I've included a link to an excellent thread on "Water Movement and Retention." It's the place to begin if you're interested in perfecting your container soils. The 5:1:1 mix is a custom mix comprised of five parts pine bark fines, one part spaghnum peat and one part perlite. It is referenced near the bottom of the opening post in that thread. Once you read through the thread you may have more questions, but this is a great primer. FWIW, I've been growing peppers and tomatoes in the 5:1:1 for several years with excellent results. Here is a link that might be useful: Water Movement and Retention

Oh, thank you for propping the little guy up. I will sleep easier tonight. ( oddly I was compelled to check back again to make sure he was going to be okay ) Yeah, another plant saved by GW. You could still adjust once you see how it grows. But safe from the Humpty Dumpty problem. Yeah, cucumbers and zucchini plants seem to be born with mildews. It's just one of those things. I have a Star of India clematis that is well known for powdery mildew, after the blooms get going, and before it's over for the year. It's so pretty and so big, I hate the moment in time when it gets going. I've found with the clematis if I catch it at the very first sign, and spray with baking soda ( a teaspoon or a table spoon..forget which), a drop of dish soap, and water ( 4 1/2 quarts is my sprayer... recipe on the internet ) I can most often stop it. Depends on how well I do at remembering, and the weather. Powdery mildew happens with warm dry weather or with dry soil and humid conditions. Downy mildew likes cool, wet conditions. Both thrive with lack of ventilation. So, not too dry, not too wet, not too warm, and not too cool. LOL Hey.. it's going to happen. Don't sweat the small stuff. I do remember last summer I used the same clematis technique on my zucchinis and they eventually came out of it and grew on with new leaves and new flowers. The older parts looked neckid, but that how it rolls sometimes. I've learned if I can find room I plant two zucchinis or two cucumbers just because of this. Generally they act up separately and one will be worse than the other, so I can yank one completely out if needed and all is well. Honestly, this time of year zucchini is super cheap at the market. And if you have a local farmers market, all the better. It's a chance to wander around and see what folks around you are growing now, pick up something yummy. Plus meet really nice people. I don't remember ever spraying for bugs the last 40 years in this garden, though I probably did back when I first started. I'm just about to go to war and actually use a spray for the first time this year. Leaf miners have crossed the line ( yes, it seems there was a "line" I wasn't aware of ). They are mowing down the north east corner..many hostas and my two favorite clematises. Hundreds of dollars. :( After this last clematis ( Clematis 'Yukikomachi') finishes blooming I'll start, since then there will be no flowers in the area to attract pollinators, thus lessen my odds of causing damage to my little bee friends. Weighed dumping the plants , but I'm just not ready to go there yet. So here my beautiful clematis this afternoon ... see ? The leaves are not clematis leaves.. I've picked those off for now. That's worth a war at least for now I've decided. But I sort of want to cry. How dare they !

Jeri, You're right, and waiting is no problem at all, since there's always so much going on in the garden. The question in my mind has been whether my roses in the more difficult parts of the garden will ever get beyond their relatively dwarf dimensions; and your answer suggests that they will. I think you're right about the speed with which roses, and other plants, grow in the Southeast. Jennie, would it work over an area of several acres? One consideration is that my pockets are already full: gloves, pruner, folding saw (front left, back left, back right pockets) are the minimum equipment when I head out in the garden. Your solution sounds very convenient in a more restricted area. Melissa

Linda, how long have you had yours? The varying reports of height are the reason I'm asking about it. There's a photo in Howard Garrett's "Plants for Houston" of a gorgeous well shaped smallish tree, but most of what I've seen seem to be pretty bushy (sometimes large) plants. I'd love a tree like that, but I don't want a 6' bush in the middle of my yard. On the other hand, it doesn't seem like it would do it justice to plant something that could turn into such a well formed tree against a fence... I'm starting to think maybe I should pick something with a more predictable final look.