Sounds like the blade installation might be the trick, especially given the unevenness mentioned. I flipped the blade on a Husqvarna I sued at our last house for detail mowing and had some similar results. On the general topic, I've had good success with mulch mowing over the years. But our present property is reasonably large (over 3 acres). Since it takes about 3.5 hours on the tractor to do the basic mowing (not to mention more time for detailed push mowing, string trimming and edging...yeesh) it isn't practical to mow it more than once a week in total, maybe hitting the longer areas twice a week if time allows. So I have run into occasions where the amount of grass laying after mowing is unacceptable (and unhealthy!). And yes, I do try to avoid cutting more than one-third of the blade height. In those cases, I use a lawn sweeper to pick up the clippings and use them in a rather large compost area I have going. The sweeper (I got Craftsman's version of the Agri-Fab Smart-Sweep) was about a third of the cost of the JD power bagger for my tractor, and is simple, easy and quick to use. It also leaves a gorgeous striping effect which I enjoy. There are plenty of small push-type lawn sweepers available that you might consider after checking into the blade situation and other suggestions received here. I like the idea of returning those nutrients to the soil as much as possible, but also recognize the realities of mowing, especially during a relative wet spell that we've had in the east this year so far. I've used the sweeper probably every other mowing until this week when the rainfall was more moderate and the grass simply hasn't grown as much. My 80% fescue lawn looks great and healthy. Mowing long (3.5 inches), proper fertilizing after a soil test, judicious use of Weed-B-Gone, mulch mowing and occasional sweeping have really done the trick for my 3 year old lawn. Oh, that, and relatively moderate weather the last two years!

i usually change the gamma and/or brightness .... since my 69 dollar camera isn't the best .... on some pix, this seems to make the blues incredible .... do they look like that in the yard ... only for about 10 to 15 minutes, just after sunset, when the sky turns pink .... you HAVE TO go to the hosta after dinner, at dusk .... INCREDIBLE ... i NORMALLY DO NOT mess with color unless it is so out of whack that it is necessary .. and i don't feel like running back out .. or it got too dark .. cuz i didn't start taking pix until after sunset.. lol ... in my pix .. i suggest that you focus on the hosta named in the picture... and don't fixate on others around it.. i have manipulated the named hosta to be as close to what i see in the garden as possible.. subject to my monitor of course ... one trick to adjusting it all .. monitor included .. is to get a picture of your hand ... and then hold your hand next to the monitor .... and then adjust it accordingly .... usually the monitor adjustments are right on your monitor ... then open the picture in your photo editor.. and make further adjustments if necessary ... i wonder if i should put this in a new thread.. maybe later ... ken

I have found that these palms can be surprisingly temperamental in the house. I always had problems keeping this particular species alive. This species should not really go too dry. I use a very sandy soil that dries quickly and never let it get too dry. It seems that if you miss a watering, it is quick to show foliage damage. Also, they are very tropical, so although 98% of my palms are outside, this one is inside (as our northeastern spring has been a bit chillier than average). Actually, it is the only species that is still inside.

bogaat, do you have an EZ-FLO yet or no? I got mine from QC Supply, I think the 3 gal version was around $60 at that time. Here's the link, I think this was the cheapest site I found; the pic is wrong, it's actually about 2ft tall: http://www.qcsupply.com/qcsupply/browse/productDetailWithPicker.jsp?productId=360316 Do you have lots of drainage holes in your containers? What color are they? I usually drill some 1/2'' or so holes in the sides too, about an inch up (CL) from the bottom. It's easier to see that they are draining properly that way. Do you have access to any compost? I would maybe top off the buckets with a good compost and water it in, the nutrients will find their way down thru the BX. There's almost no nutrients in BX, possibly just an initial charge for seedlings, if that. It's mostly just dolomitic & calcitic lime and a wetting agent to make the peat get wet easier. Can you post any pics of the "brown tips" on those plants? Did they just shrivel up & die? Did any of the plants ever wilt? A picture's worth a thousand words! Perhaps the best tip to help against BER is even, consistent watering, both amounts and frequency. My summers are similar to your in-greenhouse conditions, usually 80-85, 90 max, and nights usually in the 60's. Star_stuff, thanks. I think the only grass left is about an 18'' strip along the fence by the blue tarp. I got tired of walking back there to weedwhack it, my neighbor has a bagging mower so I just told him to dump his clippings and leaves on that spot. lol And I'm PROUD to be a tomato grower--we don't hide our cages for the winter like dem fancy overpriced collapsing ones! lol Here is a link that might be useful: EZ-FLO 3 gallon fertilizer injector system