edie: To find a chemical like Imidan that is "controlled" in the sense that it has been removed from the casual consumer market, you have to use your imagination. Contacting the manufacturer directly is not the best strategy. Either search it out online, or identify a location near you that serves commercial growers of apple or other fruit trees, and that will sell to you. Since these distributors generally sell in large package amounts (4-5 lbs.), it might be most practical to share a purchase with someone else who has the same problem. Then you have to figure out how much to use in your particular spray equipment in terms of teaspoons or tablespoons per gallon of water. If you can find Imidan on e-bay or similar source in the small amounts you would be buying it will not be cheap, but with the current 70WP formulation, you would use very little of this insecticide for each application. A pound or less would probably last you for several years. I have nothing against using a product like Surround, but it ends up costing as much or more as an insecticide and is not nearly so effective. I have a particular distaste for products that clog my backpack sprayer, and Surround can do it like none other, since it is made from the same kaolin clay as kitty litter. If you are willing to put up with a little nuisance sprayer cleaning however, and can't figure out a way to lay hands on Imidan, Surround might be the best alternative for you, especially if you are not comfortable applying chemicals. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

In Colorado we do a lot of xeriscape. I find that when I try to pack in a lot of plants in one spot, they drink each others water, and they don't make it. I will use an ornamental plant, like 3ft tall grass, and lay down a weed barrier and put wood much, or stone much around that plant. then plant another plant about 3 ft away. Wood much or even better hay, around a plant will keep it warm in the winter and help soak in and keep the water that the plant dose get, and keep it form evaporating away in the summer. Lavender will take some abuse, but it likes alkaline soils. equisetum horsetail, is easy to grow, likes water. could be invasive. I would only use it in a small area, strong border.

Is this a whole grain (whole berry) version? There is also semi-pearled farro and cracked farro. "FARRO" is rather nebulas in the world of grain and can be one of several grains, usually one of the early varieties of wheat, but often it's spelt, which also goes by the name dinkel in Germany, or can actually BE farrow. Spelt and farrow are very similar and often used one for the other. Farro is one of those long-cooking grains and your research may have mentioned that. I'd suggest pre-soaking the grain for 6-12 hours then cooking it to shorten the cooking time. Use a 3:1 ratio (3 cups water per 1 cup farro). If the ambient temperature is 75-degrees F or warmer, soak it in the refrigerator. Pressure-cooker - use 3 cups of water per cup of farro. Soak for 30-minutes before cooking at pressure for 45 minutes. The risotto dish using farro also goes by the name farrotto. The flavor is similar to wheat or barley. Recipes that use cooked whole wheat berries will also work for cooked farro. You could always resort to Blender Waffles/Pancakes, which can be made with almost any wheat-type grain and rice. Link below. There are different versions of this recipe. Some don't require an overnight soak. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Blender Waffle/Pancakes

cactusmcharris: I guess you mean to say not all bonsai mix contain bark - which is correct. In Japan, bark is not a popular component of soil. I guess it is not that readily available. Akadama is a clay of volcanic origin and it is easily available in Japan, but expensive here in US. There is a similar clay available in California and is fondly called Calidama but it is not as popular. There are many kinds of bonsai mixes - none of them I can think are proprietary. Bonsai enthusiasts all over the world experiment with many types of soil components trying to balance water, air and nutrient capacity, long term stability, local climate, plant requirements and cost. Gritty mix is Al's formulation and is also a kind of bonsai mix and like any bonsai mix they are also suitable for regular container culture. The components of gritty mix are more readily available in many parts of US and relatively cheap. Except perhaps akadama, bark and peat, most other substrate components have a much larger scale of usage in areas other than horticulture. Growstone (derived from glass) and leca balls (clay product) are the only ones I can think of that are specifically manufactured for horticultural usage.