Where in the world you are can be of tremendous assistance to some of us, although my soil is sand while my sisters soil (6 miles west of me) is clay. Usually sand atop a clay base indicates that someone dumped some sand there in an attempt to have a soil kind of easier to cultivate then the clay would be. The clay, under that sand, will keep that sand from draining properly, two different soil types with vastly different drainage capabilities. I would talk with the people at your local office of your state universities Cooperative Extension Service to find out what your soil type shoulld be.

How coincidental this thread has been revived...I picked up my first bag of "rocks" just this afternoon to try...Professor Al, if you are out there I am not *trash-talking* hehe...My new mix of the month is gonna be Turface MVP, bark and some perlite...will decide on the proportions when I actually run my paws thru the stuff, which is ETA approximately 2 hours from now...I am after NOT having to re-do this cr** for a long-a** time..having a bad day... Anyway, I think you gotta use what you gotta use...I still think that bagged potting soil is not the best thing for you to use in the long run, but your goals and my lazy goals may not be the same....thus I would amend heavily with perlite, which I like a lot. Some people hate it, ok fine; I like pistachio ice cream and some people hate that too, ok fine...However, I don't know where you are, but I can sorta suggest a brand of potting mix that I've seen hold up rather well for maybe a year or two: Last year my sister switched her pot-grown tomatoes (she is one of those people who can grow anything, anywhere without any trouble or thought) to a brand called Bandini that I actually liked b/c it isn't dirt and compost--it is mostly redwood bark fines/soil conditioner; she bought it at Home Depot. Great drainage, she has some filled pots left from last year, dumped it out, and it still is very light. I am starting to see what uses as a medium will be affected a good deal by climate, reference another post where Toni and I have had a little chitchat. I am beginning to hypothesize that perhaps you get quicker breakdown of potting mixes in areas where there is more exposure to the elements and higher average temperatures...yeah I know, that it is prolly obvious to most of you out there in TV land butI never really thought about it for potted plants (I know--->DUH! I think Sir Isaac Newton's apple just bonked me on the head)...which may be why some who do the potted thing in cooler climes may have a little more leeway...or maybe not, I've got no randomized double-blind placebo-controlled studies in the pipeline...which is why I am going largely *inorganic*...I expect my upcoming battles will be delivery of enough moisture and nutrients, espceially the micros...And when I really have my act together I am going with an automated drip system for the containers...but my act may never actually *be* together...Next stop, pending this failure (though I have complete faith in my mentor's advice :), is intermittent flood hydroponics...isn't it Friday yet??! HTH. I'm goin' to happy hour...

I know everyone's soil/region is different. I am so disgusted with my soil this year. Nothing but rock-hard red clay that practically bakes into Terra Cotta in the sun. Even the topsoil we used for some of the raised beds crusts over pretty hard on top and needs some work. A local daylily grower/seller in Georgia who also used to grow them in Florida's almost 100% sandy soil told me the best thing I could do for my daylilies in this area is mix in as much sand as possible with the soil that's there and be sure and break up all the large dirt chunks. Pretty labor intensive but sand is cheap and I figured it's worth a shot. Supposedly easier for the roots to grow through it if it's sandier. I may have to water more frequently but each time you water it's actually getting where it needs to go unlike my hard clay where it just runs off right now and isn't really soaking down to the roots. He's successfully grown and had a buisness for years so I figure he knows what he's talking about. Of course that black mid-western/northern soil would be wonderful too but would cost a pretty penny here. Good luck with your clumps! Danielle

Just got my FLF yesterday and last night after examining it I noticed some weird tiny brown dots on the stems and leaf creases. I think they're scales? Can anyone help with the ID? I sprayed it with Bayer Neem Oil, all over the stems, leaves (top and bottom). If it is SCALES, how do I go about getting rid of them? Should I use a wash the entire plant since I need to repot it (what kind of potting soil should I use? Can I use Cactus Soil + Perlite since it should be well drained? Or return the entire plant? Any suggestions/help would be greatly appreciated. Newbie here lol. Thanks.