Hi Jim: Alfalfa pellets is OK to use IN CONJUNCTION with gritty lime. When used alone, alfalfa pellets is acidic, and WORSENS black spots. We get so much acidic rain this year, that I see zinc deficiency in the holes which I brought the pH too low with cracked corn (pH 4). Re-quote from earlier link: "Zinc deficiency: Soils that are acidic often have deficient zinc. Michigan State University mentions that zinc deficiencies also are more common in soils that are naturally rich in phosphorus ... Young leaves may be yellowed or reduced in normal size (called "little leaf"), narrower than normal leaves with wavy edges or abnormally expanding and puckered. Another cue is what is called "rosetting"--space between new leaves is very small, and tiny leaves and shoots bunch up into a clustered tuft." Yves seedling's previous hole was acidic ... I put too much pine bark (pH 4). It was a BS-fest with smaller leaves. When I moved it to its new location, the leaves are bigger, shinier, and healthy ....Thanks to my alkaline clay fixed with alfalfa hay (less acidic than alfalfa pellets). CONCLUSION: Alfalfa hay is cheaper, $8 per bale, and great to mix in soil months in advance, to aerate soil and improve drainage. Alfalfa pellets is more expensive, $17 per 40 lb. bag, more acidic, but convenient to use on top, if neutralized by lime. Kordes Barcelona (smaller red bloom) has a fantastic fragrance, and blooms lots with alfalfa pellets. That one is susceptible to mildew, which I fixed easily with gritty lime. It's the only one that doesn't break out in BS with alfalfa pellets. See bouquet below: My roses this year are NOT as healthy as previous years with horse manure & alfalfa. I will shop more with cash, just to collect pennies (the ones after 1982 are made of zinc, and the ones before 1982 are made of copper ... both are anti-fungal agents).

Growing up on a farm in the upper mid-west, we salted cantelope, watetmelon, & apples. Along with any vegetable we ate raw, which was most of them. When I moved to Texas, no one seemed to have heard of salting any kind of fruit. I got a lot of strange looks when I salted mine. Over 40 years ago I was put on a low sodium diet. It took awhile, but in time I learned to eat melons & apples without the salt. And sugar sandwiches were common where I grew up, too. A brown sugar sandwich was a special treat. They seem to be unheard of here, too. Except in my house! ;>) Rusty

Original Question: We have salt and my family loves it. Water is easier on the skin, and the upkeep is minimal. I have added one bag of salt in just over a year (YMMV). I think there may be a problem with your acquaintances water chemistry if the water is "nasty". I highly recommend a SW system. Follow on comments: I pay about $5.00 (40 lbs., from a small pool and spa store, not a major chain) a bag for salt, and if you are paying much more than that, I am afraid to say, you may be falling victim to a PB upsell marketing scam. As far as upkeep (or salt purchases), I have only had to add one bag of salt in just over a year. I have a decent test kit, do a test about once every week or two myself, and take it to the pros for a free check about once a month/month + 1/2 or so. Our water is crystal clear. IMHO, I would get a second opinion ASAP before spending $15.00 weekly for salt upkeep. P.S. Been a while since I've been on the forums, thought I'd stop by and see what's happening. We are in our second year of an owner builder pool and loving it!

I've never used it, but my mom did. A bottle seemed to last forever. Cook's Illustrated on liquid smoke "We were among the many people who assume that there must be some kind of synthetic chemical chicanery going on in the making of "liquid smoke" flavoring. But according to the Colgin Company (which has been bottling liquid smoke since the 19th century), that's not the case. Liquid smoke is made by channeling smoke from smoldering wood chips through a condenser, which quickly cools the vapors, causing them to liquefy (just like the drops that form when you breathe on a piece of cold glass). The water-soluble flavor compounds in the smoke are trapped within this liquid, while the nonsoluble, carcinogenic tars and resins are removed by a series of filters, resulting in a clean, smoke-flavored liquid. Curious about the manufacturing process for this product, we wondered if we could bottle up some smoke for ourselves. To do this, we created a small-scale mock-up of the commercial method, involving a kettle grill, a duct fan, a siphon, and an ice-chilled glass coil condenser. In a comparison of homemade and store-bought liquid smoke, homemade was praised for its clean, intense, smoky flavor. But we spent an entire day and $50 on materials to produce 3 tablespoons of homemade liquid smoke. Commercial liquid smoke is just fine, especially if you avoid brands with additives such as salt, vinegar, and molasses. Our top-rated brand and contains nothing but smoke and water."