Natural equivalent? Rain water wets entire plants not just roots. Rainwater is mysteriously more effective than normal fertilization. Rainwater is usually ionized through lightning. You are thinking in terms of liquids. Leaves have evolved to be able to extract oxygen, nitrogen and C02 from air directly. Water was its first domain and most of the plants still have the ability to do so. Green algae have no roots. Aquatic plants or halophytes have roots but nutrients in the form of ionic solutions donÂt need to reach the roots to be absorbed. In aquatic plant keeping you will learn that you don't need to circulate your water (that has nutrients added) through the substrate, even if the substrate has no nutrient base at all. The plants sucks nutrients out of the water equally as fast, there is no difference. Some halophytes you find in aquatic plant keeping you wonÂt find growing in water when you go look for them in the wild. The only differences between a halophyte and a non halophyte plant is that their skins are adapted not to dry above water or to be able to access dissolved gasses below water. The one adaptation messes up the other ability. So in my opinion, plant foliar feeding will vary between plant species. Tough waxy plants will be less effective while soft fast growing, higher humidity or "higher plants" will be more effective at utilizing foliar feeds. Controlled studies exists but is probably so old you won't find them on the net. It's common knowledge in my opinion. Maybe someone should post some fresh studies.

I am with you on the mockery/immitation thing, that would really get under my skin. Since I am the only gardener in our neighborhood (everyone else 'landcapes" if you know what I mean) - I get violent when they tell me I need to trim my rosebushes, or the clematis should be removed since they don't flower all year like thier standard red geraniums (pelorgoniums, actually). I almost gasped when our neighboor asked me to cut down our 25 year old ashes since they are too big and shade the street not to mention drop too many leaves in the fall - I told him thats what trees are supposed to do. I don't cut his cats head off whenever it S^iT$ in the yard - right? I would do the following to mess with them: 1. plant poison ivy on their side of the house (ok probably not the right tihng to do but funny) 2 find out what they hate and buy several of them (pink flamingos, trolls, Greco-Roman statues, Madonna) everyone has their lawn ornament-thing they hate. 3. I like the idea of switching nursery tags (yellow to red rose, etc.) I would plant sedum and name it something long and latin that cannot be translated....Pittospiulinium macrohepatodoethenuem var. albicans sans purpurea 4. plant a prairie, they sound like control freaks and would not like a prairie since they are hard to replicate tell them the next plant you plant is a division from a friend and you have no idea of the name.

willard, thank you very very much. booberry, perfect, that is exactly what I was hoping for! pepper tamer.... perfect advice thank you! I had no idea Jalapenos turn red!!!! I will definitely let them be and see what happens! I typically do research the plants, however, sadly, peppers (hot & sweet) were an afterthought in my garden this year... I winter sowed them in february and I didn't expect anything to actually come up. I didn't plan, I didn't make notes, and the BF tossed my seed packets on the ones I started (one was a wash anyhow, it was 'hot pepper mix'). So, I actually don't know what varieties I'm growing (other than I think one of my sweets is a 'california sunshine' or something like that). The ones I bought are the only kinds I know, I bought 'small ornamental hot' whatever that is, sweet banana, hot banana, jalapeno, and tara or tam tam or something like that (that one lost its tags to a lawn mower apparently). I have no clue whats going on, and no prior experience to go on.... if I at least knew what I had, I'd be researching, trust me!!! Oh well, learning for next year! thank you all very very much!!!!!

Hi shermthewerm, (great name!) If you have peppers on the Banana Pepper plant already you will almost certainly get them to turn red. They are really pretty and a bit sweeter so worth the wait. I usually get at least a few red ones, although last year was a real dud of a summer. The Anaheims can probably be picked any time they seem full-grown. When the peppers stop getting bigger you can pick them although leaving them on longer will most likely cause the flavor to get richer and hotter. One thing I've noticed with my hot peppers is the variability in heat even from one plant. Many of the early ones are very, very mild (esp. the Jalapenos) but occasionally one scorches. A little maturity and stress, such as witholding some (not all) water helps. Part of the excitement I guess ;-)