I don't recall if I got a warning with YesScript. I just know that I researched the issue on Firefox, and Firefox said that if the issue was just with certain websites, YesScript was the route to go. I'm no techie, but here is what is said about YesScript: "JavaScript is sometimes misused by sites. They can show obtrusive ads or try to limit built in browser functions such as the back button or the right-click menu. Poorly written scripts can also hog your system's resources. YesScript provides a JavaScript blacklist, letting you specify which sites aren't allowed to run JavaScript. A single click on the status bar icon can put the current site on the blacklist or take it off." All I know is that after blacklisting GardenWEb on YesScript (takes a few seconds to do), Firefox works fine for this site. Of course, I could also use Safari, which had no downloading problems or messages. Pages were taking up to 10 seconds to load, and I kept getting messages about loading problems.

Because I loaded it on my computer and it screws everything up, and makes the computer lock up, no matter if it's IE or Firefox. One more thing I'm blaming on Vista, just because I hate it. Of course my AVG and Firefox is fighting all the time too, as is AVG and this site. well, none of that happens here at Elery's with his Mac, only at home with my Dell. Annie

for those with adblock plus on your firefox if you have not added the easylist subscription to your adblock you NEED to do that it has the list of all the known ads to block for those that have it and are having issues be sure you update your easylist. Here is where you get easylist it only takes one click to add it on. Add EasyList to Adblock Plus click where you see that text on the page.

"And how many bags did you throw away before you found the good stuff?" How many bags of what did I throw out, precisely? I don't throw anything away... even if I can't use it in a container environment, I'll find a way to make it into something good for my vegetable garden, or I'll alter it for use in larger tubs or barrels. But to actually answer your question... none. I did some research before buying anything. I asked a lot of questions in the Container Gardening Forum, among others, found out what everyone else was using and where they were locating it, etc. Several people, including Mike, Josh, Al, Laura and a few others from that forum made some recommendations. Then, I began a little online research, looking at various growers, soils, what they had for sale, what size the pieces were, pricing plus shipping... I even checked eBay - just to have a look, and see what people were selling and buying. I found a ton of information using key words like "bonsai soil", "orchid bark", and others that might bring up links to places - like blogs, for example - that would show and/or tell me more regarding the type of medium I was interested in, and how they were using it, and where they were finding their ingredients. In my own situation, I don't need wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of medium. I only need enough to grow my Amaryllid collection, my orchids, and a few assorted other potted plants... some rather large, some small. We're probably talking somewhere around a couple of dozen 8" to 14" pots, give or take, some bigger or smaller by a few inches... plus a few hanging baskets. I mix smaller batches to accommodate whatever I'm growing, and wherever it will grow for the season - indoor or outdoor. I mix according to how much I think I might need for each planting project. This allows me to adjust ratios as needed, and I keep any mixed leftovers in covered containers. I use fir bark pieces, coarse perlite, granite chips, and turface (or equivalent) - and I mainly use a rendition of the Gritty Mix... (though I will make it more like the 511 for other projects.) I was actually surprised at how much information is available on the more porous types of medium on the internet... and I have to say that I found the most help over at the Container Gardening Forum, right here, at GW... or Houzz, as it is now. I was frustrated for a short time, myself... but I knew I would locate what I needed if I just had some patience, and kept asking questions. Gardening of any kind can be frustrating... there isn't just one single way to grow anything, or one single environment in which everyone grows the same way. The only things that are relative constants are what roots require to maintain health (which in turn maintains plant health), and the very basic physics of how water moves through soils in confined environments (pots). I'm 53 - I'm a Grandmother - and I don't mind saying that it took me well over half my life to find the information that really "clicked", logically speaking, and made growing plants as enjoyable and rewarding as I find it now! I limped along with mediocre success for a long time before I discovered Al's writings which really made me think about the whole process in a very straightforward and logical way. Oh, it certainly takes a little adjustment while a grower moves from peat based, bagged, soggy soils to a more porous medium with a larger particulate that we can control ourselves, with regard to moisture, nutrition, etc... but it's all been worth it. Even though it's completely understandable, there's no need for anyone to get ruffled feathers over this issue... the bottom line is, different areas of our country - not to mention different countries - will sell different products, whether it's a brand name issue, a pricing issue, a quality issue, or it's just difficult to find the particle size you need/want. There are so many nice people here, and in other forums - like the Container Gardening Forum - that will bend over backward to try to help you locate what you need, as close to your area as possible... and I believe Josh even has a YouTube video to help beginners by showing them how he prepares his 511 medium... I don't have a ready link, but google should be able to help easily enough. Mike is one of the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure to know. And even though it's sometimes difficult to know what a person means through the written word... because we each have different styles of writing or expressing ourselves, and we can't see facial expression or hear tone... I know there is no way Mike would steer someone in the wrong direction, ever be rude, or take what may be unintentional rudeness from others personally. By the same token, there are some people who write off the cuff, so to speak, and maybe they simply don't realize how off-putting they come off through their typed words. It's all in how we interpret what we read... context and reading comprehension are more important then ever on message boards where we aren't face to face. Sometimes it helps if we take a moment, take a breath, and imagine ourselves in someone else's shoes... we can't know what others are feeling, what they're going through in life, with health, family, financial of other burdens that we might not consider. Sometimes, what we might not understand is that those who are disabled, or ill or immobile in some way, or are perhaps retired or advancing in age, or are recuperating from an illness or injury... whatever the case may be... we gather at forums like these, because we are unable to have those active lives that the few will tell us to get when they think, by their estimation, that we spend a lot of time on our computers, or on various forums and message boards. If only everyone were young and healthy and spry, and had the wherewithal to get an active, happy life... But really... Are we, or are we not all here because we love plants? And isn't the basic idea to share, to learn, to teach, to grow not just plants as optimally as we hope to from our experiences here, but also to try to grow as human beings through our experiences? Happy Gardening! :-)