When you use a ratio of 5:1 potting soil and perlite, you'll get exactly the same amount of wicking and aeration as if you were using only the potting soil. It's only when you start getting up around a 60% perlite component that you would notice any significant change. Perlite reduces the o/a VOLUME of water the soil is capable of holding, but that is of no value in containers with an unlimited water supply because it doesn't change the wicking potential until you increase the particle size of the predominant ingredient(s). Does that make sense to you, or should I illustrate further? Al

plllog, I think it is sugar recrystallizing or something similar.. Knowing how I handled it, and have continued to handle it and knowing that it is fresh, I seriously doubt that it is mold. I have not tried to re-zap it. It was made in the microwave, not in a pan. Would that make a difference? (1/3 c sugar to 1/3 cup water, zapped until it boiled, then cooled and stored in a clean lidded container in the fridge.) The "swirl" is more or less clear, but appears slightly more viscous than the surrounding liquid. Just enough that if you don't shake it as you remove it from the fridge, and if you look closely down into the container, you can see it. It can only be seen when looking from the top down - not from the side across. DSIL lives 2.5 hours from me, so our kitchens share nothing in common. He made his in his kitchen. I made mine in my kitchen. This is more of a curiosity than a problem. I used it last night for an Old-Fashioned, and I lived to tell about it!

Yes it's fine but, the outdoor GFCI receptacle isn't necessary provided the downstream wiring is on the load side of the indoor GFCI. Not sure how long it's been there but, the code requires receptacles outdoors to be weather resistant. This post was edited by wirenut1110 on Fri, Jun 7, 13 at 7:05

I took the teenage boy with me to get more water so I can use the RO water in the hopes of avoiding any off taste. Thank you for the information on the Splenda syrup. It is nice to know that it can be done. Lindac, right now, I am canning peaches but working the syrup for that reminded me that I had wondered about Splenda syrup. Eventually, I will work with my daughter on making some infused syrups for coffee and to play with. Right now, I still have 21 pounds of peaches on the counter to deal with and I hope to buy another box 25 lb box next pay day. Then apples should be coming on. The Splenda syrup will probably wait until the fall.