Can't be sure, based on what you said, but something is amiss. Ca and B deficiencies are noted for producing the symptoms shown in your images. B deficiencies are rare, Ca deficiencies not so much and can be a cultural issue as opposed to a deficiency caused by an inadequate supply of Ca in the soil. When Ca is present in appropriate amounts, soil saturation often inhibits uptake. Low light (and the plants are not getting enough), cool temps, and other cultural influences that slow transpiration all contribute to reducing transpiration, which slows the nutrient stream and limits Ca supply to forming leaves. Ca is immobile in the plant, so it must be present in the nutrient stream at all times. Are you actually checking your soil for moisture content before you water? Did you screen the Turface, and did you use MVP or Allsport and not a finer grade? My sense is that watering the plant in the image, indoors, every 2-3 days with a mix heavy on Turface is probably way too much water. I have trees under lights (which increases water uptake) with twice the mass and in half the soil (the basic gritty recipe) that I water every 5-7 days. The other thing that strikes me is, it also looks as though there could be a toxicity issue. Can you think of anything that might have made it's way into the soil that is potentially phytotoxic? What did you use for bark? grit? Al

Again, I don't know what to say, Jodi. My face got all red (yeah, I blushed) and I was really touched by your comments. I'm just really glad you're getting more out of your growing experience. THAT really rocks me. ;o) From Arjadiejai: Have you tried rooting cuttings in this mix? If I have a cutting that is important to me, or hard to root, I always stick it in a sterile medium like perlite or Turface. Strangely, I get the VERY best results from rooting in chopped sphagnum moss (not peat - the whole pieces of moss that were harvested live). The moss makes sense if you consider it's the medium most used in air layering. A mix of any combination of the three ingredients also works very well. If I'm starting cuttings and I really don't care about the strike rate, I use a soil made of screened Turface, fir bark, and crushed granite - the same soil as above. I screen it so particles are all larger than 1/16 inch so there is almost NO perched water to rot cuttings. By doing it that way, I can start the cuttings in larger containers and not have to worry either about a setback from potting up soon after the cuttings strike, or about overpotting and the accompanying saturated soil. In short, cuttings root fast and you can save a step because of a larger soil volume, but again - if the cuttings are important, use a sterile medium - it's the bark that could harbor rot organisms. About the cacti and succulents, if you water your typical tropical houseplants every day or every other day, how often would you water the cacs & sucs in comparison? It varies. I have caudex forming succulents that get water once/week in winter (they're under lights in winter), and every other day in summer (outdoors/full sun/clay pots). The plants in plastic pots get watered less & the ones in clay pots get it more - you know how that goes ..... I/you just develop a feel for what is needed & when after a while I guess. I kind of have a calculator in my mind that factors in how hot it's been, how windy, how much sun, how big the plant is in relation to the pot size and soil volume ..... and I decide based on that. With succulents & cacti, if I'm in doubt, I usually wait. To answer your question directly: It varies, but the interval between waterings is about twice as long - all things being equal. Also, have you ever ventured into terrariums? Would you use a mix of this sort in there? I haven't done terrariums, but I worked with a guy to develop a soil and fertilizer program for his. I think he was doing them to sell, and I might even have sent him some soil to try, I don't remember - I talk to a lot of people off forum about plant stuff. I didn't save his e-mail addy, but I talked quite a bit with him on a thread over on the Container Forum. I might go over there & see if I can look him up & find how he fared, but only if you're interested. ;o) Al

I just finished The Sea. The articulateness of the author caught me first. Terrific use of language. Reminded me of Rushdie's capabilities. Secondly the character of the narrator who was portrayed as a congenital cowardly sneak with aspirations. Overly self aware with a vivid imagination. Who attempted to rise above his lower class origins by ingratiating himself with the rich family and then by marrying a well-to-do woman. This character was fascinating to me. Where were his morals? Taking pleasure by cruelly beating his dog? Setting grasshoppers on fire? Sociopathic behavior. And then he leads an upright life? Unlikely. Or did the suidcide of the twins produce a profound retreat? Scaring the ambitious curiosity out of him? His later life musings show occasional blasts of honest insight. Overall a dissatisfied follower. By his self-label of dilletant. Was his excessive drinking after his wife's death new behavior? Self pity disguised as self mockery? The author was 60 years old when this was published. Forgot that 10 yrs. is too young for sexual awakening? Never mind. He dealt with human yearnings well which was for me the point of the story. The twin's inability to connect emotionally (happily) with others & their awakening to their own separateness (paths to come) was intolerable. They were marked for self-destruction from birth. When the mute one puts his arm around his sister's shoulders and lays his head against her illuminated the only warm human bond either felt. They could not survive without each other. This makes more sense to me than fear of parental repercussions from the governess' report of hanky panky. The writing was beautiful. I can live with the loose ends. I was cheesed off by the last sentence of the book. "A nurse came out to fetch me, and I turned & followed her inside, and it was as if I were walking into the sea."

hi MWJ, glad to hear from you! Since it was your idea to generate discussion, if you want to start a separate thread on stashes I will join in and hope others will do so too. hi Mimi, understand about using up your stash. I only have a few detergents, as I tend to immediately "donate" the ones I don't like. No one could compete with MamaP's stash. How I wish I could have gone to that flea market when she tried to sell her stock and acquired some of her treasures.