Are the plants in pots or in the ground? They will grow fine in 100% peat so that is probably not your problem. Here is one growing great in 100% peat. http://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=A2KJkK2NoXtPgmcAXM6JzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBlMTQ4cGxyBHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1n?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dblueberry%2Bpeat%2Bbale%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3Dyfp-t-701%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D2&w=268&h=356&imgurl=ptallman.home.comcast.net%2F%7Eptallman%2Findex_image799.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fptallman.home.comcast.net%2F%7Eptallman%2Findex_blueberries.htm&size=21.5+KB&name=...+blueberry+bush+in+2003+that+had+been+planted+directly+in+a+peat+bale&p=blueberry+peat+bale&oid=be29671bcb4f82b18def2b036bded7d9&fr2=&fr=yfp-t-701&tt=...%2Bblueberry%2Bbush%2Bin%2B2003%2Bthat%2Bhad%2Bbeen%2Bplanted%2Bdirectly%2Bin%2Ba%2Bpeat%2Bbale&b=0amp;ni=240&no=2&tab=organic&ts=&sigr=120odjmm0&sigb=139ekt1ob&sigi=11muek99j&.crumb=LPqpziEYgPS

Too bad I can't send you half of my soil and you send me half of yours. Mine is clay and alkaline, so if we mixed the two together we'd have nice soil. I think your best bet to try to increase you soil's ability to hold water as well as to help with the acidity is to add as much organic matter as you can. You can just add it to the top, and microbes and worms will take it down into the soil. You don't want to spread it more than 1/4 inch thick, but you can do it several times throughout the year. As each layer decomposes, you can add a new one. Mulch mow your grass and in the fall, do the same with your leaves. If you can make enough compost, that's a good thing to use. Free coffee grounds from Starbucks (they're also a mild fertilizer). Sometimes tree trimming companies will deliver a truckload of chipped wood (saves them the cost of dumping) but you may have to take a full truckload, which is a lot to spread at one time. With any luck, as you improve the condition of your soil, the grass you want will do better and the weed problems will lessen.

In case the link is ever broken, cut and paste the PDF file here: Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D., Extension Horticulturist and Associate Professor, Puyallup Research and Extension Center, Washington State University The Myth of Gypsum Magic âAdding gypsum to your yard or garden will improve soil tilth and plant healthâ The Myth Upon continued prodding from one of my university extension colleagues, I recently watched several episodes of a well-known gardening program on television. My kids joined me, alerted by my animated responses to the hostâs non-stop torrent of advice. Among many amazing discoveries I learned that by adding gypsum to my yard or garden I would improve my problem soils by changing the particle size and loosening compaction. Further searching on the web revealed that gypsum would also improve drainage, decrease acidity, and eliminate soil salts. Previously, I had heard of gypsum for use in soil reclamation projects, but not for a typical urban landscape. Since gypsum is simply calcium sulfate, could this chemical truly transform soil structure and serve as a fertilizer for yards and gardens? The Reality This myth falls into the category of agricultural practices misapplied to ornamental landscapes. Gypsum effectively changes the structure and fertility of heavy clay soils, especially those that are heavily weathered or subject to intensive crop production. Gypsum also improves sodic (saline) soils by removing sodium from the soil and replacing it with calcium. Therefore, one can see improvement in clay soil structure and fertility, and desalinization of sodium-rich soils, by using gypsum. What other effects will gypsum have on soil and plant health? There are a number of scientific studies on gypsum usage both in the literature and on websites. Briefly, researchers have found: ⢠Gypsum does not usually change soil acidity, though occasional reports of both increasing and decreasing pH exist; ⢠Gypsum can increase leaching of aluminum, which can detoxify soils but also contaminates nearby watersheds; ⢠Gypsum can increase leaching of iron and manganese, leading to deficiencies of these nutrients; ⢠Gypsum applied to acid soils can induce magnesium deficiency in plants on site; ⢠Gypsum applied to sandy soils can depress phosphorus, copper and zinc transport; ⢠Gypsum can have negative effects on mycorrhizal inoculation of roots, which may account for several reports of negative effects of gypsum on tree seedling establishment and survival; ⢠Gypsum is variable in its effects on mature trees; ⢠Gypsum will not improve fertility of acid or sandy soils; ⢠Gypsum will not improve water holding capacity of sandy soils; and ⢠Gypsumâs effects are short-lived (often a matter of months) With the exception of arid and coastal regions (where soil salts are high) and the southeastern United States (where heavy clay soils are common), gypsum amendment is just not necessary in non-agricultural areas. Urban soils are generally amalgamations of subsoils, native and non-native topsoils, and - in home landscapes - high levels of organic and non-organic chemical additives. They are also heavily compacted and layered (and gypsum does not work well on layered soils). In such landscapes, it is pointless to add yet more chemicals in the form of gypsum unless you need to increase soil calcium levels. This nutrient deficiency can be quickly identified by any soil testing laboratory for less than a bag of gypsum costs. (If you need to improve sulfur nutrition, itâs wiser to use ammonium sulfate). To reduce compaction and improve aeration in nearly any landscape, application of an organic mulch is more economically and environmentally sustainable. The Bottom Line ⢠Gypsum can improve heavy clay soil structure and remove sodium from saline soils ⢠Gypsum has no effect on soil fertility, structure, or pH of any other soil type ⢠Most urban soils are not improved by additional gypsum ⢠Before adding gypsum or any chemical to a landscape, have soil analysis performed to identify mineral deficiencies, toxicities, and soil character ⢠Adding gypsum to sandy or non-sodic soils is a waste of money, natural resources, and can have negative impacts on plant, soil, and ecosystem health For more information, please visit Dr. Chalker-Scottâs web page at http://www.theinformedgardener.com.

That's exactly what I thought jerzeegirl. It's like a bunch of patterned diagonal lines then a blob in the end. The blob on the second picture is the end of the topmost stain line on the first picture. At first I thought the surface was absolutely glossy and perfect (it appeared so in natural light) but tonight I can see it's cloudy and hazy on the surface. It feels smooth to touch though. I am not sure what you mean by "under the surface" (sorry)? I can't figure out if it's a scratch or an etch or a watermark. I think my closest answer would be that it seems to be a surface mark and not something that is "seeped" into the stone -- but what do I know? I've never had granite before.