scared to leave them without since I don't know how quickly the roots would dry out and be damaged. (maybe ? 6 hours? no idea). the amount of water they're standing in depends on the plant ... on the geraniums it's about 1/10th of the pot and the av leaves and new crown cuttings it can be 3/4 of the pot, eventually i'll let that go down to less than 1/4 of the pot. Since my husband can only water once per week I might use taller pots, even cutting a pop bottle and making a really tall planter, to prevent the roots being too close to the water line. 2. humidity: When I transfer a large/old av (neck cutting) I do increase the humidity by adding a saucer underneath. All the leaves I put under domes got mildew - about 3 domes. So that was why I suggested not putting under domes ... although I do like Karin's suggestion and it's very much worth a try. This is such a great experiment. For me I need to get a system where people that have no idea about watering any kind of plant can just step in and water to the line marked. I may go back to the soilless 1:1:1 method with wicks, it might be easier to use that and use sand/gravel and diatomaceous earth to prevent gnats. I have had a lot of problems with geranium cuttings and my perlite method. I have also found that soil does help prevent against black rot and pythium and makes it harder for the pythium bacteria to spread. It would also help I think if I used half perlite and half gravel to stop the perlite from absorbing too much water. But right now it's all a very fun experiment with the geraniums. The African violets I haven't had any problems with ...knock on wood. I very much want to try the grow stones. I love that they're so light. I have hanging baskets that I want to try them on next summer. The hydroton would be good too but it's as heavy as soil .. I think ... anyway it's really too heavy. thank you so much for this fun thread and for your very clear photos. oh ps: I fully expect to use the hydrons for my av's .... first they're proven to be reliable ... at least Irina uses them and her av's are beautiful. And also maybe they're not as moist as the perlite is, standing in water, maybe that extra dryness will prevent some problems... (I have no idea :) ) I also wonder if different perlite would give me different results. At the moment i'm using MG and it has fertilizer I didn't want plus they're very small pieces and powder. It's possible that another perlite would give me better results ... i'll try that eventually. :) all the best for now. :)

In all honesty, I cannot take credit for the wonderful examples and analogies quoted above... they belong to Al. They are important, interconnecting parts of the entire article on container soils and water retention he offers, but they serve to get the point across in a way we can all visualize, which sometimes works better. I recently mentioned in another forum... it might even have been this one... that the gardening industry as a whole exists for one purpose, and one purpose only... that being profit. They found a niche to fill, one where consumers are less likely to take the time and expend the effort to learn the basic science of plant culture and the physics of how water reacts in soils, or mediums... not to mention proper watering technique and nutrition regimens, and other variables that allow us to grow our plants to their genetic optimum. The general public has been sold the same methods and supplies for so long that the whole thing has become rather... stagnant, I guess would be the word I'm looking for... but our automatic reaction is to trust that the industry is offering us what we need, what works. It might work for us, the consumers... but we're not the ones planted in such mediums... our plants are! It also might work from the viewpoint of convenience, because we only have to water or feed so often with the heavier, peat based soils... but that doesn't mean our plants are happy or healthy residing in such soils, and more often than not, we are not getting them to grow anywhere near their genetic potential. An expert, or someone with an understanding of such heavy mediums, who has the experience and know how to properly water and feed to the best advantage they offer might have a fair level of success... but most of us are just average, everyday, weekend gardeners who don't really know what is happening under the surface of our soils. A lot of growers throw out the axiom "it works for me"... and it very well may... but no one else has their exact environment, climate, level of experience and knowledge, plant material, schedule of care, or other variables that could make a small or large difference. It's also kind of a sentence or argument ender for some. They may not want to explore the depths of container growing as thoroughly as someone else, and may feel that the convenience is ok for them. Not everyone is so devoted to growing well. Under the surface of that heavy soil, however, where there is a perched water table, and moisture is held for long periods of time before drying out... roots literally drown due to lack of oxygen, and they die. As the soil dries out, new live roots are then able to re-colonize those areas... and then we come along and water again... and the cycle replays. As this cycle continues to replay, decaying root matter accumulates, causing toxic gasses to form... and the plant is weakened by this continual cycle of death and regeneration, and an inadequate exchange of fresh oxygen and gasses at the root zone. All this prevents our plants from growing as they should... as they could. If we didn't re-pot on a very regular basis, those plants would surely meet their demise. I'd also like to touch briefly on something else we don't talk about nearly enough... the vast differences between growing in the confined space of containers... and growing in the ground. Once you understand the science of growing plants in pots, you understand why a more inorganic approach works best... one where we are in control of the moisture, nutrition, PH, and we're using a medium that holds its structure well, etc. We wouldn't really want to use organic methods with pots because the two environments, that within a pot and that in the ground, are so uniquely different. In the ground, Mother Nature has an entire army of tiny insects, worms, microscopic creatures, fungi and bacterias that all work in unison, decomposing organic matter into usable nutrition, and maintaining and balancing the environment, keeping it aerated, nutrition rich, and drained well. We don't have that same natural army within our containers doing all that work, actually maintaining the environment and keeping it all in perfect balance, and trying to duplicate Mother Nature within our pots would be next to impossible! Therefore, it makes sense to reserve organic gardening methods for the garden outside, and stick with a more inorganic approach for our containerized growing. Outdoors, in my vegetable garden and perennial beds, I use mostly organic methods. I fertilize using composted goat and horse manure, and the used pool water from a group of Muscovy Ducks. For pest control, I try to stick with natural predators and encourage beneficial insects to stick around, like praying mantises, spiders, toads, snakes, and other critters that eat the bad bugs. I use aged natural wood mulch to help protect roots from our frigid winters, and I generally try not to use chemicals or anything unnatural. With my containerized plants, whether I grow them indoors or outdoors, I realize that they depend on me to ensure proper moisture levels, aeration, drainage, protection from damaging insects, the proper amount of light, humidity and temperature... and they need a nutrition regimen in which the food is in a form that is immediately usable for uptake by the roots, and doesn't require anything to break it down further into usable form. Often, fertilizers like fish emulsion and other natural items aren't really broken down enough for immediate uptake, so it pays to check into that when shopping for a container plant food. The garden has a pretty steady food supply going on, so I try to maintain that type of buffet for my potted plants, by offering them a weakened solution of liquid fertilizer that's ready to be up-taken by the roots, and complete with the micro-nutrients needed. I offer it every time watering is necessary. There was more I wanted to mention, but I can't remember what it was, now... oh, well... it'll come to me later. Frank, there's nothing wrong with a grown man, or woman for that matter, getting excited over the pending arrival of new plants! I'd call it enthusiasm for something you enjoy greatly... and part of life is about attaining that state of happiness! I'm happy for you! :-) And I can't wait until next spring, when I'll be in the very same euphoric state, awaiting the arrival of whatever I decide to order! And don't worry so much about getting everything exactly perfect with the Gritty Mix... once you really grasp the concepts entailed, when you reach that epiphany moment, when the light bulb goes on and you think, "aha!"... you'll find that you will begin slightly adjusting the various ingredient ratios you use in a batch of mix to suit different plants, pots, and situations. And I think you've reached that point. Instead of using a topsoil or a manure compost as your "extra moisture retention ingredient", though, I would get a bag of high grade potting soil that doesn't have anything added, like those nasty moisture crystals, or extra feed. Miracle Gro potting soil has really tanked in quality over the past few years, so I pass on that. We use a different brand, though I can't recall the name at the moment. Sunshine is a good brand, too. You want something fairly even and nice in quality. And remember... turface holds a decent amount of moisture, so take care when adding anything else. Eddie Haskell?! No, no, no... you're much too intelligent and funny to play a secondary sidekick role like that! ;-) Thanksgiving... I know... time flies faster the older we get. Remember when you couldn't wait to be old enough to ride a two wheeled bike? And you couldn't wait to go from grade school to middle or high school... to be able to earn your own money... to get your driver's license... to be approved to drink alcohol... so many milestones. Every time I turn around, another decade is gone. I'm only 50, but I feel ancient sometimes. In fact, this has tired me... I'm thinking a nap sounds good. ;-) Have a nice day!