Great post and discussion. From what I've experienced, read, and been told everything in the article right one target. The article is online at http://www.oldhousejournal.net/magazine/2007/oct/Truth_about_TreePlanting.lasso I have witnessed seedling growth rates much higher than larger b&b and potted trees. After a couple years of developing roots, the bareroot seedlings show unbelievable growth rate. I had a post a couple months ago about watering young trees and the effects of drought on trees. I had been told by my grandfather (who studied botany for his PhD) that my 6000 seedling that have gone now through 2 years of record drought will have a better root system and future potential than if they had received good rain. It didn't make sense to me at the time. After thinking about it, if the roots are fat and happy with a lot of water, they have no incentive to grow. I was told something similar by a horticulturist when discussing amending backfill around trees - don't do it because they will have no incentive to move outside the "good stuff". He also told me to "water trees good at planting and from there on out don't water again unless it doesn't rain for a month". See the link below. It is a study that proves water stressed seedling result in more root growth than well watered seedlings. My seedlings went a month or more without water multiple times over the past 2 brutal years. I admit some died, but the large majority that made it are now doing really well. According to the study, they have a better root system, and over the next couple years will likely show accelerated top growth due to the superior root system. The accelerated top growth achieved by a lot of watering is easy to see, however the more long term effects of growth rate (early root development) cannot be seen from the surface. The fact that we normally cannot see and compare this root growth makes this idea is difficult to understand. Look at page 4 of the link below. The graphs are worth 1000 words. They consistently show approx 25% increase in root length for water stressed seedlings compared to well-watered seedlings. This proved to me that my grandpa was right, even though I thought at the time, he was crazy. Morale of the story is. plant smaller trees, and after initial watering, let the trees find water on their own while developing a good root system. DonÂt use early top growth as an indicator of future/potential growth rate. I admit these ideas don't seem to pass the common sense test, but it's hard to argue with documented research. This non-common sense advice is probably why the article heading in Old House Journal states "Tree Planting 101 Hint: It's Not What You've Heard - To ensure beautiful trees for years to come, youÂre better off ignoring some popular gardening advice". The research quoted in the article is from the International Society of Arboriculture. I'm guessing they know a little bit about trees. John

Proper watering is the most important aspect of container gardening, no matter what you're growing. More plants are killed by improper watering than any other cultural thing. This is very true. I only bottom water my African Violet and a few of my seedlings that are not planted in a gritty, porous mix. Everything else is watered from the top, fed with liquid fertilizer solution from the top, and leached every once in a while from the top. How you water will be dependent upon the environment you garden in, and the type of medium you use. I think my root comparison is most certainly valid... especially when you consider that the the Rapido bulb had been planted for a much longer time period than the Papilio... almost a year. Pamela does not fit into the comparison, at all, and is simply an observation of what can happen in a medium that retains too much moisture. Pamela is not an old bulb... it is a very injured bulb. It's been practically peeled away to nothing in that photo, because most of it was rotting away. Once you understand the facts behind my observations, they become clear. The Papilio was given only a few months to grow those beautiful roots in Al's Mix, while the Rapido bulb had an entire year in cocopeat to grow its inadequate root system. This tells me that a medium which allows for better aeration and oxygen/gas exchange is better for root growth. Sir Hans grows beautiful Hippeastrums. How we both grow them differs. What works for him, does not work for me. The reason it's not good to layer substrate is because this causes a perched water table at the joining of the layers. Water cannot adequately drain, and is trapped where the two types of medium meet. Gravity does not pull the water to the bottom where the drainage hole is located. Al can explain it much better than I, but one layer of medium throughout a pot works best. The key is making sure all the different ingredients in your porous mix are roughly the same size. The smaller the particles, the more surface area, which increases the capillary attraction and thus the water holding potential. I admire Sir Hans for his ability to grow beautiful bulbs, and I appreciate his input... but I have learned a thing or two, myself, in the short time I've been growing... and I'm having better success using a single layer of sharp-draining, porous medium that leans toward the inorganic side. For me, bottom watering doesn't work as well as top watering.

I was hoping that there might be a thin solid surface type product. The concrete counter in the kitchen in the house that I bought is pitted, stained and dark brown. Replacing it would be a messy project and I’m not sure that any treatment to the current counter will yield good results.

Donnnakay- what a lovely thread... The kitchen I remember most fondly was my grandmother's where I lived as a child while my father was in the service and off and on until the early 60s. My grandparents built the house in 1922. It had a pantry with wood and zinc counters, a big soapstone sink, an ice box (for refrigeration) , upper and lower sage green painted cabinets (uppers with glass panes) and a long circular dish towel that hung on a wooden dowel. The kitchen was a large rectangular room: one long wall had two windows and a large porcelain sink with drain boards on each side that was in a painted wood cabinet. The other long wall had lower cabinets with open shelves above where she displayed old Quimper pottery. At one end there was a white painted brick alcove that housed a wonderful old but working gas stove that was probably converted from wood or coal. The other end opened into a small dining area with a pine table and chairs and a large dry and canned goods cupboard. In the middle of the kitchen was a long wood table that served as the only prep area and had 2 stools that we used to "visit" on. On the walls were hung things like the coffee grinder, a school like clock and various kitchen tools - like the wooden paddles with ridges on one side that I was allowed to use to make the butter balls. The kitchen had red and white checked curtains, the walls and cabinets were white and the floors were a dark wood. The most important element in this kitchen were the delicious scents and smells that floated through the air into the rest of the house....I can still smell them when I close my eyes.... Alas this wonderful home was torn down to make way for a Trophy Home (read McMansion)....with none of the charm and warmth of the original...Had I lived closer I would have tied myself to the wrecking ball to save some of those treasures: the stove, the cabinets, the sinks and oh so much more...these are the very elements I have seen in many kitchens here...that porcelain sink with the drainboards was on another thread...being used in a garden!! Now we are talking about sustainable products!! Thank you again for bringing us this thread...I have had a lovely time reliving my childhood in that warm and inviting kitchen where yummy goodies and memorable meals were produced in a slower and gentler time.... Belated Happy Mother's Day to all...