Kev, I'm betting your Meyer's will be show-quality by May..(S) As long as it's getting the best care..Sun, humidity, fresh air, well-draining soil, fertilizer and proper watering. I use a product called Superthrive..it's a hormone and contains 50 vitamins..2-4 drops per gallon of water, once a month..I want to add, before sending this post, some people disbelieve it works..some call it a snake oil. LOL..I've been using ST a number of years, seen with my own eyes, the best results. You can find ST on Ebay, several online nurseries..it's also sold at hardware stores, and local nurseries..less expensive buying online. A 4oz (9.99) bottle last a couple years, depending on the number of plants you have..They suggest 10 drops per gallon of water for stressed/dying plants. Soils for citrus..Since I have about 300 plants, (not all citrus, lol) it's economical buying 50lb bags of soil. 40lb Sand. 40lb Peat. Using a drainless plastic pot, I mix, (smaller portions as example, 4 cups All Purpose black soil, 1-2 cups Peat, 1-2 cups Builder's Sand bought at Home Depot, (not beach sand) 1-2 cups Perlite...if you can find small pieces of bark, (not large used for orchids) helps with drainage.. Mix well..Add soil in the pot you intend using..place plant inside pot, standing straight..Fill in mediums, in a rotating motion, so tree stands straight. Do not exceed the graft line..(never cover graft) Then soak...water from the top or set pot in a container of tepid water, intil it soaks up until to the top of soil..Soil should be wet from bottom to top. If you have one tree, it doesn't require much work.. I take plants outside on cloudy days, or when rain is expected..(for the wk) Night or early morning is best..I've had problems placing plants outdoors when sun was blazing, and no rain in the forecast..spray foliage w/a hose...daily if possible. Water perks leaves, and knocks/kills insets if any away are present..Keeps leaves clean, washing away dust particles, and creats a green house effect. You may need to add fresh soil every year or two. And/or repot when roots are crowded..roots will grow from drainage holes, looking for freedom. The plant is saying, I need a larger home. Living in Il, I've been successful repotting into containers 1-2 sizes larger..IMO, it depends on the climate..if one lives in a hot, humid, long summer state, they have a better chance overpotting..Otherwise, too much soil chances are the soil will remain wet, and eventually kill the plant.. Good luck, Kev..don't obsess over your plant/s..by overdoing, chances are you'll overwater, Number 1 killer..Toni

That EA (Exotic Angel) soil is the worst. But the EA plants are really hard to transplant into another mix because they tend to be a bazillion cuttings rooted. But if you can do it, it will help. First, if you got one for only $3, it was probably already on its way to plant heaven. They don't sell them that cheap until they're in bad condition. I'd toss that one, too (or take lots of cuttings if there is still good healthy parts to it and then toss it) and go get a nice, healthy one that just came in. You know, before they have a chance to kill it. Repot it as best you can in a mix of about 1/2 standard potting mix, throw in a handfull or two of orchid bark and then perlite to make up the other 1/2. Then don't water until the top 1/2" of soil feels fairly dry. Now, if you don't want to mess with repotting, I'll tell you how I water with the EA soil. I have some that I have not repotted, and it seems like I inevitably lose them eventaully if I don't repot them, but I can keep them going for a few years before it happens. By then, I've usually taken cuttings and have new pots of them anyway. When I get them, they are usually saturated because of the way they water them at the box stores. It will usually take a minimum of a month for them to dry out good. Once they've dried out good, I take down the EA plant and put it over my sink, water until it drains out the drainage holes, wait 20 minutes, then repeat. If the pot doesn't feel heavy when I pick it up, I wait another 20 minutes and water again. Once it's well watered, I dump all the excess water from the tray and hang it back up. When it feels dry (and light), I repeat. With indoor Hoyas, that usually works out to about once a month. Lacunosa is one that is a little picky about watering. Overwatering is sure death, but underwatering can be an issue, too, so check it often. A lot will depend on how close it is to the window, is it getting direct sun, how many days are sunny as opposed to overcast, how warm you keep it in your house, what exposure it sits in... And don't fret when it sheds some leaves - lacunosa is one that always has a few dead leaves on it for me... Denise in Omaha

Worms live and feed in microbially active organic materials. That means they are decomposing. If you use "clean" bedding, such as cardboard or paper, you may want to give your bin a chance to establish a micro-herd before introducing the worms. Feed the bin some kitchen scraps a few days, or even a week or two, before you add the worms. Bury it in the bedding so that if it does go funky on you, the bedding will hold down the smells. Avoid foods with strong odors (onion, broccoli) at first. I actually recommend bringing in some decomposing organic matter (your leaves) to add to the bin to help get it going. Horse manure or partially completed compost work best. Your bin will attract critters. Some people like to avoid the critters by only using "clean" bedding and food. The worst critters are fruit flies and fungus gnats, but they are a food problem, not a bedding problem. Once you have your worms, patience will be your best tool. Grow the bin environment slowly. Don't overfeed. If you have plenty of bedding, manage the moisture, don't overfeed, and introduce new or questionable foods slowly, it is hard to make a big mistake. I killed my first batch of worms by trying to do too much too soon. I almost killed my second batch by feeding too much rice all at once. After my bins were well established (I had 3 bins at one time), I could feed them almost anything, and the worms would eat it right up. I had a few occasional smells, but they only lasted a few days. I had learned the art of how much to feed them and which foods should only be fed in small amounts. Take your time. You will catch on, and do well.

pictures by this weekend...i PROMISE!!! i just love my granite and you will too. have you picked a paint color yet? i really am a "green" loving person (and i mean the color!) and at first i wanted to paint my walls a greenish grayish color (jogging path by sw) but i was afraid it would just blend with the granite and make everything look too green. we went with grecian ivory sw and i do think it is perfect for what i was going for. i guess my point is this.....don't worry too much. worst case senario...if you think the counters look too green, pick a paint color that will pull out the gray or neutrals in the granite. i haven't had a problem with staining but i'm pretty good about wiping things up quickly. before this, i had a tile countertop so i think i'm used to cleaning up quickly. i have noticed that sometimes i will see a ring where a glass was but it does disappear. maybe this is common...not sure though. i think the sealer was stonetech impregnator pro???? the fabricator sealed it and left me a sample for future use. it really hides crumbs quite well. almost always looks clean, except for the occasional smudgy little hand print from my 5 or 3 year old! you are going to love it, and you will be suprised at how neutral it is. can't wait to get updates on your kitchen progress!