Sorry guys - I've been 'away'. ;o) I think I answered some of these questions via email, but if I missed you & you need an answer, please ask again. I know I didn't answer Alice, so: You can buy small pieces of hardware cloth and insect screen at most good (real) hardware stores. If you have someone to make a frame from 1x4s for you, you can staple it to the bottom of the frame. You can sometimes find wire mesh waste-baskets & letter boxes (like for your in and out trays on your desk) at dollar stores or office supply stores/depts. They will be somewhat useful. Seed mixes need to A) be sterile B) hold enough water w/o being soggy C) hold LOTS of air. If you can find any material that isn't toxic and meets these three requirements, it will work well as a seed starter. I use screened Turface, then layer the seeds and cover them with about 1/4" of Turface fines. If you have really important seeds & want to get them off to a REALLY goods start, mix a fraction of chopped sphagnum moss (not peat) into the Turface & it will REALLY give the seedlings a boost. "My unscientific take is that depending on the temperatures and soil moisture, some things (mostly observed lettuce) germinate quickly but don't take off growing rapidly in a loose mix like Al's mix." I find the opposite. There is no substitute for a very well-aerated mix to promote rampant growth in seedlings. Aeration is a key consideration in EVERY commercial from-seed operation. From another thread, Les asked: "If you would so kind as to answer a couple of questions for me - will orchid bark work in your 5-1-1 mix? Also, what would be the best way to water? it should be very hard to over-water in your mix - right? How and when to fertilize and at what p.p.m.?" Orchid (fir) bark is generally too large and is uncomposted, but if it is ground fairly fine (1/16 - 3/16 is best) it will work. I usually use it in Water when plants need it - just before you think they will show signs of wilting. You need to water newly established plantings a little more often because roots are in the top part of the container, but once the planting is established & roots have colonized the soil mass, you can feel the soil at the drain most plants) and water when it feels dry. Alternately, stick a wick in the drain hole & water when the wick feels dry. You're right though; if the mix is made the way I make mine, it is very hard to over-water; but you CAN do it .... if you work hard enough at it. ;o) Fertilizing is difficult to advise on, unless I know what you're using. If a soluble product like MG or others, there are a number of ways to fertilize. You should base application rates & intervals on temperatures & how fast the plant is growing. If you fertilize at 1/4 recommended strength every other time or every third time you water, while the plant is growing strongly, you will be in good shape. Alternately, you can half the recommended dosage and interval suggested on the container, or fertilize according to directions. If you have more fertilizer questions,l follow the link I left below. Al

Yes, I stated that I'm not worried about the aluminum, all the same I won't use aluminum sulfate either. Although it may be safe, I worry about toxic levels. Just because lead is in all soils doesn't mean it's a good idea to add more. Same with aluminum. And if you mix turface without a mask, you will be exposed to it. As far as water absorption Axis noted that turface holds 95% of it's weight in water. Pumice only holds 15% and DE holds 142% Try diatomaceous earth in your tests. Optisorb is about the largest size available to home gardeners. Axis makes an excellent size, but is for commercial use only. Numerous studies document it's use as superior to most other amendments. Such as " Effects of diatomite on soil consistency limits and soil compactibility" by Ekrem Lutfi Aksakala, Ilker Anginb, , , and Taskin Oztasa Or "Effects of diatomite on soil physical properties" by the same authors. Also "Sustainable effects of diatomite on the growth criteria and phytochemical contents of Vicia faba plants." Mona M. Abdalla* Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. The Axis company also has great info on all amendments. As far as particle size, do a test. Fill a pot with sand, and one with gravel. Stick a pole in, and see which one gives more resistance. It seems to me gravel would. But I might be wrong? I don't know physics well enough to figure it out on paper. Ah and pumice is further dashed to the ground and called a fake, not a single user rises to defend. Well we can agree to disagree, my day job is a laboratory researcher,or was, I'm retired. If turface has various pore sizes then it is not very well made. Thanks for pointing that out. So you do not believe the manufacturer? Controlling pore size in fired clays is often accomplished with the use of polymers such as Polyethylene glycol. This process is extremely important to control how well purifiers work, or how well they hold up with the addition of salts. You are incorrect about the pore size. Yes pore sizes differs, but that process is used to make different products, and is very controlled. Turface is meant to have small pores size or it would ineffective in it's intended use. The porosity of fired clays is extremely important to have a consistent product such as fired brick used to built houses. Varying pore sizes will compromise the strength of the brick. Selling a product and manufacturing one are very different things. The pore size I reported is for calcinated clay. Range of pore sizes is from .1 -.01 microns. Median is .045 . Plants need a .2 micron minimum pore size to utilize. This info is from a study by Andreas Kalytta-Mewes, Kathrin Mattern, and Armin Reller University of Augsburg, Chair of Solid Body Chemistry Georg Armbruster Soil Laboratory. The pore analysis in the study was conducted by Quantachrome,Bavarian Institute of Applied Environmental Research and Applied Technology. Of course it appears none of these sources trump Al. Who has not provided any data at all to back his claims. Please prove to me that pore size is bigger, thinking Al is right because you sell clay products is not proof. After saying all this will turface work? Yes, it will. Works pretty good! Is it ideal? No, it's not, but what is? It's still worth trying for sure. It didn't work for me, but that means nothing. it has worked well for others. It would be nice if it allowed easier access to stored water, but it does store water, and air, and it lasts a long time, maybe 20 years. That's decent. It's a decent product, or appears to be. It would not be on the market if it didn't work. I know it's not meant for potted plants, but it is meant for grass. DE seems a better product, it has it's own problems. it is marketed though for plants more than ball fields, although it is marketed for that too. It's marketed for large commercial gardens. I use it in my garden. I use turface too for my grass, works well. Just not that well in pots for me. All i said that it didn't work for me. Sorry blame me, it's what you usually do when the mixes fail, you blame the poster. Many have said DE doesn't work for them. I actually believe them. All gardening is local. This post was edited by Drew51 on Mon, Dec 29, 14 at 15:33

Just was in our local Rona store and saw a product I thought you pyromaniacs would be interested in ... it is a repair compound for chimneys and fireplaces and woodstoves. Just wondered if any of us would use it to 'invent' something tufa-ish with it. The company is Bomix© and the product is called Pyromix. The link is posted below. It should take you to the English page but if not, just go to the homepage and select English, and click on products > repair > Pyromix. Let's see what will happen with all our brainstorming. Even if NOTHING happens... well we learned that it can't be done, eh? lol Marly Here is a link that might be useful: Pyromix by Bomix©

I have used fountains in my pond(s), but on a much smaller scale. I think smaller fountains and waterfalls and streams are more common in the home ponds you see on here. The type of large scale fountain you seem to be talking about is very pretty, but I have only seen it near me in front of more commercial buildings. I have seen it in front of an upscale apt complex near the entrance, and in front of a commercial building with professional landscaping. While there are all kinds of ponds, most here seem to have fish and/or be water gardens, and people like to see the fish. I have small ponds so I have only ever used a small multi tier fountain nozzle and a "bubbler" fountain. Spray leaving the pond from the wind is always an issue. So for that reason only, I would consider going with the smaller one. Because if you find the wind blowing the spray out of your pond, it will drain your pond and make upkeep difficult. Since you can't return it, that would be a waste of money. That is another reason people with smaller ponds probably don't use them a lot. And most "backyard" ponds are probably smaller than yours.