Hehehe...I just added 3 more pots: pink guava, pineapple mango, and butler avocado. It seems I'm collecting 2-3 specimens a week. Once my greenhouse is up...my addiction will have no bounds :) For a solution to my original problem, I went ahead and got a dial-a sprayer (ortho brand at box store). It is a hose end container with an adjustable siphon that you can set to 1 tsp/gal, 1 TBS/gal, X ounce/gal and etc. Again, unlike your regular garden feeder that I've been stupidly using to feed the containers, this sprayer is a siphon mixture giving you control of the exact concentration coming out at all times. Since I had a 16:1 concentrated stock solution already made, I went ahead and set the dial-a sprayer to 8 ounce stock/gallon of water which is a dilution if 1:16. After the stock runs out, I'll make a new one at 64:1 solution and set the dial at 2 ounce/gallon ( 1:64 dilution) so I don't have to fill it as often. If my math is wrong, someone please tell me before I feed the plants to death! The contraption seems to be working very well. It is very efficient because I use quick connects and this allows me to move from front to back yard quickly. Hope this helps someone!

I also plumbed 2 MG feeders into the 1/2" lines for my drip systems. They worked well for 3 seasons, but the 4th when I turned the water on for the first time the bottom of the mix jars blew out. I assumed I could find bottles that would work and I will when I use them in a couple of new systems. Mine fed my raised veggie beds and I wanted something that held more mix anyway. So last year I bought a couple of Grow More Siphon Mixers. http://www.amazon.com/Grow-More-Siphon-Mixer-Injector/dp/B004HPPR9S I plumbed these in and the pick up hoses are fed from 5 gallon covered buckets. I have used some MG, but only because when a tenant moved out of our rental house they left a large box behind. So it was free. I mix one of the MG feeder packets to 5 gallons of water and it sucks the 5 gallons out in about 2 1/2 days of watering. When I use G&B liquid fertilizer I mix 2 cups to 1 gallon of water. and that feeds for the day. Then the siphon mixer ration is 15 parts water to 1 part mix. I'm not sure on the ratio of fertilizer to water yet and I did play with it some last year.

I think the HE machines have come a long way in the last few years, but i completely understand the frustration - my mom bought high end HE machines when they first came out and the odor issue was a huge problem, there were problems with the drains, and they did not clean well. I did a lot of research before i bought mine because we had just moved, we needed several other appliances, and money was tight. I used reviews that tested multiple appliances, including consumer reports and a few others. The Cabrio had the best reviews at our price point 3 years ago, and I'm happy with it. I guess we'll see in 10 more years! After a while i can tell it needs a clean cycle because my white aren't quite as bright, but I have hard water, so I guess I see that as a reasonable maintenance chore. After I run the washing machine cleaner I always rewash all of the whites and they look great. Compared to my old machine, I'd say the only difference is that I have to spend a little more time pre-treating stains before they go in the wash - in the 'olden days' my wasteful self would just throw in extra detergent and add an extra rinse cycle, but with this machine I do have to actually spray the stains with something since extra detergent builds up. I noticed a significant difference in performance with powder detergent vs. liquid, but it became more and more difficult to find Tide HE powder. A couple of months ago I had to buy those Pods because they stopped carrying powder at the store nearest my house. I'll admit, I'm really cynical of any kind of convenience packaging because it always ends up being a huge waste of money, so I resented buying them, but I didn't have many options that day. They actually worked pretty well - better than the liquid I remember, and my husband is notorious for throwing in detergent without measuring so we really don't go through them as fast. So, maybe liquid detergent has improved and I just didn't notice. i think you have to weigh the manufacturer's recommendation with the type of water where you live, too. Even before my HE machine I converted to 'brand name' detergent. There are only two items on my shopping list I never buy generic or substitute: laundry detergent and diapers. Tide and Huggies . . . and I sound like a commercial. I really don't think it is about HE vs. not HE at this point, it is more about research. When you go to buy, try to research each model individually, not just specific brands.

When I got home at 6:15 yesterday I found I'd received an email from the Honda Fit salesperson, who sent me a price quote, a PDF attachment, at 5 p.m. I had dealt with him over the phone one day earlier and sent him a long email after the call. -!- Yes, the email was based on the draft above, and modified in ways that reflected comments above. I can post it if people want. His message: "Thank you for the detailed email. Here is a price." At 6:30 I emailed back and phoned (leaving message) saying we'd be available downtown around 7:30 p.m. for the test drive he wanted us to do. I live downtown. A similar story: Yesterday I called the Suzuki retailer closest to me and spoke to a salesperson. Ten minutes at 10 a.m. Before 12 noon I sent email to the manager for him to forward to the salesperson. The same long email modified as per feedback received. The salesperson called me back at 2:30; his price was $X thousand lower than the web price. He agreed with me that this was just the "over the phone" price with a stranger so the real price would be even lower than that. After calling him again at 4 he was expecting me to confirm later whether he'd see us that same evening. I sent email at 6:30 asking if it was reasonable to expect him to pick me up and drive another mile to fetch my wife who was finishing work. In other words, if the test drive could start at my wife's workplace or at my place. That email was also sent to the manager's email address, for him to see and discuss with the salesperson. Then I called and asked him the same thing. He went to get the email and consult his manager, and got back to me. No go. At 7:30 p.m. I was at his front door showing him my drivers' license while standing a few feet inside the front door. He gestured to a chair and I said "No time, remember we're driving now to go pick up my wife." He walked over to a floor model to show me things, and I said "You'll show all this to my wife when we get her into the vehicle, right? So let's get going." We left to go pick up my wife. The manager observed from the distance and did not approach. Minutes after picking up my wife, I was driving and my cell phone rang. It was the Honda Fit salesperson getting back to me at 7:50 p.m. Can't talk now, thank you for the email, bye-bye. I drove the three of us back to the Suzuki showroom, my wife drove a second vehicle, and then we did all sit down. Since he used silence as a closing tool, my wife resisted him. --- The best way to save money is to avoid spending money. (An SX-4 at $X deprec./year, plus insurance, plus gas, plus maintenance, etc) We still have our ten year old car depreciating at $1700 per year (bought used) and have never paid for major repairs for it yet. Since last year we now belong to a car sharing service. We've used it a few times. Compare A to B: A. carsharing service, regular car rental service, taxis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carsharing) B. owning a car Conclusion: A is way better. My wife was frustrated with our current situation. Now she is happy. She was the one who said "A" is way better after we went for a walk around the duck pond in the park. At 10 p.m. I feel now I've come as far as I needed to on Tuesday, 48 hours ago. We'll go rent a Versa or a Fit for our vacations. To try it out. I'll look into inventories visible on the web. Thank you!