First you need to understand their ecology..they grow under bushes, in crevices, hidden in grass and only a few grow in the open (H. coactata is one of a few). Most other do not. This protects them from direct sun. They also occur in winter rainfall region (again not all), but most do. Well-drained soil means different things to people, some use pure pumice others a mix of potting soil, sand and perlite and various other combinations, but as long as it drains well. Back to its nature, Haworthia has this ability to use old roots as a form of compost for new year growth, so they generate a lot of new roots late summer/early autumn, which is a good time to transplant. So the main times for growth is around Autumn and Spring, and depending on your own situation winter can be slow or none, but on the hottest period of summer they shut down and rest. This then tells you that Autumn and Spring would be more water needed (1xweek say) and winter (2-3 weeks) and summer hot no water. Why, because they will not accept water or will not have proper roots to utilize water, this is the danger time and where you can easily rot them. Please note that I am referring to hot summer and around autumn, we should not block it off as defined months, it depends on the area you live and conditions you cultivate them in. Rather understand the cycle, then you will not get confused. I have mine in good light situation with some early morning sun. I water them in early summer and but for a few weeks mid-late summer (really hot here)- they are still protected because otherwise they will cook. I use a loose mix of potting/sand and perlite. I dry them out between deeper waterings but I do mist them also. Hope it helps Cheers Rian

Howdy, Rose..a good excuse, but only two??? lol. Last night we went to HD and of all stores, Walgreens. Bought 2 plants at HD, Thanksgiving Cactus and bi-colored flower Cyclamen. BUT: We stopped at Walgreens for aspirin. Wouldn't you know it..adjacent the checkout counter stood a small table w/plants. At first look, they were common, but then, before I was about to walk away, there were two succulents. Ironically, while browsing Ebay yesterday, I came across a similar if not the same succulent as the one at Walgreen's. So, I bought one, though should have got both..Not a common succulent.. The outer ceramic, no-drainge container was made in Germany.. Oh, HD's plants were floating in water..A shame! Rose, I promise you..every room, even though there are plants, have furniture.. Last week we had installed LR carpet. Dh and DS hauled the desk, 'which used to hold a computer,' in the garage. Since we no longer keep a computer on the desk, I might ditch the desk. Might be nice for my tall, D. Marginata. lol. Hey Purple. Yep, Hoyas were Dead, Dead. I feel so bad. If it hadn't been for my knee plants would have been in a lot sooner. Yep, I learned a lesson...Hoyas cannot tolerate freezing temps and frozen rain. Although thick-leaf types did better, several leaves had dropped..many remaining are frost-bitten..so I have to remove a few leaves everyday..though not as many as before. Thank God! Mike..is the sun out there? Will your pics come out clear or dark? It's gloomy here, but temps are in the 60's. Still, too dark to snap a pic..I might try. Hey Purple, you and I have the same driving rules..speed unless the police are around..Great rule. I didn't know there were two people who had this right!

GREAT QUESTION and one I am sure is of interest to all. In the plumbing, pipe fitting and HVAC industries originaly the only pipe available was iron pipe. When comparing the volume of pipe sizes we must use a formula that considers the cross sectional area rather than the diameter thus each increase in pipe size approximately doubles the volume. The actual formula for comparison is: Large Diameter Squared divided by the Small Diameter Squared . Example 3/4" compared to 1/2" = (.75x.75)/(.5x.5) = .5625/.25= 2.25 From this we can see that a 3/4" pipe has 2.25 times the volume of a 1/2" pipe. Another basic rule of thumb, if you double the diameter you increase the volume by four times. Understanding that all pipe layout formulas were originally developed for iron pipe it then stands that as new materials became available they were manufactured in sizes that approximated their iron pipe equivalent thus we see copper, PVC, or CPVC listed in "Nominal" sizes. This means a 1/2" nominal copper pipe will be slightly different in size but for all intents and purposes it would meet the volume requirements of a 1/2" iron pipe thus we see the other piping materials listed in the same size variations as iron pipe. While we common think of the word "Schedule" as meaning a time table of events, properly the word Schedule means "A table" thus in the piping specifications each size of pipe is listed in a table of specifications and the number or letter indicates which table applies to the product in question thus we see iron pipe,PVC or CPVC pipe listed as Sched. 20, Sched.40, sched.80 etc. Rather than use the schedule numbers copper pipe is defined by a Letter indicating which table of specifictions apply. While the specifications are listed alphabetically Copper pipe is classified as Heavy Wall, Standard or Medium Wall, and Light wall. It was merely by co-incidence that copper pipe designations seem to be backwards: Example 1/2" Nominal Copper Pipe: TYPE k - Heavy Wall OD 0.625 ID 0.527 Wall thicknes .049 TYPE L - Medium Wall 0.625 0.545 .040 TYPE M - Light Wall. 0.625 0.569 .028 As you can see, even though the Type K heavy wall pipe has the thickest wall the ID of the pipe still remains slightly larger than its fractional designation but for the purposes of standardization all three types have the same OD so the fittings are interchangeable. Copper pipe is manufactured in two varieties. The 10ft long lengths of rigid copper pipe that we are most familiar with is properly called "Hard Drawn Copper Pipe". They also make 60' or 100' rolls of "Annealed Copper Pipe" and we must be very careful not to confuse Annealed Copper role pipe with Copper tubing which is made to an entirely different sizing standard. (Copper tubing is made to the ASTM-CTS standard--CTS =Copper Tubing Standard). FYI-While CPVC is manufactured to Pipe Standards the CPVC pipe that we commonly see in the hardware stores is also made to the CTS standard rather than Pipe standards. Primarily copper fittings are made in the hard drawn copper standard however there are copper fittings such as you describe which appear to have been cast rather than drawn or formed from copper pipe. These fittings are properly called "Wrought Copper fittings." Under the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) whenever copper pipe is run under a slab within the confines of a structure we must use wrought copper fittings and all joints must be brazed rather than soldered. Under both the International Residential Code and the Uniform Plumbing Code all three types of copper, K,L & M may be used for both Supply (the water line from a well or municipal main to the structure) and Distribution (Lines within a structure.) however the IRC only permits type M inside a structure if it is above ground. Type K-Heavy wall copper pipe can be obtained through most home supplies or hardware stores by special order or you can but it from a Plumbing or Heating Supply house but as a rule it is only used for applications that involve pressures or temperatures that exceed the allowable limits in general plumbing use. We commonly use type K roll pipe for direct burial supply lines but the use of type K in general plumbing within a structure would be considered serious overkill. While type L (med.wall) copper is considered the industry standard today in years past type M (thin wall) was considered the standard for residential service and type L was primarily used in commercial applications thus the overwhelming majority of residential structures that have copper pipe have type M thinwall pipe and even that has proven to provide 50+ yrs of service when properly sized and installed correctly. It is true that under some rare conditions copper pipe does exhibit wear in the form of pin holes, but in the final analysis it can also be said that those problems are directly attributed to water quality or in many cases improperly sized pipe which resulted in excessive velocity of flow. Copper pipe will exhibit internal wall erosion if the velocity of flow exceeds 10feet per second and it is for that reason that the codes now define a Fixture Unit method of determining proper pipe size. In regards to water quality. If you live in a region that has water quality issues that are detrimental to copper pipe, I must then wonder what those issues are doing to your general health as well. In my personal opinion rather than worry about finding a pipe that will tolerate those problems I think the homeowner and his or her family would be much better served to consider installing a water treatment system to correct the problem.

Some people who care about showing the badge will match a Wolf range with a Wolf hood, a Viking range with a Viking hood. But most people feel performance and budget are more important than a matching badge. I've never seen people claim that Wolf or Viking hoods are better than other hoods in that price range, though they look nice. But then, so do other hoods. BTW, and going a little OT, the Viking ranges you mentioned have a bad reputation on the Appliances Forum. There's a long thread called "Viking - all owners" that goes back several years, with a lot of complaints. I don't have one, though I always liked that Viking is one of the few brands that offer some ranges with open burners (which I'd prefer). If you are in that price category for a range, you may want to investigate other brands. Back to your hood, one of the things I like about that Brillia hood specs is that it has baffle filters. Often the hoods in that price range have mesh filters, which IMHO, are inferior to baffles because they clog quickly. Just one more thing for you to think about!