Ok, here's my solicited opinion, based on personal experience and gut instinct, not necessarily scientific. I don't like them for several reasons. They take a long time to fully expand, more so than just a hydropobic soil. Usually triple-watering is necessary to fully hydrate. They give people, especially those like my Mom with hit-or-miss watering practices a false sense of security. I don't think anything that expands and contracts like that is a good thing in a pot where every square inch should be devoted to something beneficial. They never go away and will eventually find their way into your yard, a landfill or municipal compost. And I just don't like anything that is not normal to the area. Maybe I'm old-fashioned or stuck in the past but I don't "do" perlite, water crystals, vermiculite, peat. There's no way something in a package could be better or even as good as what mother nature provides. (Unless, of course, it's a package of compost or mulch, stuff like that.)

Hi, If you still have some foliage left can you advise the following: 1. How are the leaves are attached to the stems i.e are they opposite each other, stepped (alternate) etc. ? 2. Do the leaves haved toothed margins or are they smooth? 3. Did the plant ever lose its leaves in cold weather? 4. If you split open one of the fruits can you advise if there is one or multiple seeds inside? 5. what colour is the bark? 6. Is any part of the leaf "hairy"? Regards, Ted

Sorghum, a common ingredient in birdseed. Here is a link that might be useful: Sorghum or

So we could be looking for a tropical plant. I can't help but it does help define the field.