First, do you know for sure you have lead contaminated soil? Have you had a soil test done that measured heavy metals? Often, in areas that once supported heavy industry that did generate lead contamination, there is far more atmospheric and residual (surface) contamination than soils that are seriously compromised. And the lead problem can be made to go away. Biologically active compost is used extensively for bioremediation of all sorts of toxic and contaminated soils and it is cheap, relatively rapid and very effective. There is also no documentation that supports that lead in excessive levels is necessarily transported into the plant tissue and subsequently to you as the consumer of the plant parts. The greatest risk is exposure to you through working the contaminated soil and its dust or tracking it into your house, etc. So there is really no need for "bottoms" to your raised beds, although container growing is certainly an option. Sterile potting soil is just that - it has been pasturized or heat treated to eliminate pathogens and is used primarily for seed germination. The "organic" component is the ingredients in the mix, often peat, sometimes bark fines or other, non-soil organic components. The microbes typically present in any OM have been killed off by the heat as well - the pasturization process doesn't distinguish between the good guys and the bad guys :-)) But that doesn't necessarily mean your seedlings will starve for nutrients. Seeds are plant embryos that contain all the nutrients necessary for germination and the development of the first true set of leaves. It is not until these leaves emerge and the photosynthesis process begins that seedlings are even able to access soil nutrients. And pasturization or sterile potting media doesn't necessarily eliminate nutrients - these elements will remain in place in some quantity regardless. Once the seedlings have started producing true leaves you may, however, want to start supplementing with a dilute liquid fertilizer to ensure they are getting everything they need. And it is at this point in time you can consider potting them up into larger containers with a non-sterile potting medium, as the greatest risk of damping off or other fungal problems that affect seedlings has passed at this stage of growth.

Welcome, want2plant! : ) I'm glad you decided to post--newbies shouldn't be afraid to ask gardeners for help, because all gardeners were once newbies. And it's great that you want to call your plant the correct name--as you've already experienced, lots of folks get these confused and call them the wrong name, and thus just confuse even more people. Here's another good visual to help you determine which one you have. Notice the SHAPE of the leaves, as well as the direction the flowers point: This is an Angel's Trumpet: This is a Datura (Devil's Trumpet, but I don't use that name): . The brug's leaves are like ovals, but pointy on one end. The datura leaves have more curves to them--sort of a ruffle look. It can be slightly confusing to hear that brug flowers point down, and daturas point up--while that is true, the flowers don't always point STRAIGHT up or down one some varieties--some flowers will decide to point sideways, sometimes. If you're not sure if your flowers are pointing up or down, I suggest you look at the BUDS that have not opened but look like they are ready to open soon. The datura buds point up, the brug buds point down. Personally, I don't see buds on either plant point sideways, unless a leaf is propping it up or something. Did that help?

The three FoodSavers I've used since 1986 have all worked as they were intended for bags, jars and canisters. The first one, which happened to be a used machine, failed when one of the children vacuum-sealed a powdery substance and it was sucked into the motor. The second machine died when a friend borrowed it and I didn't realize they were vacuum-sealing a large amount of food, and they didn't follow the instructions to allow time between each use so the machine could cool down, and they burned the motor out. The current one has been in use for over a decade. I suspect many problems are due to failing to read the user manual and following instructions: -Drawing in liquids, powdery, or fine-grained products into the unit. You can place a coffee filter over powdery items in jars/canisters to help keep the fine powder from migrating to the lid during vacuuming. You can prevent liquids from being drawn into the unit by placing a folded paper towel at the top of the bag (but below the seal area), place the wet food in another bag FIRST, before vacuum packaging. -Failure to clean the rim of the jar/canister, and failure to heat the canning lids to soften the sealing compound before attaching it to a jar. -Heavy use it's not intended for - like vacuum-sealing a large purchase of meat one package after another. You need a commercial-grade machine for heavy use. -In the early machines you needed to place the bag in the machine with the rough side down, and "the bag should not overhang into the vacuum channel itself, or touch the rubber gasket" (outlined in the user manual, complete with pictures). -Failure to close locking clips on each side of the unit properly - on machines that had the locking clips. -Failure to wipe any excess moisture or residue from inside the bag surface at the open end. When possible, roll the side of the bag over to fill it (it's also helpful to use a wide-mouth funnel to help keep the top of the bag debris-free, then roll it back up when the filling is complete, in order to help keep the top edge of the bag clean. -Note how use of any other bags "may damage your machine and invalidate your warranty". -Sealing contents that are warmer than room temperature because the vacuum may cause the contents to bubble out of the container or jar. -Failure to leave adequate headspace. -Failure to set the sealing time adjustment switch (if your unit has one). -Sealing foods you shouldn't vacuum seal - like strong-smelling vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower) and whole avocados with their pits. You can place a wad of plastic wrap, paper towel, or a piece cut out of a Styrofoam meat tray over bones. You can also double-bag meat - raw, frozen, or raw that you quick-freeze. For instance, if I purchase a bag of frozen chicken pieces, I'll package them in user-friendly amounts in small plastic bags, place them back in the original bag, and place that in a FoodSaver bag and vacuum-seal shut. For raw meat I'll portion it using a Ziplock product called "Perfect Portions" (7-3/4"x11-1/4" bags - 150 bags per box) and quick-freeze those on a cookie sheet, then place the meat in the Perfect Portions bags in a FoodSaver bag and vacuum-seal shut. I'll be interested in getting my next one to see if the new versions are a bad investment, as so many have experienced. If that happens, I'll resort to using Oxygen Absorbers to vacuum-seal canning lids on canning jars. -Grainlady

It's been my experience that there are people who buy & have NO idea that the plant is infested with anything. They just aren't that observant or don't know what to look for. There's also that thing where people expect plants they purchase to be healthy & pest free, so they never check. Then of course, there are those who don't really care. If and when the plant fails to thrive, they believe they killed it somehow by over or under watering. This is usually the case when people have one or two plants. However, when you have a collection of 6 or more, and ALL of them seem to be going downhill, dropping leaves etc. and upon closer examination, you see something is amiss. You check the Google & find you've got house guests. The product I use is Bonide brand. Click link for a picture of the product. Also, it's worth noting that the life cycle varies from species to species of MB. If you're lucky enough to eradicate all adults, and miss some eggs, BAM!...just like that, you've got 'em again. This is why I chose to break the cycle through chemical means. Technically, I should re-treat every 3 months, but I choose to only do so as needed, so twice a year it is. I used to (upon bringing new succulents home) remove all old soil & re-pot in preferred mix. However, some of them didn't appreciate having to acclimate to a new home as well as new soil. Now I bring them home & let them sit for a bit while I hunt down a suitable pot. I usually re-pot after about a month. Some folks have good results with Neem oil. I did not =/ But I admit to being somewhat of a type 'A' person, I hail from NY, soooo, there's that 8D Some folks have also had good results with simply removing old soil & rinsing roots in insecticidal soap solution, again, I did not. Different approaches yield varying results, some quite satisfactory. It's just too variable to predict with certainty, unless using a product with imidacloprid. The seller I was most happy with on Ebay is ricklogeesrareplants (clickable link) and coastaltil1. Be warned, not the cheapest option out there. However, I don't sweat where I get my plants anymore, now that I've found a reliable way to eradicate these pests. There's a large greenhouse near me and they have a great selection of mature plants, but ALLLLLL are infested with mealies. Despite this, I choose plants according to what pleases me & I treat liberally with imidacloprid before adding to my collection.