Hi, I have 3 varieties of perennial salvia, 2 types of Louisiana Iris, and TBI 'Blue Suede Shoes.' I can send pictures. I would be interested in Campanula 'Cherry Bells,' Daylily 'Siloam Spizz,' White bleeding heart, and trilliums. You can e-mail me if you are interested in trading. Becky ramazz

Toxcrusadr, While never having spoken (conversed) with you before I have read some of your posts and am happy to be able to share a few thoughts with you. As has been stated earlier in this thread, I did my best to keep things simple but do not feel that limit necessary with you, the pleasure is mine. The reason your limit of familiarity with "colloidal humus compost" is due to the fact that the author of the book spoken of coined the phrase is my understanding. Each term stands on its own; however in the original discussion that was the name given to the substance at the time and it has stuck. Humus can develop colloidal properties, yet compost cant; compost can lead to humus, yet humus cannot lead to compost. "Humic substances are key components of a friable (loose) soil structure. Various carbon containing humic substances are key components of soil crumbs (aggregates). Complex carbohydrates synthesized by bacteria and humic substances function together with clay and silt to form soil aggregate. As the humic substances become intimately associated with the mineral fraction of the soil, colloidal complexes of humus-clay and humus-silt aggregates are formed. These aggregates are formed by electrical processes, which increase the cohesive forces that cause very fine soil particles and clay components to attract each other. Once formed these aggregates help create a desirable crumb structure in the top soil, making it more friable." (See link below) While I do enjoy making compost, my larger focus is allowing said compost to develop the largest amount of humic and fulvic acid as possible. And too, auxins, cytokinins, and other grown hormones and enzymes can be present and ready to go to work once the compost is applied to the soil. It is for this reason I constantly stress allowing ones compost be allowed to cure/mature. Those of us who have developed soil with such an organic foundation find we grow plants that refuse to die. As an example, those "Georgia collard greens" in the photo above will live well past a year, growing a stalk over three (3) feet tall, and will harvest collards with a taste to die for. I do have a different understanding of the nature of humic and fulvic acid, with fulvic being much smaller than humic, thus is the main carrier of nutrition in foliar sprays. Fulvic acid and the many wonderful functions it provides for all life on earth is one of my favorite topics so all I will say for now is that once our planet has replaced both fulvic and humic acid in our soils our health will be akin to those collards I just spoke of, in human time. I too will avoid the topic of bio-char as well; I trust you will understand. I do appreciate your insight and sharing of knowledge, it is very much well taken Blutranes @gmail.com

It's been below thirty in my yard for the past 10 days. I didn't have much that had sprouted earlier, which I was worrying about, but I did have 12 little bok choy sprouts. They are still out there, and today I have spinach sprouts. Every morning I expect to go out and see them dead. Today I decided to stop worrying about it and just fix it so I didn't have to do anything more for them. So I had some old windows and I put my containers up against the west facing foundation of the house and propped windows over them. The ends are open, but I thought it might just give them the little extra that might help through this cold spell. I actually had to water all the containers today because it was sunny and cold here yesterday. Looks like another week of this weather on the forecast and I've planted my peas early for the first time in years, of course. [g]

Nothing goes like you plan. Had everything ready. I forgot to ask George how he moistens the peat/vermiculite mixture so I used the garden hose sray in the cups before I stuck the cuttings in. It got too soggy. I tried to drain and squeeze out as much as I could. Then I look at the cuttings and don't know how to prepare them right, made another slanted cut under water as best I could, cut the flower heads off as best I could (some of these had three flower heads), some were very healthy but some had some brown stuff on them (none had mold) so I pulled those leaves off but not all of them, shook the water off, dredged in powdered hormone, stuck a pen in the mix, felt I had to pull some of the bottom leaves off or I couldn't poke them deep enough, stuck the cutting in that, pressed as snugly as I could, then buried them as deep as I could in the ground. I figured burying the cups in the ground might keep them cooler if it gets hot again, but then it was frustrating trying to get the pepsi bottles over them without touching the leaves and disburbing the cuttings more and getting the leaves tucked up in there. Some of the leaves are touching the sides, I guess that can't be helped. Finally I put up an old window screen to filter out some of the sun that will get through on the east side, most is blocked now by trees, but a little gets through in the morning. The north side would get some of the morning sun anyway and is not a good place right now, ground packed from cement work that was done, too hard to dig for me. I toyed with the idea of stapling translucent plastic to the screen but just ran out of patience. Once the sun hits the south, they should be ok in the natural light that is left. I was afraid the plastic would block too much light and I would have to move the screen every noon. I put the seventh one, the only one that didn't have a spent flower head, looks very healthy, in the cup, in a gallon baggie, blew some air in, sealed it, and set it on the table by my north window, put curtains to block the sun from the east window very close by. It made me nervous, and all I can do is hope for the best. You look at those cuttings and must have to have some special knowhow to know what to do with each one because each one is different. Then what to do with the rooting hormone with all the warnings about not getting it on your skin, wear rubber gloves, I didn't, so I sealed that up in a plastic container and will use it again because I don't like to waste it. I was thinking as I was struggling with all this and back was hurting, legs stiff, why am I doing this? Why not just buy my roses? Two more sets to go, one tomorrow and one the next day, I hope. Have to go to the grocery store and buy back some bottles. Maybe in time I'll gain confidence and more of a knack with it. It is not easy for me, and it is messy.