one layer of landscape fabric is enough. and i dont see the need for 2x4 holes in it.

L.O. - everything is possible and AV definitely will grow OK in the soil with Ph 5.6. The problem is how it will change with time. Peat moss decomposes with humic acid as a part of the outcome - and Ph becomes even lower. At some point the ability to absorb nutrients, micronutrients and trace elements changes in way that the plant becomes semi-starved and semi-poisoned. If you do not repot a violet for a year on a wick - the soil will smell very sour, and the plant will be looking sad. If you start with low Ph - the time the soil is good shortens - so dolomite lime is usually a good additive to delay the process. If it is not a powder, but a mix of fine and coarse particles - it keeps maintaining the balance. About the bark - from the point of view of keeping the soil loose and well aerated - it is great - but - when it rots, it absorbs nitrogen - so you need to adjust your fertilizer to compensate for it. If you look at the orchid fertilizers - they have 2 types = for orchids in a bark mix - and for orchids in something else. Bark mix fertilizer looks like 30:5:5 - with an overload of nitrogen. It is possible to grow violets in a pure coarse perlite on wicks. I bet you need to flush it on a regular basis though. The idea is - you can grow your plants in different mixes - but there are always some adjustments to make. And every grower has his/her own secrets that work for his/her house, tap water, varieties they grow, humidity, elevation etc. So - why not. You try and tweak - and you will make a perfect combination for your conditions. About wild saintnpolias growing in the cracks of rocks with Ph 4.8 - First - they are wild and tough - second - their responsibility is to bloom and give seeds, not to look pretty. So if the seed ends in not the very cozy crack - it will still grow - and bloom. The bloom won;t be as abundant- and the plant will look stunted - but it will still produce seeds. While we want them to be perfect and bloom 10 months a year. Irina, the spoilsport

ntaylor_2006, I would try 3 and I would make each of them long enough to go around the inside of the pot one time. I would then space them 2-3 inches apart like stacked donuts near the middle of the pot using soil to space them apart if possible. If you are trying to apply them to an existing plant ball I would try tying them in place abd pulling the wicks trrough the borrom as I eased the plant back into the pot. Once you have them in, completely wet the pot until the wicks are acting like drains. You want to make sure the wicks establish a water to soil bond :) phann100, To post pictures you need to store them on the net somewhere and then post the link here to pull the pictures from. I use pbace.com but there are many others that will work. The picture command is "<_img src="link" location>" You usually have to add ".jpg" to the link location inside the brackets to get it to work. Also leave out the underline at the start which I had to include to get it to display :) John

Heather, dish soap is what is called a 'spreader sticker'. It, and various other things, are used to help chemicals spread and or stick better when applied to plants. Dish soap helps to break surface tension in the reservoir and makes it easier to draw up the wick. Remember, water is a chemical-H2O. Also, I use deli containers for my reservoirs. I have noticed if my wicks are not directly over the holes in the lids, the wicking sometimes stops. I'm not sure what you are using but this may be a factor. Setting your pots into an open container and directly over the water may help with your wicking. A few years back, someone posted a photo of her minis wicked in Mason jelly jars. Beautiful set-up and her violets were blooming like mad! Linda