Dear X, When I have more time to respond thouroughly to your "link" I will do so. The following some boring reading from some of my prior posts on another "plumeria forum". "You have had drainage issues because of your soil design. Second, you have used manure and high organic mixes that do not work well in our area for plumeria let alone in an area where length of day is short. And all the issues have NOTHING to do with peat in the mix as we have used peat for over thirty years in ALL our mixes and continue to do so. Total working content of a mix is more important then one item for CEC and all other issues. We have spent the time and money to perfect our soil mixes. I have used the advice of Soil and Plant Labs soils engineers for over 40 years. (http://www.soilandplantlaboratory.com/) We also test every mix and modified mix in the lab. With all due respect to everyone on the container forum, I feel much more comfortable with the findings from our professionals at Soil and Plant Labs. In addition these CEC discussions are mostly a mute point with the latest technology from many labs on foliage and leaf feeding. If one feeds only in the container they are at a serious disadvantage as per the latest horticulture science. Soil issue correction from foliar application has been around for many years. Many plumeria growers dont seem to have the grasp of horticulture and the benefit of its science led technology. Over the years we have sent foliage samples to the lab. for analysis this is the bottom line the contents of the plant one is growing. With this analysis we can and do the necessary corrections to our fertigation and foliar/leaf feed program. All the science in the world is a guessing game unless one determines the final result based on lab tests. Now lets do the Bonsai thing: I studied bonsai with John Naka the foremost master in his time. I have never ever made a derogatory comment about Bonsai Growers as I am one and have been since 1955. Bonsai Containers are mostly squat other than cascade style so what are we talking about? I say how many plumeria have these container masters grown? I am not concerned about PWT as it does not exist to a extent with my plants and it has zero effect on my trees. In fact I would bet I have less issues with soil saturation because of my mix than most. Because of my style of growing many of the concerns others have are simply mute. I have and can grow in clay or what ever the medium and have a highly oxygenated soil and produce high quality plumeria with the specific methods I use. I suggest you will need to do some study on 12% Humic Acid, Fulvic Acid, Sea Weed Extract, Mycorrhizal Fungus, potassium silicates and carbon uptake to understand what I am talking about. In addition, where is the science on what you are reading? Where is the proof of all this in regards to plumeria?" "S---t earlier you stated your soil was compacted or you had soil breakdown. It is extremely difficult to visibly assess these issues accurately. If one studies the content of a nursery container they would see that compaction in a container in the short term is virtually impossible. Containers that contain a soil-less mix when less then two years old are nearly impossible to compact due to the fact of the high percent of organic mater. Organic mater will not allow a high compaction rate anywhere anytime. Next, worn out soil; Soil breakdown leading to compaction rarely takes place in a container in less than two full growing seasons and it is normally caused by a loss of organic matter. A large percentage of organic matter used in modern soil-less mixes has two years or more of longevity. It is a fact that most bagged mix manufactures test their soils for this very issue. One may see some soil breakdown in the late season of the third year and almost always in the fourth year. The easiest way to tell that your containers material is loosing its organic matter is the soil level in the container drops over the initial soil settling from the first several watering. If you pot your plants at a consistent depth from the top rim of the container it makes this visible signal more apparent. We have grown trees without repotting in our mix for as long as six years and never repotted with no detrimental effects to trees health or slow down in growth or flowering. However, five years for our large container is when we try to cut roots back and replenish the soil on the bottom and sides without breaking the root-ball. We never bare-root or pull the dirt away from the trees main root mass. Up-potting is dependant on the readiness of the plants (see above). When a grower perceives his containers soil on the verge of breaking down IE loss of organic matter the following remedies are available: Water container with Humic Acid as per manufactures directions. Do this with the container moist not dry. DO NOT FERTILIZE with the humic acid application. Reduce humic acid quantity (dose) by at least 40% if you have used a hard type/pelletized fertilizer in the last thirty days, and if you have added a time release fertilizer in the past three months. This will prevent fertilizer damage as the humic acid will shortly make the all Nitrogen fertilizer available to the plant. The humic acid will add good microbes to the soil. In addition, humic acid will balance the water holding capacity and drainage of the media. Next, inoculate the soil with a mycorrhizal fungus to assist retrieving the 'nutrients to the plant. This is a lot cheaper and less heart breaking than losing those special expensive plant/plants."

Weissman - this post has dragged on for a while, but I have heard enough dissenting opinions here that I have concluded, as Palimpsest said, the quote is "pricey, but not gouging". I gave the go ahead. Hi Lascatx --- no worry --- tone is to hard to read here. I didn't think you were saying that, I was just letting you know that I understand you get more bees with honey etc etc etc..... Marcolo, Funny, both you and Rococo mention rising costs and I have not heard that at all from anyone. I do think you are being just a tad harsh, now --- much of the labor is indeed quite skilled, not chicken pluckers. And in this area, we really don't have hungry contractors. I am told the lesser ones folded, and the 'good" ones are doing work for all the people who would move but dont want to sell into this market. BLfenton - as i mentioned in my post, part of it is the "change order" terminology. Inspectors telling me I need a steel beam is a change order ... conceding to paint the whole house instead of just the new construction elements is a change order .... replumbing to accommodate a taller washer and dryer than what was there is a change order... electricians' time to rewire european fixtures is a change order ...KWIM? We are not indecisive dilettantes dreaming up new ideas as we go. And this is part of the research now ... questioning this item. By the way, this item does not put me over my allowance for counters, so in that sense I did "know the costs before starting". But just because something comes in within allowance, doesnt mean I dont want to understand it. Thanks Pharaoh, But, if i get it right, wouldnt that mean every slab of the same size would have the same fab cost? Whether I cut it into 10 peices or 2? That seems counterintuitive.

Psst, Amber I think you misread about the hair thing. The comments were about HIS hair and how BM always loved HIS hair....all the while with the OP sitting right there. BM is baiting the OP with inappropriate comments and the guy is blowing it off with the statements of the OP overreacting. While the cheating may have been two years ago, it's fairly easy as to why OP can't move pass...the BM is sitting there on Skype openly flirting with the guy. The cheating wasn't a time or two. It was 6months. Six months during the time that the OP and the guy should have been in the ol 'falling in love stage' where everything is rosy and shiny eyed. Instead this OP got a sneaky cheating untrustworthy BF who two years later is still encouraging the BM to flirt with him. And the OP is overreacting???? How does OP forgive and move on when it's still being played out in front of her even if only by sly comments? OP, IMO you need to think real hard before deciding if perhaps this open flirting and therefore flaunting in your face their past (and thoughts of potential renewal) is really something you can deal with or if it's time to move on truly and find a guy to fall in love with that will treat you with respect and the way you deserve to be treated.

Though I've liked the "Baby, it's cold outside" song for many years ... I've long felt somewhat uncomfortable about the prolonged persistence of the guy ... who doesn't seem to understand a(n even half-hearted) "No". Isn't "No" ... supposed to mean ... "No"? It seems to me that, as a youth, I was supposed to respect a young woman enough that I wouldn't want to have her wake the next day to be smitten with deep regret ... or much worse. I'm sitting here thinking that that may be related to the lifestyle that many of us choose, that I'm to love my neighbour as myself ... and not abuse her/him. Ever. By the way ... did any of those of you who turned the radio/TV station off ... ... contact them to tell them that you'd done so? ... (and the advertisers)? ole joyfuelled