Hey Mary, I don't have any experience with this, but in a google search this is what I found: "Solving the Problem with Potassium Chloride Water Softeners The great advantage of potassium based water softeners is that there is no need for you to make use of sodium. Meanwhile, potassium is still considered to be a very beneficial element to your body, and often people lack this mineral." "And when it comes to the environment, the water that is being regenerated is considered to be more environment friendly. When you are going to use the water to nourish your plants, you better make sure that you use a potassium water softener." Here's another: "An Alternative to Softening with Sodium (from Pipeline, a newsletter of the National Small Flows Clearinghouse, Winter, 2001) "Sodium really has no redeeming value in the environment outside of saltwater or brackish water ecosystems. If alternatives to sodium chloride for water treatment can be developed, they should be used. Potassium chloride is a logical choice to reduce sodium discharge from water softening systems, to provide additional potassium in human diets, and to serve as a nutrient source for plants." From "Potassium Chloride: Alternative Regenerant for Softening Water" by Dr. Kim Polizotto and Dr. Charles Harms Thanks for asking this question. I have a water softener. Think I'll give this a try, unless someone here advises against it. Mac Here is a link that might be useful: Potassium Chloride

More Q, Linda & Rocking I, Perle, and All, The Midnight Sun that toppled off the shelf, breaking off the crown … I put the stump of the neck in its pot under a dome. Lo and behold, it now has two tiny outcroppings of green fuzz that will be two separate suckers. This AV is a compact standard, not easy to propagate. One of my favorite reds, I hope to preserve both suckers. The crown, in a separate pot, does not appear to have rooted, it looks wilted. It is also under the same dome. Also, another favorite red that is merrily blooming, has a twisted neck. It, too, has developed two suckers on its neck. This is also a difficult one to propagate as it has leaf edge variation. It is another favorite of mine, it drapes beautifully and grows symmetrically. I had put down 2 or 3 of its leaves 2 or 3 months ago that have developed babies. I know, Irene, you said to remove the extra suckers, just to keep one. But these plants are slow growers … The AV I had written about that has fuzz all over a green bare spot on its stem that look like a bunch of suckers …. you advised me not to allow all to grow … is another compact standard. (I like the compact standards that grow in a whorl and drape.) Oh, well, I will just let them develop and see what happens! (That one had gotten lost in the trunk of a car of a friend who was helping me move my plants. By the time we found it, much side damage had taken place. I did not think it would survive at all. That was in May. It is now fully in bloom, and also reproducing. Guess I am still too much of a "noob" to sacrifice any suckers just yet!!) Of a big batch of leaves I put down in August and domed, nearly all have sprouted babies. However, three of the mother leaves started to rot, though the babies seem fine. There must have had a bit too much moisture, even though the dome was ventilated. I trimmed off the rotten parts of the leaves, leaving tiny portions. I put the affected plants into a separate domed container so that the rot won't spread. Finally, I saw a few You Tube videos of Russian nurseries. One showed numerous large flats full of leaves that were sprouting babies. The gardener methodically snapped of the edges of the mother leaves, but only after the babies were developing. So I just went through my domed trays and did the same. (I don't have 100's of leaves, of course, only about 20!) Some leaves I had already trimmed when I first put them down because they were so large. Those I left alone. Not really a Q, just a report and comments … For Michael, if you are reading this thread, on the Optimara website, they state that it takes 18 weeks to produce babies from leaves.That seems like a long time. Perhaps they mean babies that are able to survive on their own, separated from the parent leaf, and are of substantial size to be put in separate pots. Joanne

Thanks for this! I've posted it on my F'book page.

We very recently installed an American Standard Clean Cadet skirted toilet from Lowes, the elongated version. So far, it has been terrific. The install was not difficult, and if you need some help AS has a video you can watch. It flushes cleanly with no residue. I wanted a skirted toilet and one that had a smaller footprint in our tiny bathroom -- this fit the bill. We installed it ourselves and the most difficult part was dropping the included nut installers for attaching the tank to the bowl. Otherwise, no problems, no leaks, and the bowl stays clean longer than the Kohler upstairs. AND it was inexpensive! I've included a photo that shows part it. Here is a link that might be useful: Clean Cadet