Why/how are the repots of plants grown in gritty mix easier if it's likely you have to repot even more frequently than you would with a standard potting mix? Hi, M - The roots don't get intertwined with the peat fibers & the larger pieces of grit and bark fall easily off of the roots. You usually need to comb the soil out a little, or use a root pick, which is nothing more than a tool shaped like a pencil. Chopsticks work very well. I can repot most plants under 5 gallons in the gritty mix in 30-45 minutes. That includes cleaning the soil from the roots, selectively pruning the roots, preparing the pot/container, adding all new soil, securing the plant in the pot, and getting it soaking in a root stimulant. I usually use the saw (on left) to cut off the bottom 1/3-1/2 of the root mass; then use the root rake, which is next to the saw, to remove most of the soil. You can use a coarse comb or just the root pick, which is what I use to tease old soil particles out of any stubborn pockets formed by the roots. Would using an organic liquid fertilizer (versus soil amendments) eliminate the possible negative effect on 'high air porosity? It would help. You wouldn't be dealing with the soil amendments (like various meals and such) clogging up the soil's macro-pores (which was what I focused on when deciding on how to build the soil) but you still have the organic component of what you're applying for nutrients feeding and increasing populations of the soil organisms that break down the 1/3 organic component of the soil. This is not near as large a consideration, though, as it would be in a peat-based soil, or even the 5:1:1 mix. The reason is that there is still a 2/3 mineral component in the soil that remains unaffected by biotic activity and is enough to sustain porosity, even in the face of a collapsing organic component. The gritty mix is durable enough that it almost never 'wears out'. Plants generally become severely rootbound and in dire need of a full repot long before the gritty mix has seen the end of a useful life. I'm not attempting to change your ideology when I suggest you try the mix in a side-by-side comparison of non-food plantings, using a chemical soluble fertilizer like Foliage-Pro 9-3-6 on half of the plantings, with the other half supplemented with your program of choice. If your set against the idea - that's fine, but I think it would be enlightening.

Hi there, This is my first attempt at posting photos, so I hope the file size is not too huge. Please help me if I need to be more viewer-friendly with my images. My picture taking abilities are also a bit suspect. :) We have lots of dirt everywhere due to a recent foundation repair on the back of the house. Here goes! This is a front bed I made "lasagna style" last fall and am in the process of planting with perennials and annuals. Here is the middle of the front bed. I have mgs, black-eyed susan vines, and hyacinth bean, which will grow up and over the fencing--I hope! There are holly hocks, cosmos, 4 o'clocks, nicotania, and marigolds, too. Back of the house where you can see the foundation destruction. There are zinns, delphs, cosmos, snappies, cleome, nicotania, and 4 o'clocks all across the back. ws toms in the middle, basil, and rosemary (too tiny to see). The three big toms on the right are from a nursery. Barrell of dwarf sunnies, larkspur, and dahlias. Mgs, zinns, and marigolds. My hope is the MGs and sweetpeas (not seen on sides and behind) will climb up and around the chair. This is a picture from the "back" of the front bed, which is looking from the opposite side of picture #2. Lots of zinns, larkspur, and dahlias. Thanks for looking and letting me share! cheers, NB

This is a private garden, but when we were there as a group we all signed his guest book, there were entries from near and far away. I'm not sure what the protocol for visiting Ken Gibson's garden is but if one was to contact one of the contact people of the above Rhododendron society I'm sure they could give you more details. One thing I should mention if heading up that way it's a good thing to be prepared for rain, umbrella, raincoat, boots etc. especially this time of year. The day we were there it poured off and on but the Rhodo's were still magnificent. Sorry, I don't belong to the above society so can't give you any specific info. A......

I spent six weeks with my sister ( age 71) who had rotator cuff surgery at Duke. She had a donor graft so that her own tendon didn’t have to be stretched as much. That helped with pain and her recovery. The ice machine helped a lot, and she had a TENS unit that she used faithfully. She also slept in a lift recliner and had physical therapy twice a week. The one thing that helped a lot was a shirt she got on Amazon that had Velcro closure at the shoulder and down the sides. Otherwise she would have had to struggle getting in and out of clothes and the ice machine. I saw them on Etsy with snaps, but hers were Velcro. You might want to google “surgery shirt” or lrotator cuff shirt” or something similar. You really need someone to help you take the ice machine on and off, load and empty the ice machine, place the TENS unit patches, and drive you back and forth to therapy. The whole thing was a hassle, but thankfully, not too painful ( didn’t need the prescription meds after a day, only Tylenol). Surgery was successful, and after five months my sister has full use of her arm and shoulder. Good luck!