I would not do anything with sand until I had the basics of lawn care down. Golf course super would tell you to add sand because golf courses are built out of piles of sand. They add sand willy nilly for any reason without any consequences. They are unconcerned about proper drainage because they are out in a field where all the low spots are actual ponds. You don't have that luxury. If you add sand you could possibly create a dam that backs water up into your house or basement. Furthermore he has different needs with the continuous use of his grounds. Here's what the successful home owners do to keep their bermuda looking nice. Watering is the most important thing and you're doing it mostly wrong. You are watering shallow and frequently. That is backwards. Watering too frequently will cause the grass to look more tan than green. More on watering down below. Mowing is what you're doing mostly right. If you wanted to take it to the next level, mow 2x per week. Next level beyond that is mow down to 1 inch or lower. Fertilizer. The homeowner bermuda nuts fertilize every month of the growing season with a high N, low to zero P and K fertilizer. Of course you can do what your lawn hobby budget allows, but if you are going for the gold, that's what they do. If you have been fertilizing exclusively with chemical fertilizers for years, I would urge you to make at least one of your fertilizer apps with organic fertilizer like soybean meal, alfalfa pellets, corn meal, corn gluten meal, or a commercial product like Milorganite. The application rate is 15-20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. This will revitalize your soil. Another thing that helps is to spray the lawn with shampoo at a rate of 3 ounces per 1,000 square feet. Follow that with 1/2 to 1 inch water or rain to soak the shampoo down deep. Shampoo allows the water do filter down deeper into the soil where your roots should be. It also helps repopulate the soil with beneficial microbes. Use any clear shampoo. I use generic baby shampoo. Another guy here uses apple scented Alberto VO5 from the dollar store, because he likes the fragrance. Watering: Deep and infrequent is the mantra for watering. This is for all turf grass all over the place. Deep means 1 inch all at one time. Put some cat food or tuna cans around the yard, and time how long it takes your sprinkler(s) to fill all the cans. Memorize that time. That will be the time you water from now on. My hose, sprinkler and water pressure takes 8 full hours to fill the cans. Your time will likely be less. I like gentle watering. As for watering frequency, that depends on the daytime air temperature. With temps in the 90s, deep water once per week. With temps in the 80s, deep water once every 2 weeks. With temps in the 70s, deep water once every 3 weeks. With temps below 70, deep water once a month. Note that you have to keep up with quickly changing temps in the spring and fall. This deep and infrequent schedule works in Phoenix and in Vermont, so it should work for you. The reason for deep and infrequent is to grow deeper, more drought resistant roots and to allow the soil to dry completely at the surface for several days before watering again. If it rains, reset your calendar to account for the rainfall.

Wow ... I hope I can someday say I have a third of that many varieties :). My grandmother gave me a cutting of her grandmother's violet when I was 9 or 10. LOL have no idea what it's name or species was it was a small dark purple double with pale green small leaves (no ruffles no frills) and a yellow star in the center. It rooted easily in water but was fussy about light/warmth.I think I was 13 or so before I successfully raise a plant to maturity from that violet. I then started seeing all those lovely AVs at gasp a KMart and just had to have them. I would get one at a time and nurture them. My mom could not believe how well they did. My bedroom had southern and south western windows and they were full in no time. Then I just kept adding and as they got bigger I allowed her to display them on the carport on a flower shelf my dad built. She was so jealous of them. I am in Virginia (close to NC) in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. Thanks for saying that about the Witch Doctor ... lol it is lovely but not looking for "that" plant which will cause me grief. I am a purple fanatic so looking forward to eventually getting some purples and blues to balance out these pinks. :) I love the variegated leaf varieties and any unusual looking violet.. :) Just excited to imagine having these lovely flowers gracing my home again.

I have to ask, why the straight species? Are you looking for a plant that has naturalized to your area for breeding purposes? Impenetrable hedge for livestock? There's plenty of other "cold hardy" poncirus hybrids available to choose from. Anyway, if this is something in that you're truly looking for genetic variability within the species (as the 'Flying Dragon' type is commonly available), I have fruit on the ground from a "wild" type (found in the woods in tree form with thousands of seedlings beneath it) from here in the foothills of Tennessee. In a way they make an OK ornamental in that they have pretty, orange blossom scented flowers (but those spines are deadly). Fruit smells like strong turpentine. Anyway, shoot me a message and I'll see about mailing you some seed.

the peat has to stay moist. whenever you let it dry out, it forms a crust and repels water. In the propagation chamber, because the lid stays on most of the time, and because of the reservoir in the middle, the peat will never (or should not) dry out. When I use sand, I use washed play sand - any type or sand should work. The chamber uses the same principle as the 'Forsythe pot' only it has a cover to better retain humidity.