I didn't assume anything. My comments were based entirely on your suggestion to amend with bark or perlite (you must have these items on hand to amend with them). If you have them, why build a soil that still embodies issues that can be prevented by adding a little more bark? Can we agree that more bark = better drainage, more aeration, and a reduction in the amount of perched water a soil can hold - good things, all three? I don't think you offered explanations so much as descriptions of your unique circumstances that require certain compromises. I'm sure that only a very few of us have the same priorities to consider, so what works well for your situation might not work well for others - at least not as well as the approach I outlined. I think it's important for new growers to gain an understanding of basic issues, especially as they relate to soil choice. You choose your soils from the grower's point of view, so you can order your priorities in a particular manner. There is nothing wrong (at all) with that, but I choose to offer advice from the plant's point of view (that being what's best for the plant) and from the perspective of what's most foolproof/ easiest/ most productive for the grower. It's easy to SAY that soils like MG are totally fine, but in saying it, you must ignore the fact that a very large % of the problems houseplant growers experience are indeed directly related to problems inherent in soils like MG et al that have fine material (compost, peat, composted forest products, coir, sand, topsoil ....) as their largest fractions. Your suggestion offers no relief from the problems inherent in MG et al similar. My suggestions are specifically aimed at avoiding problems and making it easier for the grower to get as much as possible from the growing experience. I don't think you need to apologize for taking up anyone's time. People come here to learn, and amicable differences of opinion give growers the opportunity to evaluate different views and decide what advice it's in their best interest to follow. I don't think progress is served by the adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". It's a self-limiting philosophy, and adherence to the thought requires a certain complacency that encourages stagnation. When you're involved in growing plants in containers, there is ALWAYS something limiting growth and vitality. The best growers are continually proactive, trying to figure out what their plant's limitations are and correcting them before they become threatening. To assume there are no limitations "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" and to act accordingly is to ensure them. Al

WF - No LAFFING! Ok - I'm grinning too, but NO LAFFING. It's really NOT FUNNY. I'm trying to be serious here. . . .STOP IT. ..(grin) I get these STUPID calls this time of year - from friends that went shopping - and didn't have ANY form of protection. . . .I just want to hand them my credit card and tell them to throw the machine out the window. I'm serious. . .tis the season. That and the "what should I buy" stuff with those ads - every freakin' ad that comes out in some da*mn newspaper. . .trying to explain to someone NOT to purchase anything with a celeron - an athalon is fine - watch out for this, that and 15 other things. I go into a complete psychosis at this time of year! No laughing! Comonnnnnnnnnn. . . .(grin) I just wanna play in the dirt! Leave me alone! Buy a set of crayons and write your order! (very sarcastic grin) Speaking of . . .I have to go in tomorrow and fix a corrupted profile from someone who can't stop surfin' . .jeez I'd like to slap some people. . . .and then re-write an app that is misbehaving. . .the users won't use the command buttons right so I have to "disable" some of those in the application. Ya know, how many times do you have to tell people not to "crash" out of a shared database? Want me to draw PICTURES FOR YOU?!?!?! I'm gonna disable the red X. Stopped the corruption in the other ones when I disabled it. No laughing - this time of year stinks for some of us. LOL. . .(sigh!)

weird to add to this old thread, but i wanted to add som other data... @clinresga: i wish i had read your post when i was trying to sort this all out last year...but fortunately, i think i ended up in the right place. i'll be upfront before providing more info: i am happy with my Ventahood. if i had the option of a remote blower, there is no question, i would have considered it, but in replacing an under the cabinet, microwave combo unit, the Ventahood one because of it's quietness at realistic speeds. anyway, i wanted to add the numbers i had recorded from a previous email to a friend last year when i ran into the imfamous "sticking flap" problem. (i'd be happy to elaborate on that if people want to know more about it) what i found (when the flap problem was corrected), using my Radio Shack meter at cooking location in front of the hood: Fan1 low: 57db (150 cfm) Fan1 high: 65 db (300 cfm) Fan2 high: 64 db (300 cfm) Fan 1 and Fan 2 on high: 67 db (600 cfm) as you can see, my numbers aren't too far off what was previously reported except for the lowest fan speed which is much quieter. nevertheless, i have to say that i often run Fan2 not only because of it's slightly lower volume objectively, but my subjective preference for the "whiter noise" nature of that blower. in fact, without the sound level meter, i had first thought oddly that a full 600cfm on was quieter than the fan1 on full speed on its own. i looked into a few other units including a Kobe, a Broan, and a couple other powerful "chinese hoods" that was crazy quiet at low speeds, but much louder to my ears (in the showroom) than the Ventahood. in short, i think some of the disagreement in VAH comes down to: - subjectiveness - stuck flaps - inproper ducting. (ie, installing it on a 6" or smaller duct) btw, i don't buy the whole Magic Lung giving me 900 effective cfm necessarily, but this is true from experience: the 300 cfm (one fan on full) pulls out much odor than our supposed turboboosted microwave hood did at its 420 cfm rating...i would guess the Ventahood at 150cfm still bests it! not all cfm are created equal when specified by the manufacturer :)

Stuck on food isn't a problem for me...but once in awhile I find granules of what must be food debris in cups..not often..that's when I run the D/W again. I can't figure out why it does this. I rarely put pots and pans in..occasionally a cookie sheet type pan that I bake pork chops on, it comes clean. Oatmeal no problem and I make it at least 3 mornings a week since the boys LOVE it. My only real problem is those occasional food granules. I also want to add Mich's Recipe Cascsde Gel with Chlorine and STPP is fabulous. .I used to put the gel in the dispenser cup sprinkle the STPP and stir...now I put the STPP in first the gel on top and don't stir..Works Great I highly recommend this mixture for anyone with an older D/W. Another thing my electric bill has been sky high..I couldn't figure it out since nothings changed, it should have gone down with no A/C running non stop, about 5 weeks ago I thought maybe my D/W heater for the dryer so I have it shut off..I got my electric bill last week..it dropped 60 whopping dollars. I won't be running the heater again..its almost time, I'm really going to have to retire this machine. I'm on the hunt for a rebuilt vintage one. Sparky remember that Lady Kenmore I could have had..damn I regret that loss.