Zen, I didn't even know this was coir, haha. I was looking for ProMix and he said this was better and bam -- Id heard of it so I bought it. But honestly, I'm not against coconut coir; one of my favorite soils is by Gardner and Bloome, based wholly on coir. Some of my older pots are 5-1-1 based on that soil and I don't have any issues. Really it's such a small part of 5-1-1, I could probably use cotton balls and it'd work. But yes, generally, I like peat in 5-1-1 indoors because it seems to dry quicker than coir. Outdoors, it buys me an extra day when necessary, it seems. I've run out anyway and now have more Promix HP again. All is well again. Drew, I see what you're saying. Perhaps it does work with compost, but containers in and of themselves are kind of unnatural, too, no? Organic, in terms of not using harmful pesticides, is important to me, but if my sansevieria or columbine happen to grow in non-soil medium and are fed nutrients via my hand, I'm okay with that, too. I have mycorrhizae in the soil with Promix, and as you can see, I throw lots of stuff in the soil, haha. Josh, I must have missed this 55* stuff. Total oversight. I'm in Stockton and I doubt we went below 55 though I did wake up to 58 one day last week. This weekend, it's back in the 90s. I guess as a rule I will leave the organic stuff out. I really don't fertilize a lot, and just wanted to boost the soil a bit. DFish, I guess it's possible that pot just isn't draining well. I think I'll drill more holes in it before I attempt the pot again with new soil. Thank you!

Baronne Prevost could probably be trained on a pillar but it is fiercely prickly - the big, pointed kinds - I would not want to be the one to tie it up! We have Mme Joseph Schwarz growing in almost total shade in the Sacramento cemetery where it stays clean and blooms. I'm pretty sure it's a sport of Duchesse de Brabant since it sometimes throws pink flowers, but it performs much better. DdB gets mildew here, too, although our summer heat discourages it so the mildew is spring and fall. I heard a European speaker (don't remember who) extoll Mme Joseph Schwatz's virtues as a much superior plant to DdB, and that's been my experience too. Some teas are big. Some are huge. Mrs. Dudley Cross is in that category. Mme Antoine Mari is the closest to a moderate-sized tea that I've encountered but even that is building in our garden. Anita

Looks to me like you're now going to have a small piece at the top of the upper niche once he moves it up. What's it do at the bottom of the wall? PLEASE tell me he didn't start with a full tile on the bottom? If he did, you're now going to end up with that sliver all along the bottom of all the walls. Can you back up and take a pic of the whole thing?

shambo- I think you are well on your way to adding legumes back into your diet by sprouting them first, and Sprout People web site is THE place for information. The videos are great. Sprouting does help reduce the digestive issues. Do you have problems digesting nuts? If so, sprouting and dehydrating them may help you out. I soak and dehydrate all our pecans, walnuts and almonds before consuming them. We call them "Crispy Nuts" and got the information from the book,"Nourishing Traditions". I just did 8-cups of walnuts yesterday and have them safely stashed in the freezer. "Crispy Nuts" last longer in storage than untreated nuts. You need to store walnuts, even when they've been sprouted and dehydrated, in the refrigerator or freezer due to the type of oil in them. I've been sprouting for decades and have purchased all kinds of sprouters over the years, but my favorite is the Easy Sprout, and I have 3 of them (so far). I sill use 1/2-gallon canning jars with sprouting lids occasionally when sprouting large amounts. Easy Sprout sprouters are constantly in use, especially in the cooler months when I sprout wheat and other grains to grow into grass for juicing as well as sprouts, and sprouts for growing micro-greens. These are our winter source for "fresh" food. Since you will be holding your sprouts in the refrigerator instead of dehydrating them, I'd also suggest ordering a box of "Peak Fresh" reusable storage bags from Amazon.com for storing them. Sprouts really do keep longer in these bags. After you wash the bags in hot soapy water, be sure to rinse well and air dry. I like to sanitize the bags with a bleach water solution (1 t. unscented bleach to 1-quart of water - in a spritz bottle) and air dry. FYI - Lentils keep growing after they are refrigerated, so you may want to stop sprouting lentils when the tail is very short, knowing it continues to grow. Sprouted lentils and garbanzo beans will also cook faster since they are fully hydrated, so keep that in mind. I use a salad spinner (be gentle) to remove the extra water from the final rinse. Too much water remaining and the sprouts will spoil faster. I do love sprouted and dehydrated lentils, and I dehydrate what I can't use fresh within a few days of sprouting. I can quickly rehydrate them just soaking in hot water if I want to add them to a salad or stir-fry, or use them to make lentil tacos, or add to ground meat mixtures as a meat extender if I don't have any fresh sprouts on hand. I use a cooked mixture of sprouted rice and sprouted lentils as a substitute for ground beef occasionally. I sprout a bean/seed mixture (adzuki beans, lentils, mung beans, radish seeds, fenugreek and clover) and make it into fried patties to use as a meatless "burgers". (I used a mixture from SproutPeople - "Beanie's Awesome Mix" along with some NOW Zesty Sprouting Mix.) You're right, I am very cautious about the potential for bacteria growth in sprouts. I use acidified water for soaking and rinsing. I use food-grade citric acid (I buy it in bulk amounts on-line when I find a bargain). Fruit Fresh (which is a mixture of citric and ascorbic acid) will also work if you happen to have some on hand. I mix 1 t. of citric acid powder per 1-quart of water. I generally make up a gallon of water at a time in a glass gallon jug. The acidified water will also help reduce spoilage of sprouts during storage in the refrigerator. I fill my Easy Sprouter with acidified water to cover the sprouts and swish them around in the water for soaking as well as rinsing. After rinsing I hand-spin the water out like the guy does in his videos at Sprout People. Hope that helps you out. Happy sprouting and happy tummy! -Grainlady