There is a huge 'dead zone' in the Gulf of Mexico. Do you really believe that it is caused by homeowners using too much fertilizer? I don't. The dead zone is blamed on runoff from farmland. If farm runoff is enough to cause that dead zone, how can it not be the cause of Phosphorus in streams and water supplies? When farmers farm, they do a very carefully analysis of how much fertilizer they need to maximize their profits. If they don't, they go out of business. They could care less about runoff if their farm is at stake. I agree with cyrus on this one; it's political. Just as with air pollution and vehicle pollution controls, it is politically expedient to force the ordinary person to bear the brunt of regulation. Businesses get a pass. For years, trucks were exempted from the requirement to use catalytic converters. They were 10% of vehicles on the road but they were creating 50% of the air pollution. Only recently were they required to clean up their exhaust.

Ah, hex you want this to be so wrong. Sorry but you can look up the "no nutritional value" on hydroponics it's well documented. An yes your right the plants don't care what the source of those elements are. But we're not talking about the plants but what "feeds on them". But lets talk about something else. You mentioned a perpetual motion machine. Well, yes that's what life is. it's in the very air we breathe. The plants breathe in bacteria that has the nitrogen cycle living inside it. The plant nitrogen (waste) cycle is part of that too. Even in an anaerobic system that still goes on. I have apple and pear trees that are ten years old that have been flowering, fruiting as well. With no intervention from me other than water if I notice. That means no fertilizer either. The bucket design captures rainfall so that wasn't often. Oh, that's right there's another difference. Capturing the rain water is taboo for your form of hydroponics. I mean with all the measurements and such. Haven't needed to take a reading ph or other wise in more than 20yrs. As for growing something..a tomato. Really. Is that the hill you standing on. I'm showing Cashews, Macadamia nuts,, coffee, 3 kinds of Bio-Fuel. Apples, pears, Plums, peaches all growing happily in the system. I bring pictures of everything. There even Strawberries flowering this year that grow anaerobically. Let's just off the top of my head there are Norfolk pines, Fiddle leaf figs, Sago palms, cactus, White and Yellow Birds of Paradise, Orchids, Pony Tail palms, Citrus. All growing quite happily. Those pictures are already on here. As for water consumption on average each tight 5gal container holds about three an a half gallons. That water last between 45 and 60 days with out rain. If I get a good rain once a month I don't have to water at all.

Hi Ano, I have some very small (American) persimmon seedlings. You are welcome to some; bear in mind that most persimmons require both a male and a female closeby for pollination and fruit production. So about 50% chance of that with 3 seedlings, sex unknown. However: the cultivar 'Meader' is unusual in that it is parthenocarpic -- it sets large fruit, with a few sterile seeds generally, *without* a pollinator. So that might be worth the additional time and expense to procure? Also note that many opinions exist as to the best-tasting American persimmon; I considered putting in a 'Prok' also but decided to use the space for Chinese mulberries instead. Another cheap possible source: state university nurseries generally raise and sell a variety of trees, once-a year, bareroot, in the late autumn. These sales are usually not well publicized. -- Stan in Hamilton, NJ 609.731.3882

Here's the latest: It looks like the situation has been resolved. I've been told that the hybridizer is growing some of the seedlings, that two have bloomed and they look like P. 'Mission Dolores' (P. parritae x antioquiensis). So apparently the pollen somehow came from P. antioquiensis, which is growing in the hybridizer's garden. Interestingly, as far as I can tell the seedlings resemble P. parritae in many ways, and some features, such as the petiole glands, differ significantly from P. 'Mission Dolores'. Perhaps there is variability in the cross, or maybe these change as the plant matures. I thought it was important to figure out whether the seedlings were new P. parritae clones. In this case simply waiting for the flower to bloom could have led to the loss of many of the clones if people didn't think think another hybrid was worth the time, space and effort. Plus there would have been less reason to aggressively propagate the seedlings. It was surprising that the answer to their identity came so quickly, and of course the more information the better.