Hi everyone, I am sure there are other CHC users who will comment. Beg your pardon for my long-windedness...and I want to get a shot out to cool dude Al :) I don't personally have any concern about toxic residues in CHCs; of course in countries with different or no regulations on chemical use I do sort of wonder, but I somehow don't think that coconuts are a crop ridden with pests and thus end up significant pesticide exposure. Heck are they even a crop? (I thought they just fell into the ocean and were scooped up lol)...If anything they might have a bit of bacterial load if they were floating in nasty contaminated seawater but prolly nothing your plants could transmit to you...no worse than what we prolly already use in our containers and gardens, lol. Plus, I seem to think reptiles are sensitive to stuff like that and thus prolly wouldn't do well if their bedding was a mess of DDT or something else equally yummy :) Any reptile people out there? (lemonsforchams I think...?) I have to be perfectly honest in saying that I do not care for CHCs. I tried chcs because I want something that can take a rainy winter outside and something that I will not have to reaplace in a season or two. I have read of many people on these forums that just love them , but I have had poor luck with them. I have tried chips from different distributors; and I soak/rinse them to death; I've done what I can for a cation/salt exchange; I've tried pure chcs and chcs mixed with peat; I remove most to all of the original rootball soil; the result is the same--too wet. I know, it's weird, they seem like they would aerate well and they just don't. Now, I haven't tried the *recommended* brand from St.Louis, and I haven't done the exact recommended chemical wash (where you get that stuff is still a mystery to me), but I somehow don't think that is the key. I can go for at least a whole month without watering and I live in a dry (and often windy) climate! That's got nothing to do with proper prep, I'd bet. I've tried at least 7-10 plants in it--mostly citrus and amaryllis and they universally do poorly save for one--and that one I have NOT had to water in the last 3 weeks (!) and somehow it is ok, not counting on it to do well in the long term. The plants that are long-termers like the citrus just sort of sit there (no response to fertilizers) and slowly decline over a few months--have lost one, another 2 looking like they're gonna die and so I moved them out recently, a few others that may be circling the drain. I don't care for the coir/ground husk fiber for the same reason--stuff just rots so quickly in it. I am thinking of trying the chcs on plants that don't care if they sit in a moist wet environment--maybe guava or calla lilies. Not sure yet. As a result I am experimenting with a mostly inorganic/largely inorganic medium. (Al's been right all along :) However, I am going to try a mixture of Turface and CHC's--I actually need something that has better water retention and so these may do the trick. I bought a little Meyer lemon that is gonna be my guinea pig, poor thing. It seems that everyone has their favorite mix and I think it has a lot to do with exactly what your goals are and also I am beginning to feel that climate will play a role in it too--not just moisture regulation but also speed of decomposition of your soils and thus lack of aeration/too much water retention and subsequent rot...and then another addition to the compost pile :( Just my experiences. Am not prepared for any sort of backlash from chc lovers :) Oh yeah be sure to soak and rinse at least a few times--they're supposedly loaded with sea salt and that needs to come off. And when it comes to pricing--not too bad at a local garden center where I can get it "over-the-counter" for--I believe--1 cubic foot or so for maybe 14 bucks. I also bought from a direct importer in southern CA for about 18 bucks for a huge bale (I travel to L.A. quite often)--I think 3 cubic feet, compressed, but it sure seems like more than that once hydrated and deompressed; I think it is 20 lbs dry? Can't recall for sure. And I think this place has reasonable shipping prices, can't really remember now, email me if you want their contact info; they're an orchid supply importer. HTH. Shuttin up before someone lobs a coconut at my head.

Morning, Hello Sradleye, Wow, your Passionvine is absolutely beautiful. So symmetrical. Trellis size is perfect. May I ask the reason you set it outdoors? Was it the smell of FE? lol If odor was the reason, it should be gone by now. Of course, I'm certain your PV loves it outside. You'd rather not keep outdoors until autumn? Has it flowered the last two-years? My ex-green PV sowed from seed, lived in a west window..year round. It grew tall, up and covered the ceiling. I fertilized a couple times a year..'can't recall which fert I used.' I have a plant book, 'oldie-but-goodie,' by James Underwood Crocket, original host of Victory Gardens. He lived in the eastern states. RIP. Anyway, he advised cutting PV stems back late January I had no idea pruning was necessary. I wanted flowers/fruit so bad, :) So, I believed pruning would halt flowers growth. Mr. Crockett suggested pruning 6-inches from soil line late Jan. I never pruned that much. Then again, my PV never bloomed either. :) He also advised fertilizing 'lightly' every other week. In fall, when growth slows down, stop feeding and give enough water to prevent wilting. He was against pinching, because pinching leaf tips could cost blossoms. Oh, Sradleye..Roses and Morning Glory! I hope they weren't your first house plants. Roses, minis or standards, grown indoors are mite magnets. So, please don't blame yourself. Morning Glory can be grown inside, but they need direct sunshine and a well-ventilated, air circulated room. Otherwise, like other annuals/perennials, they're mite magnets. As far as MG, it depends on variety. I have 'Blue Dawn', which is a perennial MG..Thank God, it's never had mites or any other pests, but during our cold, grey, IL winters, it goes semi-dormant. I really should prune down the entire vine, and start over. Growing annuals/perennials as house plants is difficult. Some plants, eg Coleus, do well, but w/o adequate winter light, they'll get spindly. I've also sowed dwarf Marigolds indoors..they are super-dooper mite magnets. lol. Marigolds are almost, but not as bad as roses, when it comes to mites. Are herbs used to kill mites? Srad..the best way to rid mites is by misting with 2-3 drops of dish soap and water. Two to three times per wk, until mites are gone. I add other products, too. Red pepper, garlic, Listerine mouth wash. Insects despise the scents from each ingredient, AND none are harmful to humans. I mix ingredients the night before I plan on spraying. Unless FE is added, the soap, etc will last for weeks. When FE is included, I toss leftovers within a 24-hour period. What color are scale on your Schefflera/Umbrella Tree? Brown or white? Hard-shelled or cottony? When my Hoyas were mealy infested, I sprayed a ton of rubbing alcohol on leaves, stems, trunks.. A waste of time. Maybe if mealy is caught early, RA might work. Your PV leaves look very healthy and pest-free..no signs of mites. Perhaps you cut back, unhealthy, 'if any' stems and foliage? Did you find webs? Webbing that resembled the fine weave on your roses??? I know ants and mealy work as a team, but I didn't know ants and scale worked together. Of course, scale is a form of mealybug. What do brown specks look like? Do they protrude or embedded in leaves? Can they be scraped off? Oh yes, outdoor sun certainly brightens colors. Plants love natural sunlight, humidity and fresh air. Summer does wonders for our plants. Good luck, although, as far as your PV goes, it's doing fantastic. Hi Will, You don't know how much I want to summer tropicals outdoors, but ants are a huge problem here. They're everywhere! No matter, which side of the house, ants have taken over. Although I despise chemicals, I plan on purchasing ant baits, then, before bringing plants in, each will get watered with vinegar. I did this last autumn. The vinegar didn't harm plants, and very few ants were found. Will, is your mom in z5, too? Some plants are better neglected, lol. Especially for people who can't go a day w/o watering. Do you think repotting is the reason your Steph didn't bloom? I've heard, 'not certain,' repotting can cost blossoms. It's true Clivia won't bloom if repotted in spring, and a few other plants, but not sure about Stephs. I believe repotting before buds are due, halts flowers. Just my opinion though. Will, what do you mean, 'before the sun shelter went up?' Did you set the Steph in hot sun w/o acclimating? If not, didn't the leaves burn??? So, you allow your Steph to go in complete dormancy during winter? Wow. Do stems brittle? How do you know it's alive? :) Don't think I can do that. Last winter I set 3 Adeniums and 2 Pachypodiums in very low light, and infrequent watering. None died, but it took a while before Pachypodiums' leaf grew in. Worse, my Adeniums have few leaves. Usually, by this time of year, Adeniums are fully leafed, and blooms. I did the same w/Pandanus/Screw Pine..it's now in plant heaven. Hope you see the reason I fear forcing plants in total dormancy. :) Thanks guys, for all the help..Toni

I was going to add that 'cultivar' also includes plants that were 'discovered in nature' (not man-made) that have special characteristics that make them desireable for cultivation. These could be either naturally-occurring hybrids, or just simply variations within a species. Or they may be plants that are native to a special area of the world that exhibit unique characteristics. I think of certain species of evergreen oak in Korea, for example, that seem to exhibit unusual hardiness compared to the same species in China (provenance). In either case, I think the term 'cultivar' is pretty broad. The term 'cultigen' is not heard as often. This term seems to apply more specifically to 'man-made' selections for agricultural and commercial purposes. These include man-made hybrids, propagation of sports, chimeras, genetically-altered plants, etc. The term 'indigens' can be used to refer to plants discovered in the wild. It all gets quite esoteric. LOL!

1. What city (town) were you born in? 2. What pets do you have and what are their names? 3. What is your favorite Beatle's song? 4. What is your favorite season? and why? 5. Who is your favorite actor? and why? 1 and 2 I don't want to answer (security), but 3: "Across the Universe" 4: Spring! Even chose something related to it for my last name. Spring is so much to me. 5: Two of my all-time favorites: Peter O'Toole, Katherine Hepburn (either together or separately : )). Others, i.e. I'll see a movie for no other reason than that s/he's in it: Yes, Cate Blanchett, Leonardo deCaprio (might sound dopey, but IMO he's in the running for the title of the Spencer Tracy of our generation...he simply *becomes* his character to an extent that people don't give him credit for acting; he's been impressive ever since Gilbert Grape). I like Matt Damon too, and the guy who played the obnoxious professor in Paris at Midnight (also played Wesley Snipes in 30 Rock, and David Frost). I seem to recall seeing him in a film about the end of apartheid--secret negotiations between the ANC and DeKlerk's brother--anyone remember that? Great movie.