In just the jar I used isopropyl alcohol when I wasn't able to get to the lab to get my hands on the ethyl alcohol. It seemed to work just took a few more minutes for larger insects such as grasshoppers and such. The co2 idea sounds like it would be safer to try than alcohol especially for sensitive plants, thanks. At the moment I have an aphid infestation that is being controlled with the average water spraying and house hold made insecticide soap sprays. I am just trying to think of another way to clear a plant of insect (of any kind) without having to spray the plant directly and causing possible leaf burn and so on. I'll set up a few experimental plants with a few different things to see what works well and let everyone know. Thanks for the help everyone.

Most companies have a max. burn time rating for each product. These tend to be a little on the optimistic side... The trouble is a really long lasting fire tends to be a 'cool' fire [so to speak], which means more smoke, more polution, creoste, and a higher chance of chimney fire due to incomplete combustion, etc. 6 hours sounds unlikely to me for a fire box this size, though I'm no expert. But if you burn a hotter fire for a shorter time, it has the potential to raise the room temp enough that your central heat won't come on for at least 6 hours...

Well, since none of you all knew the answer to this one, I dug around and finally found out how to do it with the help of my Illinois Candle Association. If anyone ever needs to know, just ask me. It is actaully a rather simple process to get an estimated buring time. Susan

In this case, overseeding while amending won't be a problem (having told me that, I'm going to ride amendments--what few there are--out of the seeding period). Your overall soil condition is very good! The analysis is below, but you really don't need much in most locations, and as of next year you can fold the Front and Back into one test. The side should probably stay separate since you won't finish the calcium in a single year, but after that it can roll back in with the others. EC 10-11: A nice soil, featuring plenty of silt. It holds good resources and doesn't let them go too easily. Once balanced, it should tend to stay balanced for a couple of years without much effort on your part. pH: Really only a symptom. The side is the only one that's out of range, and that only slightly. Although the front's a touch high, we'll just let nature take its course there as it certainly isn't a problem. OM 5.2-6.8%: Good to Excellent. No emergency correction required, but certainly mulch mow, mow all your fall leaves, and possibly consider feeding organically. You have no great need to raise this, so there's no need to go nuts with it. Sulfur 12-ish: Perfectly reasonable numbers with wide windows for additives. Which I don't need, actually. Phosphorus 290+: The target would have been 200, 290-380 is well within perfect range and completely fine. No phosphorus required or desired in this soil. Calcium 70.9%, 67.7%, 54.5%: Front and back are fine (optimal, in fact), the back is low. We use high-calcitic lime for this, Encap, Mag-I-Cal, or Pennington Fast Lime. Recommendations below. Magnesium 15-20%: All very close to optimal with slightly over the top amounts showing in the soil. No magnesium required or desired. Potassium 2 - 2.5%: While within normal percentages, the soil shows a shortage that should be corrected. We use potassium sulfate (sulfate of potash) to correct this, which you can get at most garden stores or landscape shops--or they can order it for you. Potassium sulfate is very gentle and can actually go directly with your seed, but I'm separating it out by a month or so just to be absolutely certain. Recommendations below. Sodium (side) 4.3%: Very high, high enough that sodium sensitive plants will struggle a bit. Fortunately, grasses aren't that sodium-sensitive. Let's keep an eye on this and if the calcium doesn't help, we'll do something about it next year. Sodium levels in the front and back are much better and not a problem, although I wouldn't mind kicking some sodium out of the soil there either if it comes down to that. Minor Elements: Most are within good range, although I mention boron below. Boron 0.28, <0.2, 0.23: Very low, Deficient, Very Low. These are all close enough (the back could be 0.01 for all we know, but still gets the same treatment) to work with together. We use Milorganite as a carrier and 20 Mule Team Borax as the boron source. You can purchase 20 Mules at the grocery store in the laundry section. In a wheelbarrow or the like, dump the Milo. Spraying very, very lightly with water (I use a spray bottle like the kind people use to damp their clothes when they iron) will help the boron stick. Add the recommended amount of 20 Mule Team Borax and stir, spraying occasionally to get the stuff to stick to the Milo. Then apply over the recommended area. So if going for bag rate Milorganite (1 bag per 2,500 square feet), you'd add 10 tablespoons of 20 Mule Team Borax. Recommendation: October 1: (All Areas) Apply 3 pounds per thousand square feet potassium sulfate. October 15: (Side Only) Apply 9 pounds per thousand of Mag-I-Cal, Encap, or Pennington Fast Lime. Some paling of new grasses may result, but this will reverse on its own. If severe, follow up with a feeding of Milorganite to add some free iron--which I arranged to do on November 1 with the boron in any case to hold off any problems. November 1: Apply 4 tablespoons (not a misprint) per thousand square feet of 20 Mule Team Borax. April 1, 2016: (All Areas) Apply 3 pounds per thousand square feet potassium sulfate. April 15, 2016: (Side Only) Apply 9 pounds per thousand of Mag-I-Cal, Encap, or Pennington Fast Lime. Severe paling is extremely unlikely at this time.