The more experienced a grower is, the better he/she is able to deal with poor soils. Inexperienced growers normally see poor results with poor soils, mediocre results with average soils, and good results with a good soil. Of course, this begs the question, "What is a 'good' soil?" A good soil is one you can water to beyond saturation w/o having to worry that root function will be impaied for an extended period due to soggy soil conditions, or that root rot will develop for the same reasons. You should be able to saturate your soil any time you want or need to, and continue adding water to flush accumulating salts from the soil w/o concern for root health or function. If you can't, there is no doubt you leave a considerable measure of potential lying on the table. Unfortunately, there is no plenitude of soils available that allow you to water correctly w/o concern. If you can find some pine or fir bark of an appropriate size, and some perlite, you can use those ingredients and a small amount of a peat-based soil to make a soil that offers your plants a much better opportunity to realize their built-in potential. I don't know how interested you are in learning more, but the links I'll leave can make a major difference in how much you're able to get back in return for your efforts. I'll embed them so you can peruse them at your leisure. If you have any questions, it's likely I'll be able to answer them. First, I'll leave a link to An Overview that should help you avoid most of the problems encountered by the average houseplant owner. The next link is a more technical look at How Water Behaves in Soils. Understanding the concept outlined in the link will help you in all your gardening endeavors, and will help you understand why a soil might or might not be appropriate for growing in containers. Good luck! Al

Catching up on some older posts and first of all Congrats Candy on your precious new granddaughter :) Her 'big brother' looks so very happy and proud of his little sister - secondly I must admit I was sure that was a picture Dylan's mother since I have never seen a picture of you before - you are way too young looking to have two grand children. It is so nice to have a face to put to an online name - again congrats and most of all enjoy :) ..... Lynne

Wow its really amazing... The combination of colors is really beautiful... Thanks for sharing...

Has anyone else noticed that this forum is slow? lol