Kookybird: I recall Al saying the Turface fines can be used for seedlings, if they remain dry (sterile) while stored. Hi Al, >>> The organic fraction will be consumed by soil life and gas-out' over time & the granite & Turface will become a part of the soil. About the only effect you'll notice id faster drainage and reduced water retention over time, if you toss a LOT of soil on your garden's/beds. I would've assumed it increases water retention. Don't the smallest Turface fines also hold water internally? If so, it should be more than the granite fines would offset -- so much waste from Turface. I have fairly heavy clay-loam soil, so it probably would make little overall difference. I think all that dust from the bark will be good for the beds in the long-term, but in the short-term will take up lots of space for the oxygen and may be a problem if all piled in one spot. It should also tie up some N in the breakdown process. Here is what happened to mine: I put about 1 cuft down into a small area, piled about 6" thick. It was my first batch of bark+Turface+Granite fines a few years back. The first year it repelled water quite a bit and killed the native Bermuda grass under it (I expected as much, grass needs sun). Then it got very moldy from sprinkler water and during winter. The 2nd year the mold didn't return after summer dried it out. By the third year, it looked almost identical from the top-surface view as prior years -- like nothing had changed in all that time. I went to remove a section (I was digging out for sprinkler repair) and lo-and-behold it was fixed solid in the soil. The surrounding Bermuda grass had sent many,many fine roots into it and were sucking the water dry as fast as the sprinklers filled it up. These weren't typical large bermuda roots/rhisomes normally in my soil, but very fine ones you see in young seedlings -- except they were very long and very healthy. Earthworms were already making their way into the stuff, also.

Thanks SUe...I had rec'd some trade emails a few weeks ago, so I didn't even know it, but I surely was blocked.....thanks for all your help on here!! I certainly appreciate it!

What you may well find is that the entire ISP is not banned but more likely the one server they are allowing Spam to emanate from. Your friend could well send the returned email right back and it could be delivered. Have your friend right click on a returned header then click Properties/Details/ Message source. Bring it up to full screen for easy viewing and have a look. She might see a link she can go to that explains who is dong the blocking. A company called SORBS is big into this stuff, I had problems way back but it all seems cured now thankfully.

The only way to stop SPAM is to get a new e-mail address and not give it out to ANYONE... lol Seriously though, I truly believe that 99% of the SPAM is caused by our own mistakes... * If you click on an e-mail from someone you don't know it's probably from a spammer and the minute you open that mail they know your address is a good one and pass it on to other spammers... If you're wondering how the first spammer got your e-mail address it's probably because you have one that's an easy target... Let's say I used Rita@MyISP.com or ThatGirl@MyISP.com, a spammer would pick up on either one in a hot minute... They have programs that take regular names and words and add them to the @MyISP.com and wait until someone opens the mail... Now if I use something like That123Rita321@MyISP.com those kind of programs won't work... * If you do open mail from someone you don't know and click on the Op-out the chances you've just added your address to someone's SPAM list is VERY high.. * If you post your e-mail address on a web page, message board or Guest Book you're asking for SPAM... The spammers have programs that run day and night checking the entire internet for e-mail addresses... As soon as they find one they add it to their lists and pass it on to others... * If you forward mail, that's been forwarded to you with all the address still there, chances are you've passed all those address, and your own, on to someone who sells e-mail addresses to spammers... ( That includes chain letters and the ones for a good cause that instruct you to add your name to the bottom of the list and the cutesy ones that promise you'll get a wonderful surprise if you forward it as is... ) * If you sign up for a free web mail account and they ask you if you'd like to receive mail from a third party you'd better think long and hard before you click yes... Sometimes it opens a flood gate to unwanted e-mail... An acquaintance of mine clicked yes on only 4 different topics and within a week he was getting over 1000 e-mails a DAY... Yes, I was guilty of all of the above.... I know better now... But it took me thousands of e-mails before I learned... LOL Rita