I've been using the FoliagePro for a couple of months now, and I noticed a big difference between two containers, one of which has nasturtiums and bronze fennel, and another which has nasturtiums, ornamental oregano, and lemongrass. The nasturtiums in the latter container are lush and blooming well; the nasturtiums in the former container are scrawny, with yellow leaves and infrequent blooms, and the bronze fennel is dying at the tips. I know I was giving less FoliagePro fertilizer to the scrawny ones, but when I gave them more, nothing happened. Now I remember having given the pot with the oregano some organic fertilizer, 3-1-2 alfalfa meal. I sprinkled some on the scrawny ones and will keep you posted. I would note that it is VERY finely divided, almost a powder, so I'm hoping it will eventually go out through the screen on the bottom. I am watering all containers the same, and all drain well. I can put a finger down into the mix and just feel the barest moisture at the fingertip, and then I still don't water if nothing is wilting or it looks like rain.

If ARS wants to do National ratings, that's fine, but I think it would be a great boon to do them by District. The various ARS Districts COULD publish those ratings on their websites. That wouldn't be hard. THAT SAID . . . Even ratings broken down by Districts would be distressingly broad. My Pacific Southwest District would encompass the desert AND mountain areas of Arizona and New Mexico, a snippet of NW TX, the Valleys of Southern California, and my coastal areas which -- believe me -- are a whole different kettle of fish. Bill, are you SERIOUS that ARS makes the ratings unavailable to non-Members? Jeeze. How un-welcoming. In the end, you're far better off to check with people in your immediate area, and that's where a LOCAL rose society (or Heritage group) can come in handy. If Bill wants to know how an Old Rose will do for him in Southern California, he has the Gold Coast HRG to turn to for answers. I really DO see value in belonging to a local rose society. And if your society doesn't have enough interest in Old Roses, start educating them. It CAN be done. Jeri

The warning label is NOT about lamp size. In order for the manufacturer to place the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) label on their fluorescent fixtures, the supply wires must enter the fixture over 3" away from the ballast. This is because UL requires that ALL wires within 3" of a ballast be rated for 90C. This 3"/90C UL requirement is the source of the requirement in NEC 410.33. Yet some fixture sizes and/or designs don't allow for that minimum 3" spacing , so UL allows the UL label on fixtures where supply wires enter within 3" from a ballast -IF- the manufacturer also places a label requiring 90C supply wire only. You don't need to add a box. Just pigtail a length of 90C wire to your house wires in the box, and bring the higher rated wires into the fixture to supply the ballast.

Labels Explained: A wealth of information appears on the plant Labels. Try to maintain these labels because plants labeled as unknown lose some of their resale valueas well as their show value. A typical label would look like this: Blc. Memoria Crispin Rosales 'No 2' AM/AOS Blc. Is the abbreviation for Brassavolo, Laelia, and Cattleya; the genera used in the breeding to produce this hybrid. Memoria Crispin Rosales Is the grex (family) name used for the seedlings produced by crossing Lc. Bonanza x Blc Normans Bay. Note the use of capitals in the name to denote a hybrid. When you see Memoria in the name of a plant, it is to memorialize the person whose name follows. Usually, these are people of import or standing in the orchid world, but it can also be the name of someone important to the individual who does the naming. 'No 2' Is the clonal name for this particular seedling. (A mundane name for a beautiful flower.) AM/AOS Denotes Award of Merit, American Orchid Society. Other Cattleya combinations you may see on labels are: Slc. Similar to above except that Sophronitis appears in the breeding. Potinara. Named after Dr Potin. Genera used are Brassovolo, Laelia, Cattleya and Sophronitis. Rolfeara. Genera used are Brassovolo, Cattleya, and Sophronitis. At least 60 of these combinations of Cattleya are used with other Genera. Species names are written in lower case: Cattleya intermedia, Cattleya aurantiaca, Cattleya bowringiana, Cattleya mossiae etc. Natural varieties are indicated by the abbreviation var. and clonal names are enclosed within single quotes. Some examples: Cattleya intermedia var. alba , Cattleya loddigesii var. coerulea 'Blue Sky' Natural hybrids, those hybrids which occur in the wild are indicated by an 'X' in front of the name. Example: C. X hardyana , natural hybrid of C. dowiana x C. warscewiczii. Sometimes you will see the name of a plant x self, which means that the same plant provided pollen as well as the seed capsule. At other times, you will see the name of a plant x sib, which means it was crossed with another plant from the same compot. Ploidy not shown usually means 2n Diploid (3n) triploid (4n) tetraploid AOS awards HCC/AOS-Highly Commendable Certificate-75-79 points AM/AOS-Award of Merit-80-89 points FCC/AOS-First Class Certificate-90 points or higher Those three are specific to flower quality, point rating based on 100 possible points. CCM/AOS-Certificate of Cultural Merit CCE/AOS-Certificate of Cultural Excellence Those two are for the full plant, denoting the grower's skill in growing (and flowering) a plant to big beastly size in pristine condition. A couple others: CBR/AOS-Certificate of Botanical Recognition Awarded to cultivars of species or natural hybrids deemed worthy of recognition for their rarity, novelty or educational value. CHM/AOS-Certificate of Horticultural Merit Awarded to species with obvious horticultural value when they appear in cultivation. The quality awards in Australia are: HCC High Class Certificate 75% and above AM Award of Merit 80% and above FCC First Class Certificate 85% and above AD Award of Distinction....."awarded for some feature outstandingly distinctive" such as the first of those "Black Phals. to be displayed ACC Award of Cultural Commendation awarded for a plant that "exhibits excellence of culture" Awarding Societies RHS Royal Horticultural Society AOC Australian Orchid Council AOS American Orchid Society TOS Thailand Orchid Society JOS Japan Orchid Society OSROC Orchid Society Republic of China etc. Medals Bronze Medal WOC roughly = to HCC Silver Medal WOC roughly = AM Gold Medal WOC roughly = FCC WOC = World Orchid Conference Information from ArthurM, Michigoose and Orrin