Wow... good point Al. I totally forgot about that. *whoosh* OW - Don't you mean.. lower to 6? If you have a way to directly measure the pH, then it doesn't really matter what kind of water you use. Just add the vinegar or acetic acid until you get the desired pH for the irrigation water. If you don't want to mess with the irrigation water, and you're okay with an imprecise change, you could use acidified cotton burr compost. It contains sulfur that is at least partially metabolized, and is often used as an acidifying soil amendment for Roses and Azaleas. It's commonly used both in the ground, and in containers. I don't know much about it, but you can find plenty of information online. I'm confused, are soil from your land in the containers? Or do you also want to try growing blueberries in the ground, and want to acidify the soil quickly? If you're using raised beds and adding a lot of new soil / amendments, most good nurseries sell an Azalea or Rose bedding mix that is fairly acidic. The quick fix is ammonium sulfate, but it's extremely hard for the non-professional to use properly, and is very detrimental to your soil biology. No amendment or product can really change your soil's pH permanently - you have to keep treating it at least every season.

Good morning KM, thanks! We NEEDED that rain, and still need another two or three more like it. You've gotten significantly more this year than So Cal has. You're welcome! Werner is a poly and flowers repeatedly all year here. He is strongly multiflora (as are virtually all roses of his coloring) so chlorosis issues may raise their ugly heads if not circumvented. He's also quite fertile so hips will form from every flower, requiring dead heading. Werner doesn't "climb", but arches or mounds, which may be able to be massaged into the type of shape you have in mind. Pictures can be quite deceiving, which is why I wanted to make sure you had an idea how large SJ could get. Mostly she's thornless, but as with many which share the trait, occasionally wood is formed which demonstrates the abilty to be prickly. Her sisters have, so far, not demonstrated that ability, oddly enough. A number of my seedlings are listed on HMF under my Breeder Page. They have to have "hung around" for a long time or have demonstrated something amazing (at least to me!) about themselves before I list them there. Mr. Moore has a Breeder Page there, too. To access the Breeder Pages, click on the Breeder tab on the left menu, then enter the last name of the person you seek and search. Mr. Moore created a number of roses which were very low prickle count to prickle free. One of the benefits of using Little Darling is how easily she reduced or eliminated the prickle load. Her daughter, 1-72-1, was one of his favorite breeders and threw many quite smooth 'babies'. Because he wanted people to pick up and handle his minis, he came to appreciate the lack of prickles. It is a trait I've always appreciated and commented on frequently we he would walk me through the breeding houses. It appeared because of my "harping on" smooth canes, he came to appreciate it more. While I've thankfully not had infections due to prickles, I have closely resembled special effects from gore-horror films on many occasions and it isn't 'fun'. Lack of prickles is a trait I strive for and value in seedlings. Wouldn't it be wonderful to offer a line of totally prickle free roses so people with small children, or those who resist roses because of the prickles could comfortably, safely enjoy them? It's the wrong color for your request, but Mr. Moore's Softee may work for what you want. He never promoted this rose because he felt it rather too difficult to produce in quantity. It's a very nice little rose, but ease of propagation was one of his prime goals, and its being less than easy to root he considered a "failure". It is thornless (completely!), flowers incessantly, isn't really "climbing" but builds into a soft, leafy mound of a plant with fairly elongated canes. You could probably shear it as you would a myrtle or other denser, soft shrub, to keep it as you want it. If you're feeling adventurous, Werner should root fairly easily...Kim Here is a link that might be useful: Softee

here are the full instructions, found at foodinjars.com Slow Cooker Blueberry Butter makes approximately 3 1/2 pints of butter 8 cups of pureed blueberries 2 cups sugar 1 lemon, zested 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg "Put the pureed blueberries in a slow cooker. Place a lid on the pot and turn it on to low. After about an hour, give it a stir. At this point, you want to use something to prop the lid a bit. I found that laying a wooden spoon across the rim of the cooker and then placing the lid on gave it just enough room to let the steam evaporate. My blueberry butter spent about six hours in the slow cooker (from 5:30 p.m. when I got home from work, until 11:30 p.m. when I canned and processed it). At the beginning of hour five, I added the spices and the sugar, removed the lid completely and turned the heat up to high, in order to speed the cooking down. Once itÂs cooked down sufficiently*, pour into jars (leave a good 1/2 inch of head space), wipe rims, apply lids and screw on bands. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Eat on fresh scones and store unopened jars in a cool, dark place. *When the cooking process is done, you can puree with an immersion blender or (carefully) in a regular blender, for a smoother product." Linda Lou - I did not heat it to a boil (was in the crockpot), I had set the timer for th 10 min recommended, but didn't get them out immediately, and no, I didn't let them sit before removing them... Should I open the jars and bring it to a boil, and then process again? I just processed them last night, so wouldn't think they were bad yet... thanks

The strawberry/rhubarb combo is a very traditional blend. It's hard to sub for it. I'd be more inclined to try a strawberry/apple or strawberry/ blueberry mixture. Adjust the sugar a little if you think it might be too sweet, you can always add more as the filling is cooking. Strawberry/pineapple might be good too..... Nancy