Take a deep breath, Alicia. ;o) First, so there is no argument: there is really no such thing as a 'proper' container soil for any plant; though, there are soils that are more appropriate and make it easier to coax your plants into being as close to what they can be as possible, within the limits of other cultural factors. Even though it's often argued, we can say that the large majority will hold that soils made of significant fractions of topsoil/garden soil should be avoided in containers because of their small particle size and excessive water retention, which goes hand in hand with insufficient aeration. Many of us have taken the logical position that soils comprised primarily of other fine particles - peat, compost, coir, also hold more water than we prefer, and feel these soils hold our plants back in terms of growth and vitality. I found this to be very true in my plants by accident. I tried to grow bonsai in soils like MG or other bagged soils, and failed miserably (it's more difficult to grow in shallow pots using heavy soils). After considerable effort spent educating myself about bonsai soils, I started experimenting with ALL my soils for container plants. What grew out of it were the 5:1:1 mix and the gritty mix. Having switched to these soils, I can unabashedly say that the level of growth and vitality, as well how easy it is to achieve these common goals is greatly facilitated by these soils. In the end, it all boils down to how much time/effort you'd like to devote to your growing experience. Fortunately, you have lots of people here willing to hold your hand and help you along if you decide to try something new. The number of people who have found out the same things I have is large, so there is little need to worry about the potential value of the soil(s) to your plants, only whether or not you're up for the journey. ;o) "Do you mix any soil with this gritty mix?" No, the gritty mix IS the soil. It's made from 3 ingredients and looks like this: or this: I have been growing all my houseplants and my long term plantings in this soil for more than 20 years. I'm always experimenting, and IF, in that time, I had found anything better, I'd be using it and helping others learn how tom make it, but so far, this is the best I've found. We're always here to help if you need/want it. Al

Hi Everyone! Stressed to the max here and going crazy as always! My sister is stabilized and she has convinced them to let her go home!!! Crazy girl! anyway seems like things may be calming down and I can get ready for my 'regular' summer excursions! I got a big box from Brecks yesterday and am trying to get my head around all of these new bulbs. I bought a 'grabbag' last year and most of the plants didn't do well in the dry heat, so they replaced it. WOW did they replace it!!!! I don't mind telling you I would pay a little extra for Brecks bulbs every day of the week! Their perennials not so much, but their bulbs are OUTSTANDING! Trying to figure out where to plant all of these beauties!!! (pineapple lily, peruvian daffodil, lily trees, aaaahhhh, so many flowers so little space) Who knew bulbs sould be so big!!! Look forward to some of these for Barb's fall/winter swap! Tammy, Side Swap box is any trade arranged outside of the organized/assigned swap. :) more goodies to share! Seemed appropriate for a 'surplus' swap! Chell flower what a wonderful box! to send and to recieve!!! Bigmama, I wish I could swap with you, but these coleus have just arrived! I am just rooting them now, but I will probably be looking for homes for the whole plants when fall comes, (I can't keep them over winter) perhaps we can do a trade then or for cuttings when they get a little bigger! Amy what a wonderful box!!! I'd like to get a peak at Chellflower's garden wouldn't you? Well I'd better get to work! I think this swap is now complete! I had a wonderful time everyone, I have enjoyed getting to know you all a little better and learning about your gardens! I hope you will all stay in touch. I definatley think we should do this again next spring! Have a wonderful day! Frances

If you're looking to increase water retention of gritty mix, you could increase the amount of any of the following in the mix: Turface Bark Pumice Lava rock Gritty sand (careful, depends on type/amount) Of course, you could also add a bit of soil (very small amounts are okay) or peat (has many caveats). Both of these should be added in limited amounts or else the obvious advantage of gritty mix will be lost. Seems like your two goals are a bit conflicting of each other - holding more water but not holding too much water? For tropical cacti, I am using a completely different (well draining) mix altogether - gritty mix is not an ideal substrate for them. Never grown nerve plants before, so I can't comment on how picky they are. If the plant is healthy and has good roots, perhaps may have some leeway to experiment.

Ever hear of a perc test? You may have some compaction issues that are part of all this. If you dig a hole basically as deep as you can and do a perc test, does that chance anything? I have some places where construction left serious compaction issues and slow draining...like none. I dug down and found that, in my situation, I had a hard pan about 2' down. Once I punched through that...water had a place to go. As i recall, southern cal isn't exactly noted for monsoon rainfall on a daily basis. Think there may be some benefit to soil that retains moisture? You're starting from scratch. Do a soil test. Among other things, the results should give you an idea of what kind of soil you are dealing with. If not, look up the Army Corp of Engineers soil maps. Know what kind of soil you are dealing with...and there's more than few...then you can know if what you have is normal or modified, and from there, start determining where to go.