hercules, I see a problem with your question. As I understand oils, None of the latest oils are natural. They could all be considered synthetic. They are all cracked (modified) after being pumped out of the ground. 50 (100?) years ago oil was pumped out of the ground and then distilled by its boiling point. Thicker oils boil at higher temperatures. I have read that Amsoil and Mobil 1 oil is a PAO (type 4). Castrol (and most other synthetics) are type 3 hydrocracked. I think esters are type 5, but I don't know where they are used. So most blends would seem to be a mix of cracked and hydrocracked. Mobil 1 should be a mix of cracked and PAO's. So I would think the question should be what type of oil AND what percentage. I am not sure that it even matters which base is used. Perhaps we should look at the approvals on the back label. While the SL (and SM) oils have better testing and improved refineing to meet the testing, I have read that euopean standards are even tougher. BTW.. I saw the evidence that mobil 1 was way better than valvaline 25 years ago. But then in 1990, mobil had a new formulation. then they came out with a new version in the late 90's. And now they are on their 2nd or 3rd version of supersynth. Other (conventional) oils have changed just as much, or maybe more. Oh, As to mobil 1 pouring easier than valvoline, we had a winter in 1983 (dec) that had many mornings below -30. I took jars of 5w-30 outside and tipped them over several mornings. Both 5w-30 oils (valvoline and mobil 1) poured about the same. But of course they do, that what the 5w-xx means! The mobil 1 looked like a smooth honey. The valvoline looked awful, that would be cloudy and even chunky. I also had a 10-30, but it set up and wouldn't pour at all when turned over, hence its thicker rateing. Further, In the car the valvoline broke down under pressure to be thinner much faster and let the oil pressure go down much faster than mobil 1. So mobil 1 gave higher oil pressure for longer. The valvoline reminded me of jello, poor flow, but little resistance to pressure. JerryO

Skid steer: Itsa cow that he uses to pull stuff around (kind of like a cheap ox), but as you can see, Lloyd only had $11 to spend, so he had to buy one with worn hooves, thus the poor traction thing. I didn't just drop 11 large on a loader for my compost (you go, Lloyd!) but I am mildly envious of Lloyd's easy/immediate access (because he OWNS the darned thing) to the equipment. I'm sure as heck not going to look at his (I'm sure) hard earned acquisition as having stolen the food from someone else's mouth (or as having deprived them of their flat screen TVs and iPods). I guess that puts me squarely in the camp of those believing there is nothing wrong with wanting to retain a little fruit of your own labor for yourself instead of being forced to distribute it amongst those with PERCEIVED need. That whole Marx thing - "Jeder nach seinen Fhigkeiten, jedem nach seinen Bedrfnissen!" doesn't have the same ring of clarion call for all, I guess. Humic acid and fulvic acid CAN indeed immediately enrich certain soils w/o the addition of other organic matter or a history of having added OM. I'm not saying what the OP is considering is wise or not wise. He can decide exactly how HE wants to spend HIS money, but if the product isn't a pig-in-a-poke, it has the potential to benefit the soil and by extension, his plantings. Following, is something I wrote on the container gardening forum, so it will be slightly OT in areas because of it's 'container' bent, but there should (hopefully) be some info in it worth considering. Humic acid (HA) is formed during the humification process (decaying/composting) as plant and animal matter break down. The main source of HA is lignin, which is the most common bio-compound on earth next to cellulose - it's what makes plants stiff. As the organic matter breaks down, it forms several acids called carboxylates and phenoxides. While there are several acids formed during the breakdown of organic matter, While there are several acids formed during the breakdown of organic matter, the acids formed by a variety of decaying vegetable matter end up being pretty much the same group of acids in the same proportions. Further, it's not the acids formed during humification that vary with any significance, it's the compounds they form with free ions when mixed into (primarily) mineral soils. It's easy to envision why that is true when we consider that all plants are made up of the same building blocks (nutrients/elements) in almost exactly the same ratio. IOW, there is little difference, chemically speaking, between sequoias and snapdragons. Also important to consider is that peat moss is made up of a combination of cellulose, lignins, and humic acids. This fact is probably what would allow any/all container media producers to lay claim to the fact that their product contains HA. As I mentioned upthread - advertisers often lay claim to things their research shows the general public might consider a huge plus, when it's an intrinsic part of all similar products. Shell Oil used to advertise that their gasoline contained lead to guard against spark knock, when in fact all gasoline used to contain lead. If I thought a little, I'm sure I could quickly come up with another dozen examples more current. I'll leave an answer I posted to a thread on the container forum back in Nov '08. The question posed was, "Does humic acid serve any purpose for container plants?" I drew a delineation between mineral soils and container media primarily because the immense volume of organic matter in almost all container media. This would even include the gritty mix, which has a 1/3 organic component - roughly 6-10 times what you would find in most natural and garden soils. Hopefully, we have built or are using container media with a suitable structure, but even if we were not, the type of structural improvements usually associated with the use of HA in mineral soils do not apply to container media. Where container media is concerned, if the structure is not there from the beginning, the only way you can add it is by adding enough soil particles of the size required to physically achieve your objective, You cannot change container media structure by adding HA or its associates. The reply to the question (about plants in containers) I mentioned a little upthread: "Humic acid (and its accompanying fulvic acid) are most often used as an amendment to improve the quality of clay soils, sandy soils, and/or other soils organically deficient. The primary value of adding humic acid to clay or other compacted soils comes from the resulting structural break-up (increase in friability) of these soils. Obviously, this should not be an issue in the soils you are using. In sandy soils, humic acid's value is in its addition of organic material to soils, which would also in the end improved water retention and root function, neither of which are anything you would be lacking in the soils you use. In some soils, humic acid can also play another role in facilitating a plant's ability to assimilate nutrients. Humic acid can lower pH and help unlock otherwise bound nutrients in the soil that might not be unavailable under conditions of higher pH. Again, this should not be an issue for you, given the fertilizer regimen you use and a known favorable pH. Finally, humic acid can stimulate soil micro-biology in some soils, increasing the numbers and activity levels of soil micro-populations, the primary function of which are to make available minerals and nutrients which could be stored within the humic acid complex and hopefully available on an 'as needed' basis. Again, not much of a benefit when you consider you're supplying a full compliment of nutrients in a readily available form on a regular and 'as needed' basis. I suppose if I was to sum it up, I would say that a build-up or adequate measures of humic acid in garden soils is to be desired & most effectively accomplished by the regular addition of organic materials to the soil. How valuable wholesale applications of humic acid are to garden soils is probably highly variable by soil type, soil composition, and the intrinsic quality/value of the individual product at hand. It's value in containers would probably be extremely marginal at best or go completely unnoticed (as it did when I tried the product for my container plantings several years ago) but there's nothing to stop you from trying it." Al

I agree with Violet. I too, am a health professional and there are more people(especially young people) developing more cancer and chonic diseases. And there are plenty of studies out there that show environmental links. Also studies done on the nutrient content of food shows that during the last 50 years, our veggies and fruit have become less nutrient packed. The studies indicate that this is due to the fact that the N_P_K are being returned to the soil in adequate amounts by chemical fertilizers, just not all the micro nutrients that we need for healthy bodies(the plants do not necessarily need them to grow). We need more types of nutrients to grow than plants. It is true that the nutrients in chemical fertilizers are just as effective as those in organics. Its just that it is not complete. In organic gardening, before any nutrient in the soil is used by the plant, it must be available in a form the plant can absorb. This is done by bacterial action. The organic nutrients are first used by microscopic organisms and the waste that is produced feeds our plants. Adding chemicals kills not only earthworms, it kills the microorganisms that allow us to garden organically. This is how "dead soil" develops. I am sure that an occasional use of chemicals is not going to destroy your soil, but my thinking is why at all if you are going organic. I know that there are many organic gardeners out there that insist that only compost is needed to garden organically, and I am sure plants grow just fine with that. But compost is a soil amendment, not a fertilizer. Everytime I harvest vegetables or fruits from my raised beds,I add a compost and a tiny bit of alfafa meal(nitrogen), rock phosphate(Phosphorous) and Kelp meal(potassium and trace elements). I've been doing this for quite a few years now and my yields improved, my plants are larger, and I have no trouble with diseases or insects. I learned from not only what I have read, but what I do, that healthy soil and growing organically makes a difference. Hope some of this information helps.

Our pool is in the process of renovations. I am having trouble deciding what to choose for a decking to put on top of an existing concrete. I like the flagstone look that will go best for the lagoon style pool. The pool edges is covered with 1 to 2.5 in of coping and big boulders. My dilemma is deciding which flagstone to choose real vs synthetic vs concrete. The prices are about within the same range. I guess it'll come down to maintenance and looks. I am also converting to salt water system and getting the pebble sheen finish. I just need some advice. After months of research from contractor to products, I am absolutely exhausted.