d d , you are making a number of ascertians that I think are making you do things that will not prove of benefit. First, you associate water as a saviour, something the grass needs and needs lots of. If a pint works well, then a quart will do better and a gallon will just be the cat's meow. That's wrong....very wrong. Grass is no more than a bunch of small plants that grow together and they need nourishment just like other plants....but when too much is too much.....it cant help. One inch per week is recognized as the total volume needed for a lawn to live successfully. Too much is as bad as too little; what happens is, the water doesn't stick around, the roots are deprived, they grow weak and short and the sun then has an easy time to bake the soil. Too little or too much...it works both ways. Your lawn cries out for aeration....from your pictures there does seem to be a lot of thatch....dead material between the blades. When thatch builds, it deprives the soil of necessary oxygen and water. Even tho you water it, and rains have been overflowing, unless the ground absorbs the moisture, it cant do any good. Without explaining what aeration is comprised of....do read articles on 'why a lawn should be aerated". There are many methods and tools employed to effect good aeration....so read about it. Your lawn needs something to make the soil want to take in moisture and retain it. You say your soil in your vicinity is mostly sand....and when you think about....how good does sand retain moisture. So you have to do something to make your soil want to take in moisture and keep it....yet allow good drainage. In that there is an easy and effective way to achieve this. Organic matter. Organic matter comes in many forms...and only by injecting something of this nature into the soil will it keep moisture. Peat moss, newspaper, hay, straw, compost, topsoil, triple mix, loam, and yes....sand. Grass clippings---you don't have any I knwo, but clippings have a lot of nitrogen from fertilizer given, that should not be wasted. But, clippings have a lot of things wrong with it...and should be given to a compost pile first. Sand used in gardens is not the beach kind...it is a coarser granular type...buy it at a quarry or soil dealer that specifies it is builder's sand. This giving of compost though can be a budget killer---it is not cheap. Compost is material that is allowed to break down by microbial action....and should not be used unless in a completed form. Since your lawn is in such bad shape, I suggest you think to do it over....rototil the ground and inject much organic material. Much of the material can be inexpensive...peat moss, newspapers, old hay, old straw (straw and hay are grown and therefore have seeds and unless its at least a year...two years better--it can drop seeds and result in giving you a barnyard) Put down at least 2"....but 6" is better of topsoil. Rototil it all in, rake level to ensure good drainage, then put down sod or seed. The organic material you add should be at least 20% of the volume mixed in. Do not, if it becomes available, add more than 20% compost to what is already there. More is too much. When you buy seed, buy the best type you can afford...it will pay dividends. Poor seed will not grow in the best of soil---but good seed will grow in the worst of soil. In your area of New Jersey a combo of 40% Kentucky Blue, 40% perennial ryegrass and 20% fescue makes a good tough grass for your area. Its summertime now....the heat of which is not conducive to making good lawn---the heat can kill the seed and what sprinkling you do will dry out quickly. So, keep what you have and shake your head, but think to do your lawn in the fall when cool temperatures return. Grass grows much better at that time because there's less competition from other plants. Sprinkling water over it will not be lost to evaporation and if you follow good principles of grass making, you should have a pretty good starting lawn sometimes this fall. Starting: Be sure to use a "starter" type fertilizer when you first lay your seed. It can help speed up and protect germination. Next spring, put down 2" of compost (or topsoil) over the area and let your grass grow up and through it. Repeat this every year, fall and spring, 2" layer over your lawn....at least for the next 4 - 5 - 6 years. Making this a regular routine can help your lawn stand up to adversity better.

OK!!! You guys were freaking me out a bit....I just figured since the pond was very very clear I didn't mind if they put their feet in at the very top where the water is moving. I wouldn't let them drink it or anything ofcourse. I never thought of "bad could hurt us bacteria" I just figured it looks cleaner than most lakes around here and we'd be fine. Ofcourse my oldest fell in (she could touch the bottom) and I scooped her right out but she did get some pond water in her mouth. I imagine it tasted pretty yucky cause she kept gagging and spitting it out. We do have pretty great immune systems though and I read a book by jordin rubin a couple months ago that said it is important for children and aldults to play in the dirt and get germy....it is good for the immune system. As for electric shock....hmm never thought about that one. all the plugged in equipment is dry and on the deck? Should I worry about that? The previous owner sounded like she got in all the time to clean never mentioned turning the pumps off....and told me don't worry if when I clean it I get those wormys on me that they werent leeches?? HMMM! I wonder. I'll have to take a pic next time I'm out there. My fish too seem pretty healthy...I even saw 3 babies in there yesterday...call me stupid but I didn't know how they got in there. Fish DO IT?LOL I'm in pflugerville tx (right outside of austin) (marti8a) where are you?

You will find there are as many ways to root roses as there are roses to root. Josh's method is similar to mine but everyone adds their own tweaks to the system. What ever method you choose you'll find you'll have to make adjustments to suit your needs. I haven't had very good luck with indoor attempts at rooting so I do all mine outside. However, I do know that many people do indoor rooting and it works for them. You can use both soft and hard wood but the methods are different. If you want to do hard wood (older canes) rootings there are several threads on the propagation forum about a method called the "burrito". It works very well and may be the way for you. I do soft wood cuttings like Josh. I use clear plastic drinking cups (so I can see when they are rooted) with holes punched in the bottom for drainage and filled with SEED starter soil. Make sure it is already moistened and take a pencil and make a hole in the soil to place the cutting into so it won't wipe off the rooting hormone. I cut stems below a spent bloom about 12 inches long. Take off the dead bloom just below the hip. At the other end I GENTLY scrap off the green outer bark with a knife or scissors exposing the white cambium layer. Remove any leaves that will be below the soil line. Dip the end of the cutting in some water and then into the rooting powder. If you're using liquid rooting hormone you don't need to wet the stem. With the powdered hormone I gently tap the side to get off any excess powder. Then place the stem into the hole in the soil and gently firm the soil around it. I will tap the bottoms of the cups on the table to make sure there are no air pockets. Water them in a little and put them where you want to grow them. This is where there are a lot of differences. Some people will put covers over them to make a kind of greenhouse or terrarium to hold in moisture. Zip Lock bags or pop bottles or jars. I don't do that. They go outside, in full sun, with the rest of my seedlings and roses. But moisture is the most important thing. Too little and they'll dry up and die. Too much and they'll rot. I check mine daily and water when necessary and I have very high humidities most of the time so it works for me. If you live someplace very dry you may want to cover them. What ever method you decide on it will take a few attempts to get consistent results. It's not an exact science. Don't be afraid to experiment until you find the one that works best for you. Learn from your failures and try again!

Alison, I'm checking that ebony flower every day so I don't miss the seeds. Funny, it's the only ebony one. How come only one flower on it though? Any ideas how to get more than one flower after I get the seeds from this one? I love the painted tongue too. Trying to get the seeds from those too. I want lots of them next year. I love gazania too, but those rabbits just won't leave them alone no matter where I plant them, they find them. PM2 The candy lily where WS 3 years ago and just started to bloom Aug 6. Funny to cause I was going to move the fans this fall to a different location because they weren't blooming and was so surprised to see the flower stems full of buds show up all but over night. They are planted in an area that gets morning sun and then sun again later in the afternoon. They will get more sun after a big oak tree is taken down. These are all the same color though I know they come in different colors. Hoping for seeds. I'm pretty sure they can grow in full sun to part shade. Mine are in part shade. Fran