feeling a little intimidated, sitting here with my stacks of books and trying to chart out some of my favorite perennials ==>>> boy you dont understand this type of garden ... all you need be studying is bed preparation ... once the bed is done .. go get seed in the proper season .. and mark off sections.. and sow the seed... and see what comes of it.. upon success.. start moving things around ... interplanting .. etc ... i would suggest the winter sowing forum ... i saw one pic.. of someone who had 100 milk jugs on a sidewalk.. all filled over the brim with new plants .. ready for the garden.. i wish i could see that pic again ... i used to do the book thing [and now the web] ... and its a great start for info ... but the over abundance of information.. is crippling you into INaction ... [well that and the move] let me put it this way.. your FORMAL study of an INFORMAL garden system.. is crippling your ability to act in an INFORMAL manner ... [or form a INFORMAL plan] when the time comes .... JUST DO IT ... but start with well prepared beds ... GOOD LUCK!!!!!!! ken ps: perhaps one of the things that you are missing.. [being a bit presumptuous] ... is that this type of garden is NOT!!! a plan and plant it once.. and get what you want.. what i was trying to say about it being a lifetime thing.. is that you plant.. experiment.. move things... destroy things ... add things.. its not really a plan it out once and be done with it thing ... this type of garden can actually be harder to perfect.. as compared to the formal type ... whats that all about ...

Hey Mike..how are you? Haven't seen you in a while. A few times in the past my Citrus, Gardenias and Azalea got a mild case of Chlorosis. I added Iron Chelate or Sulphate. I used to add iron 2-3 times per year regularly,(as a preventative) so plants never got chlorosis, but then I grew lax, lol, so every now and then a plant would turn up w/Chlorosis. After applying Iron, the problem cleared up in approximately 2-3 wks..I did NOT add any other chemicals in between, so I'm sure the problem was iron definciency. That's one reason I've made up my mind to start adding Iron 2-3 times a year again, to avoid further problems. As for ES's, some people who use it regularly, swear by it. I've used it once this year, but I think it takes more than one dose before noticing a difference, OR it may not do anything..But too many people vow it keeps leaves green and vibrant.. My problem using ES's is, what happens to variegated leaves? I have a few variegated citrus and other tropicals, so wouldn't dare adding ES's to these plants. I surely don't want them losing variegation, turn green. I plan on using ES's on palms, ferns and green leaf citrus. To see if there's any noticable change. You've made an excellent point about fertilizers..All my Citrus ferts are timed/slow-release. I don't understand how they work. Some ppl add other ferts along w/slow=release, so maybe that's the answer. I'm uncertain but heard time release and organic ferts do not work automatically, as quickly as chemical types..I wish someone here had a definate answer. Mike, some products, like Systemic insecticides probably explain (on package) how long it takes to kill bugs. As for fertilizers, it probably depends on NPK, dossages, etc. Some people fert once a wk, once every two wks, or once a month. If you're specifically talking citrus, that's one thing, but if you're talking plants in general, it depends on the plant..Cactus and Sux are slow-growing. So, adding more or frequent ferts will only harm and/or grow tall and spindly stems w/fewer leaves, especialy during winter months. (This pertains to tropicals too) There are certain products like Eleanors that's supposed to be quick acting, I've never used it..Too expensive and they advise not using with other fertilizers..to be sure all other fert is gone, you must leach soil before using Eleanors. I don't want to mess around with it. But people who use it, (once again) swear it's fast acting, and when used, you'll notice a big difference opposed to other fertilizers. Ironically, I read a post about Eleanors, the poster said, the only difference other than its high cost is there's more NPK which is the reason it's faster working. IMO, Superthrive, (hormone and 50 vitamins) is fast-acting, helps ailing plants, quickens germination with seedlings and cuttings, and boosts healthy plants, too. Toni

Hello! I'm sorry. I admit I got too desperate. And thank you for the reply (: I'm new here so no idea how this place works. I thought probably I was never going to get a response. Yes the soil doesn't look right to me either. My gardener potted it in that. The soil is water retaining and fine-grained. And yes, the pot has got drain holes, and I keep emptying the water tray. I'll change the soil, and repot it. And what sort of pot should I use? The current one is a plastic one. Should I replace it with a clay one when I repot it? And is the pot size okay or should I get a bigger one? Thank you so much! Was really helpful! ^_^ P.S: I live in India. And hey, I'm also worried about those white marks you see on the leaf surface. Are they water marks or some disease?

In Montana, most of my tomatoes (started by me) become fully ripened in August. However, tomatoes I started this year on 3-25 (and transplanted to 1-gallon pots at some point) ripened in July (early July through the first 3/4 of the month). NOTE: Those started on 3-25 (and transplanted into 5-GALLON pots) ripened earlier--in late June. Transplanting for both sets was the first week of June. (BTW, I have never seen any stress caused by transplanting, no matter the size of my plant/pot. My tomato plants really take off after they go in the ground.) Those started later, on 4-10, have NOT RIPENED as of August 1. ALL of my tomato plants are loaded with tomatoes, ripe or not. This data doesn't give us the same info as comparing the planting of 6" plants vs. 12" ones would, but it shows that starting early CAN produce earlier tomatoes, especially, IMO, if bigger pots are used, as needed. I did, btw, plant some tomatoes in 4" pots (that were very tall and should have been transplanted into 1-gallon pots) at the same time that I planted the ones in 1-gallon pots in the ground. Those made a good effort in catching up, in size at least, but they were just flowering when others had lots of fruit on the vines. Were any of my plants root bound, particularly the ones in 4" pots? Not that I recall. In fact, I need to learn how to produce more root and less growing top because my tomatoes get too tall before transplanting outside (I have them on a southern-facing, plastic-covered back porch WITH a roof, so they don't get full sun, by any means, which is the main reason they get so tall). I like starting plants earlier than recommended, especially since I moved to this colder climate. I believe, if the roots are given plenty of room, this method can produce healthy plants that produce earlier, just like with flowers that you want to bloom earlier. But beware--it's a lot of work to bring all those plants in big pots inside every time the temp looks like it's going to dip below 45 degrees F at night!