I have 2 from Rosemania that I have not had any trouble with - so far. One is the small Duromax (Flo Pro) 1.3 gallon sprayer... http://rosemania.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/product490.html sells for $89.95. I like it because it has a shoulder strap and I can zip around and quickly spray all of my roses in about 30 minutes. The other one is the Spotshot 7 gallon sprayer that you already mentioned earlier.... http://rosemania.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/product93.html I have not had any problems with it either. But it IS rather pricey - $400. It is harder for me to maneuver around the garden when it is full - even though it has wheels. I mainly use it to apply the Bayer All-in-One soil drench. It makes applying that so much easier. I use it without the spray nozzle. Here is a link that might be useful: Duromax (Flo Pro) 1.3 Gallon Battery Powered Sprayer

But Silica, oh but you do know me and have been around here long enough to know what I have done, said, and what my feelings are about CHC, let alone all the time I spend here.:-( We have met before on many occasions and you read here alot too, enough to see who I am for I do know you;-) ...................................................... Posted by silica (My Page) on Thu, Sep 9, 10 at 11:24 Last Spring I put several of my trees into the 4-1 CHC peat mix. The growth on these trees was absolutely fantastic, far surpassed my other citrus. Actually unbelieveable. Also it is very assureing that a citrus tree growing in a 4-1 CHC mix cannot be damaged from over watering. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RE: Updated trees from Coconut Husk Chips to the 5.1.1 mix. Pictu clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by meyermike_1micha 5 (My Page) on Thu, Sep 9, 10 at 12:21 That is the thing Silica.. Not that I am not happy for you, in fact proud of you.. But I have asked so many times for help to be able to grow them as you say you did, and there is rarely anyone to help! Where are the pictures of the trees, the close up shots of the CHC mix, the instructions, the fertilizer regimend you use, the step by step instructions, the suppliers, the evidence,the support...ect? Are we at the wrong forum for all the CHC experts and the pictures? Are you able to answer questions about nutritional defficiencies and how to correct them? How many did you loose over the years figuring the stuff out? Did you wash it? How do you keep the salts out? How do you keep the pH perfect? There might be many here that are still interested at giving it a try.. My plants would of died in that stuff by the time anyone could tell me what to do.. It is nice to know ...................................... I guess sometime forget. We have had many past conversations and at times nice, and at time have not agrred on certain things. I think you missed my whole point about thinking about giving it a try and being pushed back even further because people that have used CHC run from healthy debate and still have yet to prove the science behind it and support the evidence so that ones like me can be convinced or have a reason to use them once again or for the first time. I am not upset at what was said toward Al, no not at all, in fact he can defend himself, although I must admit I was a bit perturbed because I was not the only one that understood it the way I saw it, but I am dissapointed in the way the conversations end, like what you did, in which it is always the ones that use bark that continue to prove the superiority of it, and the ones that use CHC chips that leave. It sounds fishy to me, that's all. If you don't care what I use, then why are you here trying to convince us, me, others that CHC works better and advantages of it over bark? I know that people like Al care about what I use, and that is why I continue to follow those that do have a concern for my success and for what is really best for my trees. Not harm intended, no hard feelings, for as I said, I also respect you in your crusade to purswade others that CHC is the way to go, and I accept any misunderstandings. Have a great weekend nad thanks for your time. Thank you Jodi and thank you for your well said post too! Mike;-)

First of all, big (((HUGS))) to you. I have been where you are--and still am---regarding my relationship with my SS. BM has tried so hard for years to turn him against me. It has really taken a toll, and things only started to turn around when, sadly, SS saw his mom assault me when she was intoxicated. As awful as that was, it was a turning point in our relationship--for the first time, SS saw BM in a different light. It was like a switch turned on in him in which he realized his mom's behavior was crazy. Since then---he is not the way he used to be. He used to think his mom was right about everything, that she was his big protector and savior, and DH and I were the enemy. Things are much improved in that respect, but it's dreadfuil it took such a terrible incident for him to see that. He even told DH a few weeks ago "my mom says you love _____ (stepsister, my daughter) more than me, but I know that's not true, you love us both the same." AW. SO SAD that his BM feels the need to fill his head with that....but the older he gets, the more he can see the truth. Nonetheless--she IS still his mom and he loves her. I think the key in your situation is perseverance and patience. Keep plugging away. Do right by your family, by your SKs when they are with you and just trust it will all work out. Have you and DH done any marrigage/premarital counseling? I have found it invaluable with step issues. DH and I go periodically, and I think we might go again soon. It helps to have an objective third party who can help you both articulate your thoughts/feelings, and who can help you come to a resolution. I am most concerned that you left your family/friends to be with DH. That puts you in a very vulnerable position. do you have a job in your new city? Friends? I would develop your own support system as best you can. I know when I get down about the added stressors of being in a stepfamily, just getting out for a night w/the girls, or going to a movie with a friend, or my mom can do wonders. It recharges me mentally.

Whether Joe's claim about who speaks against grit has any merit or not, I do use gritty mixes, and in various formulas. Making it "wrong" is one problem with it because the "right" way depends on your climate, plant, watering habits, size of your pot, etc. Al tells people all the time that his 1-1-1 gritty mix recipe can be altered to hold more or less water. Few people know what the right ratios are for them BEFORE they ever mix it, which means one might have to adjust the ratios after the plant has been growing a while. Personally, I don't want to have to repot a plant after a few months to adjust its mix and experiment. $10-$15 for a bag of Turface, $2-$15 for bark, $10 for granite, plus screens in 3 sizes, Foliage Pro fertilizer or calcium and magnesium to mix into the grit, and probably containers to store your grit and/or grit constituents, all seem like a lot of money to me for just one cutting, but everyone is different. People who try grit but aren't successful with it often switch back to soil, leave GardenWeb, or stop posting about because posting anything that isn't in favor of the mix can lead to attacks and accusations from some of its almost cult-like followers, but a Google domain search of this site using "failure to thrive in gritty mix," "problems with gritty mix," "plants dying in gritty mix" and the like brings up plenty of posts by people who have problems with it, and people who gave up on it. I'm not sure why some people refuse to see both the pros and cons of the mix, but it is definitely a point of contention on this forum, which can lead to more problems because it then becomes difficult to get unbiased help with it when a problem does arise. That said, many people do like it, and are successful, but be warned that it can be difficult to adjust to. One issue I find frustrating is watering densely planted pots. Water pours right through grit, so you have to water the entire surface rather than watering at an edge and letting the water flow over the surface and under the foliage like you can do with most soils. To keep rosettes dry, for example, I was dunking some pots for a while, but that meant a lot of wasted fertilizer, and it was a pain. I now use a laboratory squirt bottle to get into all the spaces under and between rosettes, but it still isn't a good method for some plants. I'll post a photo of my water bottle, and some photos of plants that are especially difficult to water in grit, just so you have an idea of that particular challenge.