1) Every ingredient that you listed for the Fox Farm soil is extremely fine. Since water retention is dependant primarily on particle size, you should expect a medium made of all fine particulates to be extremely water retentive, something I try very hard to avoid in containers. 2) You can read about soils and how durable soils that remain well-aerated long after peat/compost-based soils have collapsed can offer a greater margin for grower error and make things much simpler for the grower if you follow this link. 3) Not necessarily, but if you think about it, what will you do if your pH falls outside the favorable range? Start adding acids and bases to change it? In commercial situations, pH is usually tested frequently and adjusted by injecting a wide variety of chemicals that have elements plants need into the irrigation water. Since pH is affected by temperature, fertility, plant material, moisture level, even time of day (Plants help to control the pH in the rhizosphere to make it easier for them to uptake nutrients. This effect is reduced when plants are undergoing periods of reduced transpiration, which in turn has an effect on pH.) I'm not saying that because I ignore trying to control pH that you should, but I've never found it necessary to fret about it in any container planting. I might consider the plant prefers acidic conditions and forgo the use of lime and maybe use a urea-based fertilizer to take advantage of the acid reaction, but other than that, I don't worry. Remember that Media pH is far less important in container media than in mineral soils, and if you're supplying nutrients in soluble form, unless the pH is WAY outside favorable limits, your plant will be able to assimilate the nutrients. You can find considerable discussion about this in Dr C Whitcomb's work, "Plant Production in Containers II". 4) On average, plants use about 6-10x more N than P. Since the P in NPK is not a true measure of P supplied (P is reportted as the % of P2O5 [phosphorous pentaoxide]) you need to use a multiplier of .43 to tell the actual amount of P. In 3:1:2 ratio fertilizers, there is 7x as much N as P, so you actually have a considerable cush in 3:1:2 ratio fertilizers. Plants use roughly the same amount of nutrients throughout the growth cycle in relation to N, so I'm not sure where the idea they need larger doses of P during flowering/fruiting comes from. Tissue analysis of fruits and blooms show roughly the same levels of P as other plant organs, which meshes nicely with the idea that consistent P levels at approximately 1/6 that of N are entirely adequate throughout the growth cycle. I actually don't boost K by adding the ProTeKt, I reduce the amount of N, which also must reduce the levels of P and K. Since I can see by my plants that what I said above about P is true (also confirmed in the text cited above, which is essentially the Bible on container production) and P levels remain adequate at reduced application rates of 3:1:2 ratio fertilizers, I only need to be sure plants are getting adequate K. I can do this by incorporating some potash in the soil when I make it in anticipation of the reduced N applications for tomatoes, or simply forgo the increase in TDC by supplying it later as needed by using the ProTeKt. Al

I recently bought an olive tree from the local store which is about 2/3 ft high and I'm going to re-pot it with a decent potting mix. Has anyone got any good recipes suitable for an olive? I've got fine sand, coarse sand, bark chips, perlite, vermiculite and some peaty general purpose compost. Oh and im in the north west uk, which can be damp most of the year :) Suggestions appreciated. Nick

Steve, So are you saying that you now add 40% MG Moisture Control instead of 50%? Or is it less than that? What is high quality peat moss? I just bought the Miracle Gro one, because that is what is available here. Also, no one here carries the Schultz Orchid Mix. The one I am using does not include gravel, but is endorsed by the American Orchid Society. What would be a good substitute for the gravel? I do have some red lava rock that I could break up. Would that be ok to use? Do you add extra charcoal, besides what is included in the orchid mix? What does the finely cut spagnum peat moss do? I have some fir bark in small pieces (Reptibark). Would that be ok to use? It sounds like you know what you are doing with the anthuriums. Sorry for all the questions, but I would hate to kill this plant. It's kinda special because my daughter's boyfriend bought it for me before they took off to college.

I use a fast-draining potting mix with a handful of perlite. That retains enough moisture, but for not too long, which can bring on plant rot. I would err on the side of letting the planting medium dry out than to let it soak continuously. A showering once a day or every other day works fine here in the warm summer months. I use coarse orchid bark on top of the mix to keep the plants upright when they are not rooted in. I avoid using any fertilizer and water crystal additives. See the other thread on whether you should fertilize or not.