Sec - I'll go look. BTW - I'm glad you found the old thread. I didn't want you to think I was ignoring you on the other thread ..... It's just that it was already soo far off topic I hated to start any cross chatter. The cherrystone is called just that, and that's what it says on the bag. It's actually quartzite, and a little bit of Fe in the stone is what makes it pink/red. I like it better because of it's appearance. It's mined in MN by New Ulm Quartzite Quarries. http://www.cherrystonegrit.com/index.html Remember it's a concept you're trying to implement. If you can find 2 ingredients, one that holds a lot of water (Turface/calcined DE) and one that holds almost no water (like the grit) in the right size, and you combine them with fir bark, you've got it made. The ingredients I use are just the best I've found so far. If you get rid of the perched water in your soil, I promise your plants will be MUCH happier. I'm serious when I say I water my succulents every 3 days, right along with my other plants, and they do exceptionally well. They may not be as exotic as what you guys grow, I have bonsai to fill that niche, but they ARE healthy. You'll have the whole C&C forum on the stuff within a year. Best ..... Al

On your blog it says the manufacture tested it and found high levels of ammonia and sodium. That there would be a problem ;) I noticed from their web site that their products are regionally formulated and contain things like 'aged compost' (of what?) and 'forest products' (what are those)? My advice to you in this thread is the same as in the vegetable gardening thread, make your own mix with ingredients from companies with a reputation for quality control such as Fafard. You indicated you went through 100+ bags of mix so you almost can't not save money making your own. Many makers of potting mixes source the cheapest ingredients and have next to no quality control so one year the product works fine and the next year it's horrible. Lesson learned, I guess (hope) ;)

Miracle-Gro/Scotts = same company. Ellen, you and I are in the same neck of the woods and I've been very unhappy with Miracle-Gro potting mix in the last two-three years. It has been full of all kinds of stuff - big pieces of raw wood, glass, rocks, even plastic bits. Last year I got a bag that stunk of petroleum. Folks in (some) other parts of the country are saying they are still very satisfied with their Miracle-Gro products, so I'm beginning to wonder if the company sends different formulations of the product to different parts of the country. The last couple of years, my WS germination has been off and I just couldn't figure out why. This year, I found a supplier of Fafard soil in my area, so that's what I'm using. Nice fluffy, clean mix - the way Miracle-Gro used to be. We'll see how things go this year. Carol - you're right, potting MIX, not potting soil. PV

There are like three makers who make almost all of the microwaves for everyone. Bosch isn't one of them (Sharp and Panasonic are). Just choose something that looks okay with the oven and don't give it another thought. Most people who choose their own appliances don't buy them as a suite from one manufacturer unless they're given a incentive offer they can't refuse. Some makers do one thing better than another, while a different maker does the other thing better than the first. Or if not better, at least in a way that you prefer. If you put a little bit of trim in between the oven and MW it won't matter if the finish doesn't match exactly either.