Just last night I finished writing a piece about why you can't amend a water-retentive medium with coarse material. I wrote it specifically as a rejoinder to the very often repeated advice that adding 1 part of perlite to one or 2 parts of water-retentive medium will somehow yield a 'good' medium. I plan on posting it as a thread because it's important for growers to understand that a half measure won't necessarily improve your lot by half. Punked by Perlite? In any forum that is even marginally related to container growing, you'll find the oft repeated advice that you can make a silk purse from a sow's ear by adding together equal measures of an overly water-retentive potting media and perlite. Many growers erroneously believe that you can start with a medium comprised of fine particulates and miraculously make it better by adding perlite. You can't ..... and I'll explain why. Let our starting point be any soil you're so uncomfortable with you feel it needs 'amending' to increase aeration and drainage. Store shelves from coast to coast offer up hundreds of examples, and fora are full of threads that offer suggestions re how to fix them. If there's a standardize version of the advice, it would have to be, “Mix 1 or 2 parts of it [and it rarely seems to matter what 'it' is] with 1 part of perlite and all will be well; but …… will it? Let's look closer. The answer is – the suggested mixture will not perform any where near as well as you might intuit. Just how is perlite supposed increase aeration when it has no internal porosity? By what miracle does a nonporous particle added to a water-retentive container medium, or a bowl of oatmeal for that matter, increase air porosity? Let's say that you have a gallon of Miracle-Gro potting media - the stuff with the moisture control feature, and to it you add a gallon of perlite. Adding perlite is pretty much the same as adding BBs or marbles. If you screened the fines out of the perlite, you end up with 2 gallons of medium, twice the volume; however the double volume ONLY comes with the amount of aeration that was in the gallon of medium that so needed fixing. We sure didn't get any aeration from the perlite. There is no way to deny that with twice the volume of medium and no more than the volume of air already contained in the original gallon you've actually reduced the per volume total air porosity by 50%; AND, the more perlite you add, the worse it gets. Total porosity continues to diminish as you add perlite until you reach a threshold level of coarse material that occurs at the point where there is no longer enough of the original fine material in the newly created medium to fill all the spaces between the large particles of perlite. That will not occur in most practical applications until the fraction of large perlite particles is in the 75-90% range. If your medium consists of 75-90% perlite, it would be misleading to suggest that you're growing in medium X amended with perlite, when you're growing in perlite amended with medium X. We don't take coffee with our sugar or cream, we take sugar or cream with our coffee. In essence, when you begin with a poor medium based on fine particulates, and start adding coarse material like pine bark, perlite, pumice ....... it gets much worse (from the plant's POV) before it starts to get better. If you add an insufficient volume of coarse material – it stays worse. Perlite's primary benefit lies in the fact that it occupies space that might otherwise be filled with saturated medium. Simply put, media comprised of fine particles with perlite added will hold less water on a per volume basis than the same media without perlite, but the aeration level in the fraction of the medium available for root colonization will be roughly the same with or without perlite. Visualize adding a pint of perlite to a pint of sand, then ask yourself whether or not the perlite helped by adding aeration. The answer is a resounding NO. Did it help with drainage? Only to the degree it decreased the amount of water the medium can hold on a per volume basis, but this is something of a hollow victory. More on that in a subsequent paragraph. If we want to take advantage of what well-aerated media have to offer, we need to understand how to EFFECTIVELY use the materials at our disposal. If you have on hand pine bark in an appropriated size, perlite, and sphagnum peat, you can mix them in such a way that the end result is a highly productive medium for container culture; or, the same ingredients can be combined in ways that render them practically unusable. Growers would be much better served to use water-retentive media like as it is from the bag, in combination with the well-reasoned use of ballast in the bottom of the pot than to make a wreck of their medium by adding an insufficient amount of perlite or other coarse materials. The science applies to total porosity and air porosity at container capacity. When using perlite as an 'amendment' to water retentive media, it would also be better to determine the height of the PWT the soil supports (easy peasy), then mix 4 parts of perlite with 1 part of the medium, and fill the bottom of the pot with that mix to the ht of the PWT. Then top it off with the water-retentive mix - unamended. This would be much more effective than amending the entire volume of medium in the pot with perlite. Remember - perlite's job is to take up space, and the space it occupies cannot be colonized with roots. This is the 'hollow victory' I mentioned in a preceding paragraph. While perlite takes up space that might otherwise be full of saturated soil, and in that reduces the volume of water the soil can hold, it also reduces the volume of soil available for root colonization. Space available to roots to grow is still filled with fine particles, which still hold roughly the same amounts of water they did before the perlite was added. Many things can be used to significant benefit if used judiciously, most of those things can put us at a disadvantage if used capriciously. Understanding the role of perlite, and other ingredients that serve as potential additions to container media are steps toward getting to the point where we're far more likely to be limited by things like climate, light levels, and humidity …… than our own skills. Al

I too am EXTREMELY SENSITIVE to poison ivy and recently broke out in a similar rash after being careless while propagating my all time favorite plant, the philodendron micans. I also suspected that had to be it so I took a fresh cutting and dabbed the sap several times in my arm and didn't wash off for a few hours. Somewhere between 12 & 24 hours later, I started feeling that familiar itch and watched as my test patch gradually spread out the size of a dime and rose up with the little tiny bubble pattern I'm used to seeing with poison ivy rash. THIS SUCKS! I'm in the middle of battling it right now and in my research found this helpful article. I also read another helpful tip that said the sap from these plants can somehow penetrate through standard medical gloves so thicker gardening type gloves should be used when propagating and caution should also be taken when refreshing propagation water. I plant to purchase some thick, SOLID rubber gloves that can easily be thoroughly washed. NOT those gardening gloves that have a breathable section at the back of the hand and wrists! You should also clean the tools you use and the work area. Rubbing alcohol AT LEAST 70% grade is known to be effective for cleaning tools that have come in contact with poison ivy so I plan on implementing that. As well as never shortcutting again by taking rushed cuttings and not doing the basics like laying out a protective mat and immediately washing my hands afterwards. I lazily let my NUMEROUS cuttings drop to the floor (CARPET!) and I know I didn't wash my hands right away like I normally do. A couple hours later I laid on this floor in a tank top and got a mild rash a day later across my upper back and shoulder area as well as my ear lobes which I believe is from handling my earbuds right after propagating my favorite plant. PLEASE MAKE MY PAIN WORTH IT AND LET THIS BE A LESSON TO YOU... PUH-LEAZE!

Good Morning, All, Linda, you sure know a LOT about plants' biology. I was aware bees pollinated, but not flies. Ironic. Would you happen to know which plants they prefer? Funny you should mention flies. Although it's the wrong time of year, yesterday I spent several hours repotting indoor plants, outside. I lifted three plants off a table, Pachypodiums. Anyway, after lifting the third plant, I found several maggots living underneath, nearest the drainage hole. Yuck..Gross..Disgusting. I wondered why there have been so many flies in the yard. Do you think plants are attracting these creatures? We have Trumpet Vine, 'don't bother buying this plant, it's way too invasive,' which attracts flies. However, I 'assumed' it coincidence. I've been summering indoor plants outside 20+-yrs, but there's never been vast amounts of flies. Ever. Ants, yes, but not flies. I wondered about 'yellow' violets..Same with blues. There are 'true' blue flowers, but most are purple, labeled blue. Very few plants, of all types, have actual blue flowers. I do not consider purple, blue, I get upset when a violet or any other plant is called blue when it's purple. :) Linda, thanks for the url. Guess I copy and paste on browser? For some reason the address didn't show as a clickable link. Thanks, I'll have to check this woman's plants. Some people find sellers in seconds. Wish I knew their secret. lol. Linda, at least you have a family, even if you drive them up the wall talking about plants..Consider youself blessed. Dave...I too have a few, basic Orchids. One Dendrobium blooms 4-5 times a year..Or use to. It's been in the same, wooden basket since 1998. I ordered the next size up, or so I thought. Baskets only come in even sizes..I wanted 5" but no dice. I ordered a 6" and it's huge. 5 young orchids will fit in this pot. lol. Which I might end up doing. We'd best make sure we don't bid against each other. :) Dave, my rating is 361.

Morning... Hey OG. About MRI's..I was told and read they were safer than X-Rays, so what can one do? They detect much better than X-rays, that's for sure. My doctor sent me for an X-ray of my knee..When the X-ray tech asked the reasons I needed an X-ray, and I explained, he shook his head..He said, Toni, I don't understand why your doc ordered an X-ray for your problem. You need an MRI. 'Which I ended up getting a couple weeks later.' For a tech to admit an X-ray was useless makes me wonder why so many are given. MRI's are expensive, but when someone has chronic pain, and an X-ray doesn't show everything, plus they too are now costly,' it makes one wonder. Nuclear is a scary word, though...:( I wish we had a solarium, lol, but that'll never happen. Think you're talking about a Lean To. Usually a smaller gh that attaches to the house. Check charleysgreenhouse.com Once you're on the home page click on Sussex or Kensington. Charley's prices increased, but you can get an idea of home-attached green houses..those you'd consider and like. They sure are pretty. Lol, we were supposed to notify the village, get and 'pay' for a permit, but imo, since we already pay taxes, and it's our property, why should a person have to pay for something they place on their property.. Here, one needs a permit to work on their outdoor steps. What BS! The whole thing makes me sick. We're supposed to pay a yearly fee, per pet, too..it's none of their business. Too many laws, all crap. Money, money and more money. OG, I'm unsure of the the exact years we went to Hausermann's, but both times were in the 90's. Normally, I wouldn't say something so mean but that rude woman should have been fired. Well, it's her loss..I'm sure I'd have purchased something..But florist prices were too expensive anyway..Way more than the main Hausermann's gh. OG, thanks for the heads up on Housermann's supplies..I just checked their site; they sell bark..size needed, too.. Hausermann's is in Villa Park, on Addison Road. Depending on time of day and traffic, we could be there in 20 minutes..but w/the rain, it'd take an hour..It's pouring! I also need to go to a place called Schroeder's Materials in Worth...They sell coarse sand called Torp, and the smallest Pea Pebbles..perfect for succulents. Son and I drived to Worth summer 2011. I bought two 25lb bags of sand, and one, 25lb bag of pebbles..price came out to 2.75. lol..what a deal! I need to go back, too.. Regarding Perlite. I found a seller here in IL. He sells large 25lbs bags of coarse Perlite..Instead of having it shipped, we drove to his house..Paid 20.00 for 50lbs..not bad..right? Problem is, I don't like driving long distances, but don't want to pay shipping charges either..each company, of course, happens to be in opposite directions. lol. Murphy's Law! I rarely purchase small bags..expensive and goes fast. Og, most of my plants were purchased small, except for one Gardenia, citrus, 'size between 2.5-3' tall,' and a Cinnamon Tree, purchased at HD for 4.00. I kill small Gardenias, so when it was purchased, 1994/5, it stood about 1' tall. Wish it wasn't raining..I'd like to shop at a few places for repotting supplies. Get it over. When you said you buy larger ORchids, how tall did you mean? Mature Orchids are too costly, unless on sale. Something I rarely find..lol..So, it's babies or nothing. OG. just counted. I have 16 Orchids plus one variegated Vanilla and one green Vanilla Orchid. So, 18 in all. None are really tall..they fit on a home-made shelf dh made..he added lights on each shelf. The plastic shelf cost 20.00 at Menards. Doubt I'd buy more, unless a fragrant flowered type came along..I think ALL fragrant orchids cost a small fortune??? Wow, you have fragrant ORchids? What scent are flowers? I've NEVER smelled a fragrant Orchid bloom. Surprising, the variegated Brug hole wasn't all that large..Unlike my first Brug. Less roots, too. I think leaves tend to fall more after Brugs are brought indoors..Outside, they get better light, and fresh air. Once inside, especially when heat is turned on, they lose the requirement of fresh, circulating air and sun..although, I don't expect much light in winter. You know how it goes... Every so often I turn on the ceiling fan so air rotates. It helps to a degree, but nothing beats fresh, outdoor air. Ha, dh does very little work, if any..But, he goes to work daily, so I don't say much..no matter how messy and lazy he happens to be..lol. At times I get irritable when he and son are lying around and I'm rushing to get things done. It's frustrating...but what can I do? Our son is an adult, capable of helping, but dh doesn't admonish him while he's lying in bed, watching TV or listening to music on Youtube. I bought a few hanging planters from Collections Inc..they're so cute. A few came w/brackets. Dh was supposed to place brackets on the wall...a little more than a week ago. I'm still waiting..lol Anyway, have a great wkend. Hugs, Toni