The uptake of nutrients (& water) is not constantly going on throughout our 24 hour frame of reference. Phosphorus (P) is particularly noteworthy in that throughout the plant cycle (for tomato, definitely) 35-40% of P uptake occurs during the dark. When I drip fertilize garden plants , especially during flower blooming, I alter the ratio of total dissolved solids (TDS) to have a more substantial ppm of P after dark. (Many, & my tropical soil is low in P. Anywhere there is P does not mean it can be drawn very far through the soil by the roots to get at it.) That said, the total P supplied to the plant in it's life is unchanged & what it gets at night is lower N ratio. How much do the field plants get: " water weakly" is a good guideline. In hydroponic/greenhouse ag development projects this is easiest due to the controlled growing substrate you can measure ppm of fertilizer for. Container gardening has been likened to hydroponics. Of course with top watering & bottom wicking the fertilization method differs. Top waterers with free draining substrate who read this: 2-4 hours after sun set alter your fertigation to less N & steady as usual P; but do night water some times to give plant soluble P at the other time when it will take up P. Wick waterers (SWC/BWB): hold P in adequate proportion & plant can get P in night feeding too; this timely availability of P is one of the yield factors seen with Raybo's 'Tainer yields (P translocates in the plant & things happen where they make noticeable difference - it has nothing to do with feeding excess P)

I'm sorry sweet, I appreciate the article but you took the wrong information from it and came to incorrect conclusions. Sealer 101.. The pigmentation itself is not fading it is being dispersed over greater area. The carrier (alkyd/oil base) takes a long time to come to final cure therefore it continues to "spread" the pigmentation deeper and deeper into the wood fibers. This happens not just with TWP but with any oil based product. How deep it dives is dependant upon the type of driers and resins used. This is what makes TWP a good quality product. It has the ability to carry deep into the wood and condition it with mositurizing oil. This is why I tout oil based products over water borne products. There is, of course, a point of diminishing return. The wood will only absorb so much oil and so much pigment before the product starts "layering". Applied as directed by the manufacturer the finish remains as an enhancement to the wood. It will expand and contract in harmony with the wood and allow mositure evaporation. When you pile on coats, every subsequent coat becomes not a part of the wood but a top coating. There may be some bonding of the resins that intially creates what seems like a desirable finish (John describes it as a sheen) but this is merely a top finish that is now susceptible to craking, flaking and peeling. Again, TWP by its very nature has parrafins that never really cure 100% so John has been lucky thus far and the finish has remained semi-pliable. At some point, this chemistry is going to break down. Not if...when. Perhaps it won't happens if the product is applied on regular maintenance schedule but waiting just a bit too long and it will start peeling. Once it does, the finish is ruined. Understanding stauration points, Sweet, you can easily understand how layering pigmentation will cause darkening. Take a crayon and shade in a box on a piece of paper. The first layer of wax will bond to the paper and the color will be as labeled. Go over that color again and the color will darken a bit. Go over that same box again and again and what happens? Not only is the color significantly darker, the top coats of wax are flaking and if you pick up the paper and shake it or cause stress to it, some of that wax will come right off. Understanding the science of why the Hyatt Method works and why it is destined for failure is what scares me. Now as nature erodes some of that oil and the top bond is broken (evidenced by readily apparent and dramatic color shift) the wood after a full year will be ready to accept more oil. This is when R-A-D comes in. It helps to make the wood readily accept the finish by actually breaking the bond of the former finish and removing some of it. Have you ever heard of "the moisture test" which is basically placing five or six drops of water onto a finish and seeing if it beads? Any oil/based sealer manufacturer will tell you, if the water beads at the surface, you cannot apply another coat of sealer. You either have to perform stripping or wait longer fro Mother Nature to do her thing. Hope this helps clarify things. One final note.. You have to understand the millions of dolars thrown at R&D by these sealer manufacturers yet stil they come out with crap that does not hold up for more than 12-18 months at best. If the technique to superior longevity was as simple as piling on layers with no increasing odds for premature finish failure, wouldn't it stand to reason that they would suggest it?

Rose, it is great to see you back here. I'm glad you have such good memories of your dad; I have many of my dad and so I know what that means. Losing them is hard, but we can be glad in that they had long, interesting lives. I like this verse "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." The season had come for your dad and he was prepared and ready. Have you decided where you will be moving to when the house sells? Sue

First of all, enjoy your new kitchen - it is beautiful; this is just a tiny little problem. it will be fine if you leave as is and never put anything in there. Having just gone through some terrible storms with potential for power outages, I would suggest store one good flashlight and perhaps one or two small ones for family members and several good pillar candles along with a lighter. Even if you have numerous emergency lights in other storage areas, this could be the IMMEDIATE go to place. One other suggestion - one good small hammer and a couple of screwdrivers.:). We can spend ten minutes looking for things like that for a one minute job. I also like the idea of "shoving" plastic bags in there - who needs one of those cutesy little storage containers? I have a messy small cabinet beside my range and that is what I do (the candles are behind the bags) lol