glass top range / pots leave marks?
bretonb
16 years ago
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Comments (13)
canvir
16 years agoRelated Discussions
pachira money tree help - markings on leaves
Comments (10)It's difficult to determine how appropriate a soil is by how the packager labels the product. What's most important is whats IN the bag, not what's ON the bag. It's primarily the size of the particles the soil is made of and the ratio of those sizes in the mix as a whole that determines how well a soil will perform. You can take 3 ingredients that have the potential to make an excellent soil, and mix them in such a way that the soil ends up being a poor choice. The only soils I've seen that I would use myself are 3 of the Fafard heavyweight mixes. I choose not to because I can easily make a better soil for a fraction of the cost. One of the keys to making any commercial soil you buy into an excellent soil is being able to find pine or fir bark in a size that's appropriate as a primary fraction of the soil. If you can find that, life just got a whole lot easier, insofar as the probability of consistently bringing along healthy plants. I wouldn't panic and start thinking you're doomed if you can't find pine or fir bark - we can work with a water-retentive soil if it's not too bad, but a soil based on particles larger than peat, compost, coir, sand, topsoil .... is a worthy goal. Almost everyone that spends any time on this forum recognizes there are usually inherent limiting factors associated with a very high percentage (almost all) of commercially prepared soils because almost everyone is 'amending' them to increase aeration and reduce water retention. This is certainly a move in the right direction, but if I can take you back to the thought that how you combine the ingredients has a very notable impact on the end product. If you DO find pine bark in a suitable size, making the bark the primary fraction of the soil (75-85%) will yield a product much different than if you added 15-20% pine bark to the soil you bought. We can talk more about soils if you're interested - and I'll give you some additional reading that covers container soils in greater depth. If you read it and understand the concept, you've probably taken the largest step forward a container gardener can take at any one time. While you're mulling that over, you can read about several ways to trick excess water into leaving the pot, which of course means more air in the soil (a good thing) and the ability to water correctly. I'm sure you'll have questions or comments - at least I hope you do. ;-) As far as light goes, your plant will probably tolerate the light load of full sun indoors, but the leaves probably won't tolerate the heat build-up unless you have a fan moving the air, so use your judgment. Outdoors, dappled or open shade with morning or late day sun would be ideal, and your plant will love it outdoors. My #1 choice for a houseplant fertilizer is Foliage-Pro 9-3-6, and the reasons are many. I don't want to get you thinking about too many things at once, so when you're ready to take on fertilizers, we can talk about that. The FP isn't easy to find in stores, but Miracle-Gro 12-4-8 in the yellow jug is, and it's cheap. It doesn't work quite as well as the 9-3-6, but it has the same NPK ratio (3:1:2) so it's about the next best thing. It also has any micronutrients you would have any cause to be concerned about in container media. All it lacks that's of concern is calcium and magnesium, but that will be in your soil, so you're covered for now. Questions? Al...See MorePots and pans for convection oven and smooth top range
Comments (4)I use cast iron and Le Crueset on my black Ceran smoothtop all the time. I was very cautious at first. Be careful not to slide it. Always wipe your hand across the bottom of any pot or pan before you set it on the cooktop to be certain there is nothing on the bottom that could scratch it and always make certain that your cooktop is completely clean. These two simple procedures will avoid scratching and heavy cleaning problems. I found that Titanium bottoms don't work too well as they reflect heat back into the element and cause it to think it is hot enough when it is not, thereby shutting down the element too much and slowing cooking to a crawl. I don't use any pans with ridges around the edges and I make certain my pans are completely flat when I try them out at the store. If they are not, they tend to spin around on the cooktop like a "Whirling Dervish". I use lots of different brands and tend to really like Circulon and Analon over the Calphalon. I think their quality is better and longer lasting. I have used a smoothtop for almost 25 years, the first being a Dacor corning. I used all types and brands on it also with no negative results. My newer range which is the Ceran has been used heavily for two years now and NO scratches yet....See Moreglass-topped electric ranges
Comments (11)Another thing to be noted: smooth top electric stoves do not work with pans with warped bottoms. I did not realize this (having only ever used an electric coil stove) and had to replace almost all of my pots and pans (which weren't very expensive thankfully) that had warped bottoms. When I would try to use them, they would not heat properly (because of the lack of contact) and interestingly would spin around in a circle on the stove. I also no longer use my non-enameled cast iron pans and intend to replace them with some nice enameled cast iron pans (hopefully Le Creuset)....See MoreHelp: indoor plant pots leaving water marks on windowsill
Comments (12)In winter, next to the window is very cold and it follows outside temperature in some fashion. That causes the condensation of the water vapour from the plants, the medium and standing water in saucers. Right after watering the problem is most apparent. The air inside a room is quite stagnant unless it is used often (assuming windows are closed). If you can, I would suggest not to keep anything on the sill itself. To me it is asking for trouble to keep stuff that have any connection with water on the sill itself. A narrow shelf say couple of inches from the sill is far better. The natural but slight movement of air around the window area reduces condensation. There will be a bit of reduction in light but not significant. This is how I have some of my plants. If you have to put them on the sill do as Rina suggested - raise the saucers to create an air-gap. May be that is a good idea anyway. You can also try a fan that runs may be 3-4 of times a day for an hr each time or so. A low flow fan that runs continuously is better....See Moremarys1000
16 years agomurphy_zone7
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16 years agoClaire Buoyant
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Diana Sonder
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