Remember that I use the gritty mix and not the 5:1:1 mix for my houseplants. Also, I water almost everything on a 3 day rotation because I CAN, not necessarily because I have to. I'll explain. I have a few plants in containers so small they require watering every other day. Many of my plants can go much longer than 3 days between waterings, but to make things easier on me and to ensure nothing slips through the cracks, I water the rest on a 3 day rotation, whether the plants need it or not. THAT, is one of the benefits of using the gritty mix - it's so forgiving that you would really have to work at it to over-water. It's open poor structure due to large particle size ensures no, or VERY little, perched water ..... which is WHY it's so hard to over-water. FYI - in order to maximize water retention w/o a significant PWT, and in a perfect world, you would want porous and durable particles concentrated in the size range from slightly smaller than 1/8" to slightly larger than 1/4" or up to 3/8", with a small fraction of small particles to increase water retention additionally w/o adding any significant amount of perched water. A large disparity in particle size works against you. I compromise in this area all the time, using bark with the fines included and many chunky pieces larger than 3/8, but I keep a supply of bark that closest fits the profile I prefer on hand, and I'm always looking for 'the right stuff' when my supply starts to get low. I've found several brands and locations I can usually depend on to provide what I prefer, so keep your eyes peeled. I mentioned that because I think if you'd been lucky enough to find a bark product not so chunky, that there wouldn't be as much of an issue with toppling. Many of my plants are temporarily and mechanically secured to the pot by various methods. One reason is to prevent toppling because all of my plants are repotted in the summer when they're outdoors and in the wind. The other reason is plants secured against movement in relation to the pot establish anchorage in a fraction of the time required by unsecured plants. Bumping or jostling them, even turning them to water, can break large numbers of hair roots the plant needs for anchorage as well as taking up water and nutrients. In the end, I'd much rather see people approach the whole soil thing in a leisurely way instead of feeling pressured because of poor plants or new found information. There is no question in my mind that the more open soils offer plants MUCH greater opportunity to grow to their potential, but like you, we have to decide if they fit into our view of what's expected in terms of convenience. Keep fussing with your soils. I think you understand the concept, which is the important thing; if not, you're getting there fast, and it will always be a point of reference to help you diagnose any future problems you relate to your soils. I'll be glad to help whenever I can and as needed. Al

the first is a horrible weed.. who cares what the name is.. the second gets a bit harder with what looks like dandilion inside it.. but butterfly weed comes to mind ... Asclepias tuberosa?? and if i am right.. i will spit.. lol .. please save me... ken Here is a link that might be useful: link

One of my favorite things to freeze and work with is left-over ham. I baked an entire ham for Easter recently. The following day I took the left-over dinner rolls and split them, spread mustard on one side and placed ham and a slice (actually half a slice since the dinner rolls were pretty small) of Swiss Cheese. Wrap these sandwiches in aluminum foil. I take a nice size chunk of aluminum foil and use the edge of the counter as a straight edge to make the pieces smaller to fit the dinner roll sandwiches. Wrap each sandwich and place in a slow cooker on LOW. Within the hour they are ready and can keep all day, depending on when people want to grab a snack. Next, I freeze slices, pieces & diced ham (for sandwiches, split pea and potato soup and au gratan potatoes.) The Au Gratan Recipe is probably my favorite. I just made it. It is so easy to do in the crock pot, and I swear the flavor is even better the next day. Ham & Au Gratans in the Crock Pot Slice about 3 cups of potatoes and dice one medium onion. Place in a crock pot that has either been lined with aluminum foil or a Reynolds Crock Pot Liner. In a large bowl: combine one can of cream of mushroom (sometimes I use cream of celery instead) 1 teaspoon garlic powder, at least two cups of shredded cheddar cheese and at least 1 cup of cut up ham (I usually use 2 cups) and 1/2 cup of water. Pour over potatoes and onions in the crock pot. Add pepper and mix with a wooden spoon. Cook on low for about 4 hours. It will be done when the potatoes are soft, so it depends on how thin you slice them. I have never tried freezing this recipe. I am leary of freezing cooked potatoes. I like having the rest of the ham on hand in the freezer instead of eating it everyday til it's gone. You'd be so sick of ham you wouldn't want it again for a long time. So next, it is time to make a turkey or something else for variety!

The green D.marginata is hardy in the bay area. In soucal some have reached near Dragon Tree size. But,I never could find a pic of an older long established tri color in soucal. This one has a nice little trunk base on it. I grew it for many years indoors,put it on the porch one cold winter..that killed the largest stems...back indoors-lol. But,I ran out of room for big indoor plants a few years later...out it went again and its held on. What happens is that by spring the foliage pales and maybe fall off if there was frost. Still,the stem tip has held up and the last three summers it re grew. All in the same pot. I'm hoping in ground the pale and regrowing is skipped. But if anybody has a photo of one in soucal decades old,I would love to see tri color in a larger size. Josiah,thats Aloidendron tongensis. aka Medusa. Nice yellow -orange flowers.