Hi YG, Get the aloes out of that wet mix, rinse them off and allow to dry in a shady spot. Home Depot or Lowes will carry perlite, just ask for it. Mix the perlite at a 50/50 ratio with a cactus/succulent mix. Do NOT add sand and do NOT put rocks in the bottom of the pot. Make sure your pots have drainage holes in them, and are no more than 2 inches larger than the root mass of the plant. When the aloes have dried, go ahead and pot them up, but do not water them or move them into the sun. After about 5 days, go ahead and water them thoroughly (until you see water draining out the holes) and then wait until they are dry before you water them again. A finger/pencil/skewer in the soil will tell you if the soil is still wet, like a toothpick in a cake. A week after that, move them into brighter shade. Keep this routine going until they are sitting in full sun. Aloes in full sun will usually acquire a tan (a brownish reddish color). If you do not like this change in color, then move the plants into the brightest shade you have and they will revert to green. Good luck! Nancy

Basil will grow just fine under T8s or T5s, either one. However given the number of plants you are growing, maybe a HID system would be economically feasible. Just make sure you have proper venting and wiring to support the lights and the fans they will require. You won't get such a system for $70 however. HID systems are a LOT more expensive than that. Also, here is a DIY pulley system: Fixtures from Home Despot or Menard's or about any place like that are a lot more economical - as low as $15 each, sometimes less. Just make sure they are T8 fixtures and not T12 - most of the cheapest fixtures these days are T12. The more bulbs over the plants the better. A single dual-bulb T8 fixture is survival-mode - minimum for growth, IMO, would be TWO dual-bulb T8 fixtures for a total of 4 bulbs over the plants. Remember light drops off at the ends and edges so keep the plants centered. T5s with 54W bulbs will cast more light - about 60% more than a 32W T8. But they also run a lot hotter. Don't forget the need for a fan or two to help regulate temp under the lights. Also make sure to put 6500k daylight spectrum bulbs in the fixtures, not the cool or warm bulbs. It is my understanding that those Hydrofarm setups may not take standard size bulbs. You might want to check that. Here is a link that might be useful: Pulley system to raise and lower fluorescent strip lights This post was edited by zensojourner on Mon, Dec 1, 14 at 22:21

I'm not sure how people feel about linking other forums... But I have found an awesome thread RE making your own, or even improving your own soil... I do 2 parts peat (10$/3cu f), 2 parts composted black cow (~1$/40lbs), 1 part coarse vermiculite (10$/3cu), and 1 part of dirt from my yard. 2) if you are looking for seedlings, Cross Country Nursery has about 400 varieties and a fantastic reputation. When being shipped a plant, expect it to arrive in less than optimal condition, and plan to get it planted the day they arrive as well... Never the less, it will expand the possibilities over your local big box. I am not a fan of Monsanto (and GMO for that matter), and so many of the brands at your local Home Depot, or whatever are subsidiaries or clients of Monsanto subsidiaries. Which means if they ever found out you saved seed from one of their plants you'll likely be sued (if you can even get them to grow). If you are looking to grow from seed, Pepper Joe's, the hippy seed co (in australia), midwestchiliheads, and pepperlover are all good sources. Pepper Joe has a fantastic return policy... If you buy seeds, and you are not happy with germ rates, or whatever, you send him an email, and he sends you a new package of seed, and usually with a few bonus varieties thrown in. 3) all depends on your threshold for pain... If you like habaneros, Might I suggest Scotch Bonnets? They have a nice smokey flavor. A bit milder would be Aji's, I've had some yellow Aji in Peru, and it was fantastic. Cumari Pollux is reputed to taste like fruit loops with a bang. If you like stuffing peppers, Pablano's are hard to beat. If you are into the varieties that will cause your face to melt off, check out 7pot Douglah (indian for cross, and is kind of a crass impolite term from what I gather),Moruga Scorpion (but don't buy from Jim Duffy of Refining Fire Chilies... He's asking ~3$ per seed...), Trinidad Scorpion Butch T strain is the current Guinesss world record holder (though it is surpassed by both Douglah, and possibly by Moruga). There are scores of amish varieties, new mexican varieties, sweets, hots, and superhots. It all depends on what you like. 4) no idea... Not familiar with your climate or zone :). Here in Fl, I have about 200 plants in the ground, with the goal of having 400 plants of over 100 varieties. 5) I have heard that composted alfalfa is fantastic for your pepper plants, some even co-grow it beneath the peppers. I have no personal experience with it though. I guess it would depend on whether you are buying a bale of alfalfa hay, and spreading it (less good, the process of breaking it down could deplete your garden of Nitrogen, plus the extra weeding that would come with this), or if its something else. For my garden, I use bone meal, blood meal, and fish emulsions. The fish smells terrible. But its weak, and if you are applying it to seedlings that is important. I'm not familiar with round up - other than its reputation for killing mostly everything its sprayed on. Here is a link that might be useful: best soil thread ever.

Hi Vince, LOL, that's more common than you think, at least here. Here is what I'd suggest: On a fairly dry day, cut one petiole say at 9AM. Wait another week and repeat with the second one if that is the right length of stem you need. The purpose of cutting them early is to give the plant all day to form scar tissue which it does naturally and fine over the wounds and prevent humidity from maintaining an environment that breeds pathogens. BTW, do not leave any stumps and snapping the petiole at the base, if you can do it right is the best idea since this is a natural area of detachment that heals more readily. The purpose of waiting is to give your plant time to heal from the shock and take advantage of those principal solar collectors you are stripping off. One at a time. After a few days, you can neck your tomatoes, meaning bury them nearly up to their new first petiole, which in the same manner you'll eventually remove as it likely will be in contact with the soil. Never a rush on healthy plants IMO, take your time, slowly and gradually change the plant from one situation to the other. You definitely remove the petioles though as if you don't they will decay as in the worst of your fears. Just a note that many starting mixes are treated or composed to be sterile, so less risk is there for that situation than if you did it right in the ground, as when rooting suckers, for example, too, same considerations. However with suckers, the damage tends to stimulate root generation so there is a benefit in that case, but not as much when you've already got roots below. Just thought I'd add this! Hope that helps ... PC