How it looks from my perspective: If the decision to reuse container soils is an economic one, who can disagree with the decision? If you aren't concerned about expense and are willing to go to some minimal extra effort to build a good soil, that is what I would elect to do. Here's why: Container gardeners need to direct primary focus to insuring that the soil they are using will remain able to provide adequate air to roots for the expected life of the planting. Along with the ability of the soil to hold ample air, comes good gas exchange and drainage for rootage. All the other major cultural variables affecting growth are easily manipulated. Water, nutrients, sunlight, and to some degree, temperature can all be controlled easily. Aeration cannot and its consideration is as important as water and light to plant vitality. The breakdown or collapse of soil structure occurs at an exponential rate. If we imagine the usable life of a peat based container soil from a bag, it deteriorates from a reasonably good soil when fresh to unusable after 2 years. It's not unreasonable to expect the soil to lose at least 20-25% of its air holding ability by the end of the first growing season. In the first half of the second growing season, it will lose about another 25% of its air holding ability and in the second half of the second year, near total collapse is likely as the remaining 50% is lost. Though this is an example of an imaginary soil, it is very close to what actually occurs. Another way of saying it is: Even though a soil might be performing acceptably at the end of the first growing season, you should expect a rapidly accelerating collapse in the subsequent year. So, if you use a soil for 1 year and mix it 50/50 with a fresh, similar soil, 50% of the soil will have totally collapsed by the end of the growing season, and the other 50% will have lost about 25% of its ability to hold air. If a soil is not holding enough air, it's holding too much water. Water and air retention vary inversely in soils and when one increases, the other decreases. When soils hold too much water, you have to hope that the plant will use enough water or that enough water evaporates to prevent root rot issues and even minor cases of over-potting can mean terminal misfortune. At risk, I speak out often against the use of compost in container soils. It supplies nearly nothing in nutrients and clogs the soil macro-pores container gardeners should covet. Containers are not gardens and much of what works in the garden can cause difficulties in containers. Additional possible considerations are carry-over of fungal spores, the possibility/probability of insects in various stages (eggs, larvae, etc) and carbonate precipitates from your watering water. A slow soil will also have accumulated fertilizer salts and possibly insecticides that you may have applied and forgotten about last season. I suggest that container soils be turned into the compost pile or garden and fresh soil used in its place unless monetary considerations prohibit. Al

Hi, Tuesdays Child. Well, you had to pick a really tough orchid it seems. I can't even grow the easy ones. But I found this info on the web that may give you some ideas. "Or Crane Orchid. Because it really does look like the Japanese white crane, a symbol of health & long life & fortune, & of Japan Airlines. Also it lives in bogs where cranes nest. But in "captivity" it doesn't like to be as wet as in the wild, & its bogs dry out in seasonally, so duplicating it's wet then dry natural habitat can be a pain. Seeds almost never germinate for amateurs as they're triggered by a specific bog bacteria in their natural environment, but it should produce offsets (I think) as the old pseudobulb wears out, so will perepetuate itself. > It is also known taxonomically as pecteilis > radiata. > > Do any of you have experience growing these? I've found only two references > to culture on the web. One grower reported limited success growing in > sphagnum. Another site said part to full sun in well-drained, acidic soil > kept moist until after flowering is completed and the plants go dormant. Any > other suggestions for success? > > Except for Bletilla striata, I grow all my orchids in pots and in the > winter, indoors. On the west coast these reputedly have naturalized in some peoples' yards, but won't spread beyond the initial plantings because seeds don't germinate. The only terrestrial orchid I grow so far is a comparatively easy pleione (in full bloom right now; your pecteilis will likely be a summer bloomer), so am reluctant to suggest much, as you would already know more than I know, since you do grow other kinds of orchids & didn't restrict yourself to such an easy one. But I think the reason you're getting contradictory information is because terrestrial orchids do in fact sometimes grow in moss rather than in the ground, so that that they're encountered in the wild growing in moss atop rocks or even up in trees just like epiphytes. Soil is best (with one-third orchid bark) but with the tops of the bulb sticking above the surface of the soil then finish "burying" it with a protectie layer ofliving moss, not with dead moss. I think the only thing special about your pecteilis's needs will be its boggy spring & summer, dry autumn & winter cycle -- when it wants water it'll die the instant it goes without, & when it doesn't want water it'll rot the instant it gets watered by accident, so it's a tough balance. It sounds bassackwards for Japanese weather patterns but the bogs are caused by snowmelting off mountains rather than by rainfall & they do dry out in winter rather than summer, when the mountain snows are no longer melting off. When leaves first appear on P. sagarikii they form a funnel to catch rainwater, but in "captivity" they don't actually like to have any stagnant water in those leaves, so maybe P. striata will be the same & when watering it you'll need to take care not to fill it with water. I presume you already tried googling for info. I just now gave google a try & found nothing better than this page: http://plantsdatabase.com/go/48722/ which is minimal but does give seasonal temperatures, & notes that living sphagnum is preferred over the pseudobulb's surface; so that might be enough to get you started right. Personally I would never try this orchid cuz I'm cowardly about houseplants & I want everything to fit in the yard so that Nature helps me out & plants aren't completely reliant on me alone. When I was researching terrestrial orchids, I reluctantly decided I would probably fail with any orchid except pleine & bletilla, because they are the ones best apt to naturalize outdoors & end up taking care of themselves (pecteilis might do so if one is willing to cover them with a waterproof tent in winter). If I may judge it correctly from its photograph, the one you've just gotten has got to be one of the most charming orchids of all, so intensely bird-like. Best of luck with it, & if you can report back with future success (or tragic failure) I'd love to have your notes on it, maybe I'll even get daring if you find it easier than I suspect. ***Good luck*** It looks like you are going to need it. However, I am the kind of person who, when someone says I'll not be able to do it, I'll try it anyway! Keep us posted on your progress. It is indeed a beautiful plant. Susan

kterlep: "I'm just reflecting from a book I have...I think they took it apart from top to bottom" What's the name of the book? curiousity piqued here! I like your slide idea, though I'd worry about damage to bricks hitting each other at the bottom. Then again, it might knock off more mortar, lol! I do have nearby windows. I'm thinking a pulley/basket system, and rounding up my kids to unload at the bottom. Actually, if I got the neighborhood kids involved, they could really have fun. Pretend they're dismantling the pyramids of Giza or something. Which begs the question, does anyone worry about asbestos in the old mortar? I don't want to expose myself, much less children. Why would they put asbestos in mortar? The house is 120 years old, I wonder when asbestos went in, and then out, of style.

first ID the shrub with closer pix.. thuja or cham??? decide if stubs will resprout.. in this century .... if not ..... remove all stubs ... then decide if you can live with it ... i might prefer removal with malice and aforethought .. in regard to the shrub... [lets not think about the gardener right now.. lol] ... its really about your state of mind.. and whether it will aggravate you every single minute of your life when you are in your garden ... vs... whether you will find your zen.. in watching.. seeing.. and pruning it back.. into some magnificent shape ... it really something along the lines if you are personality type A or B ..... one thing for sure.. it will never be.. what it USED TO BE ..... if it were out in my back 4 ACRES... I might enjoy playing with it .. and seeing what happens ... if it was sitting right in front of my relaxing chair... i think it would be chopped to the ground in about 5 minutes.. and then i could relax ... make that decision.. and then we can decide how to go about it .... ken Here is a link that might be useful: link