In searching a bit I see that coneflowers do indeed need stratification. do others test germination? No, I just do my best at letting the seeds or seed pods mature, brown and split if they are the splitting kind of seed pods. I then harvest them and let them dry additionally before packing them for storage in a cool, dry, dark place. If seeds are properly harvested, they 'should' be fine. It is kind of a crap-shoot though when trading as some members maybe aren't as knowledgeable as others are about the proper maturing and drying of seeds. The Seed Saving Forum is a great place to learn about harvesting seeds at the appropriate time. Remy is our resident expert there fielding a lot of the questions with good info. hth...sorry, don't know how to really test them when needing stratification. If they were harvested properly, they should be fine. If you Winter Sow them, you would then later know for sure if they are viable or not. hth Sue

O MYYYYYY G ! You know that feeling in the pit of your tummy when you have to slam on your car brakes and come thisclose to hitting a car, but don't? When I read "only one mistake...the membrane is upside-down!" I got THAT FEELING! I immediately thought "WHAT? I never read anywhere that the membrane needs to go print side up or down. Ohhhh noooo!" Then I continued to the next sentence and broke out in a cold sweat from relief---Mongoct, you devil, you! ROFLOL If you were close, I'd throw a ball of mud at ya. LOL On behalf of Mr. Amity and myself I want to Thank you so much for your help and the Kudos --it means so much, sincerely it does. Am

Bless your heart, that's alot going on. Was the other elevated liver enzyme the ALK (alkaline phosphotate)? I am not familiar with the ins and outs of potassium citrate,so I can't comment there, but the increased water intake and elevated liver enzymes are 2 possible symptoms of cushings. Have there been any changes in his energy level, hair loss or skin changes? Diet can definitely make a difference for a dog. I rawfeed mine and have for 9 years now. Before that I cooked for them. However, I don't want you to get your hopes up that cooking or rawfeeding will magically lower the liver numbers. I think it can definitely help though. My angel Sadie was rawfed most of her life and still had the liver enzymes that crept up over a year and a half. I guess I just want you to realize that changing the diet can make some positive changes, but it's not the magic bullet you may be looking for ( I know all about looking for those..anything for our babies). What a blessed lil guy Benji is to have such a caring and loving home. You might look into the yahoo raw feeding forum, or if that is not quite what you are looking for, when I cooked, I used the recipes in the Pitcharin's guide for natural health for dogs and cats. That being said, there are grains in those recipes, which dogs can't really digest, but my dogs did well on it. I opted for rawfeeding when one of my dogs developed cancer, since grains break down into sugar, which fed the cancer cells. Probably way more information that you were looking for, but I hope it helps!! Best of luck with your sweet Benji.

The "jar test" is, as I call it, a simple test. Over the years when compared with the tests results I get back from Michigan State University the level of organic matter in my soil is about the same. Many other people that have used that test and a good reliable soil test lab tell me the same thing, the results are about the same. kimmq is kimmsr