Al, I will try the all-Cactus-Mix in one 'Tainer to see how it wicks, at one end of the spectrum, then do a 1/3 Cactus Mix with 2/3 Miracle-Gro potting mix in another 'Tainer, and then straight Miracle-Gro mix "diluted" with Perlite to then compare results of the three. Where is a good source to get Perlite? At Lowes yesterday they only had very small bags of it. These moisture and pH meters are not good to rely on for absolute readings - -but I like to use them to gauge "relative change" as an indicator from one experiment to the next. It was interesting in the 'Tainer where I did not add Epsom Salts that the pH was reading 6.4 just now. Again, no faith in absolute numbers, but it indicated to me that the Epsom Salts in the one 'Tainer *may* be the cause as to why I am getting a lower reading on the scale in that one 'Tainer. Regarding tomatoes only, I had read somewhere that they did best in media that was between 6.2 and 6.5 pH. Do you not agree with this opinion? I am tempted (again), to reduce the size of the wicking basket to a 4 inch square one, with a 3.5" by 3.5" opening in the aeration bench, as a simplistic approach to continue use with the standard Miracle-Gro potting mix, to try to constrain the flow of moisture up into the SWC. But at some point in reducing the opening of the orifice the 'Tainer might not fully wick properly, and areas of potting mix may run dry. I guess I would rather find a potting mix (or a blend of two medias) that will exhibit the desired saturation characteristics ideal for tomatoes. Darn Hobby!!!!! BTW, The Peppers and Corn both love the current design's moisture eco-system! Raybo

Two of the leaves fell off! Well really they were brushed off. but what is strange but I guess likely is that they were the 2 most damaged or just unhealthy looking ones. I posted pictures of the plant now and of the leaves that fell off. Please can anyone tell me what is happening and how to fix it???

Thanks for the heads up about rentals! Good idea. Lynn, we experienced this lack of parts support with our Samsung induction. We've only had it 7 years and when the burners died, we could not get the parts because those models are no longer supported. The tech was on the phone for almost two hours trying to find the parts, which apparently the last were sold a few months back. That coupled with that they no longer make this particular freestanding range model meant we had to get another range. We cook pretty much every day. Frustrating because the oven and everything worked great, so we had to cook without using burners. Our neighbor asked us if he could take it and haul it for scrap, so we said sure. There are not a whole lot of places that keep induction in stock. At Lowe's they would all have to be ordered and take 4-6 weeks! Sears actually does keep a variety of induction in stock (Kenmore, Electrolux, and KA), and I was able to find an Electrolux floor model from Sears for a great price and get it delivered in a couple of days. I'ts great, but it's way more tech than the Samsung, so even we've had a bit of a learning curve on it.

A quarter teaspoon makes such a difference, doesn't it? I once lived in a time and place where bp and soda came in little packets. Measuring was a big problem, and I finally learned that half a packet, by eye, of baking powder was enough for a cake, and that it didn't really matter so long as you didn't forget it. KA are protein happy. :) Their flours are "heavier" than others. So I guess it's natural that the helper suggested half AP for cakes. Or they say that so it'll come out more like cake mix. For standard American white flours, there are four basic categories based on the fact that Southern wheat is traditionally "soft" (lower protein=less gluten) and hard Northern wheat gives "heavier" (higher protein=more gluten): pastry flour 6% protein, cake flour 8% (plain soft wheat), all purpose flour 10.5% (mix of both kinds of wheat), bread flour 13% (hard wheat). As flour is milled and sold there are a lot of variations. They can test for the protein content of the crop, and try to produce a stabilized protein content so the consumer can have a similar experience, bag after bag. Scroll down to Antilope's chart detailing many flours by protein content: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/17045/protein-content-flour For cake, you don't want gluten development. If you leave flour mixed with liquid to sit, the gluten will develop itself. That's the genius behind no knead bread. Kneading promotes the development of the gluten. Stretch it, bang on it, roll it, and it speeds up the process. You can also control the extent by feeling the texture. That's bread. For cake, you want fluff not stretch, and the stretchy gluten will just make the cake tough. If you bake a cake with pure Swansdown cake flour, you'll get a lovely, airy, melt on the tongue (especially if your fat is butter), open crumb, feather light cake. That's the point of cake flour! With major mill standard white AP, you'll get a denser cake that is still light, but more substantial. With heavier AP's, like King Arthur unbleached, you're wandering into bread territory. As I said, my biscuits, which are also in the feather light, no gluten zone, seem to love KA unbleached, but it's better for lacy breads than cakes. In cakes, it's noticeably heavier in the eating. Lacy bread comes from gluten that is strong enough to puff up well but weak enough for some of the bubbles to break like they do in bubbly bath where they combine to make bigger bubbles. I haven't been baking as much this past year so have less flour, but always have wheatberries (hard red, hard white and soft white), ryeberries, and small amounts of other grains, to mill as needed, as well as vital wheat gluten, barley malt, etc. I also keep Gold Medal white, Gold Medal bread (for my mother's challah recipe which is more like brioche and doesn't want a heavier flour) and KA unbleached white. I've been known to use KA unbleached bread flour for country style bread, but in the past I was far more likely to use whole wheat so haven't been keeping it on hand.