I'm usually extremely patient with all the questions and replies from even the newest newbies, but look - Pam gave you good advise; and you've revealed through the nature of your questions that the base of knowledge you're operating from is not broad or extensive enough to dispute it, or even mount a legitimate argument against it. Perhaps I'm misreading things, but it appears to me that you'd like to be spoon-fed your answers, and if they aren't what you wanted to hear, you'd rather stay the very course you question than change it. I stopped offering advice simply because it quickly became apparent you weren't paying much heed to it anyway. If you had armed yourself with some of the knowledge offered by following the links, you would at least be able to frame your questions in such a way that they would lead to usable answers, and you would also be cognizant of some of the reasoning set Pam and others used to formulate their advice. "...the pond soil is pretty much Turface. I checked." Ok - I checked too. So how does it compare in physical size to Turface? Is it as porous overall? What % of the product is sand? "It looks like the same exact thing." How can it when the PRIMARY ingredient is sand? "It provides aeration for the plant." Whether or not it provides aeration depends on what volume it's used in - what % of the total volume it comprises - and what the size of the other particulates are. IOW - you cannot make this blanket statement. "And besides, coast redwoods love water anyway." So do Labrador retrievers. If you're so sure they'll (redwoods) love the water so much, then any old soil will suit them fine - garden soil holds tons of water .... The FACT is, they don't love water. Like almost all trees, they require good aeration for their vitality, which is not always easy to supply in container culture, which leads us full circle to the concept that all three of the experienced growers expanded upon at one point or another. Good luck. Al

lololo..I never meant Dove..It's a good thing you caught that! I meant to say 'Ivory' dishwashing soap...I use about 5 drops in the 32 ounce sprayer...Sheesh! Yes. Exactly! Make sure to hit every leaf..Every once in a while, like let's say once a month I treat all trees anyway just to avoid any type of onset..Sort of a maintenence thing. Yes one part GOAT and one part of everything else..lol Just kidding..Let me know when you find any ingredients and then we can make something just like the 1.1.1 or 5.1.1 of an amended version of either..It will be real easy.. Perlite is a HUGE start. Napa store will usually have floor dry comparable to Turface and Pumice, sort of an inbetween..Make sure it does not fall apart when water touches it. Agway has all the bark fines you need...It's their own blue bag consisting of southern pine bark. The pet store might have big bags of Fir Bark. Grain stores usually carry Turface Mvp and or chicken grit growers size without crushed shells..It's pure crushed granite. Pool supply stores carry washed coarse sand..Very good stuff. The local Nursery might have a heavy mix that contains mostly bark. You can find Fafard at most Hydroponics stores and or look online to see who your local sellers are.. Pumice and or Turface can also be found at local Bonsai shops.. Your current mix is far superior than just a bagged mix and I can tell you had drainage in mind..Good job..But I am afraid if you don't change your trees out of it by next fall, it will go bust, decompose and compact... The 5.1.1 mix will only require a bunch of bark and perlite.. The 1.1.1 is easy to amend if you can't find all the actual ingredients.. Looks like you have plans for this spring, just like me. MIke:-)

what is your soil .... if anything but clay ... with good drainage ... dig hole.. remove from pot .. untangle or trim circling roots ... make inverted cone in hole.. set plant on top so that it is at the proper planting depth ..... refill half way with the soil extracted ... drench in thoroughly.. packing a bit to insure it wont sink .... when the water has drained ... refill the rest of the soil .... drench again .... add a 2 foot mulch ring around the whole plant ..... do not water again.. until.. inserting your index finger.. to the second knuckle.. the soil feels dry or hot [hot meaning it will dry in a few days ..] .... most conifers prefer a good drink .. and then NOT all that much water .... water deeply but infrequently ... and use your finger ... when i plant.. it might end up weeks or months before more water is needed ... based on the vagaries of mother nature ... make sure it goes into winter.. properly watered .... you are responsible for PROPER watering.. for two years.. and then.. it should be pretty much free range thereafter .... should be a pretty easy one to succeed with ... let us know if clay is an issue good luck ken Here is a link that might be useful: should have thought of this before i typed all that ....

This question has been asked before - my mom lives in Treasure Island, on the waterfront & has a pomegranate shrub that my dad planted over 20 years ago - it seems to do fine w/ little extra care, & if it were properly cultivated, I imagine it doing great. She gets @ least 6-8 large fruits every year from the remaining plant (there were originally 2). Sorry but I've no idea what variety; flowers are the classic red/orange & fruits get very large & are pretty sweet. I believe he got them from Park Seed, if that's any help. Somebody else nearby is growing pomegranate as well. Here is a link that might be useful: Punica granatum