Nope, goes back to Houzz automatically when I try.

What drives me nuts - if I end on the houzz - every time I open the thread - it opens in a new tab. You check 10 threads - you have 10 extra tabs open.

I feel your pain, Irina. For me, most of the time now it does exactly as you mentioned -- each thread viewed opens a new tab. Annoying. And yet, every so often, Houzz operates like the old format -- only one tab open no matter how many threads I view. Then there is today wherein it started off like the old format while I was checking in with the Cacti/Succulent crowd, then switched to the annoying "let's open a new tab every time a new thread is viewed" when I popped over here. (I'm using Google Chrome, but whether or not that makes a difference I have no idea.)

Joanne - I have a luxury of using the locally made soil - violetshowcase.com.

The recipe is from Pauline Bartholomew book and Doug checks every bale of peat - so resulting pH is always 6.6. I add medium perlite - probably 15-20% = because I wick. The good part - NO wetting agent and no fertilizer preload.

A friend - Tony - WorldofStreps.com - uses Promix HP with mycorhizae and biofungicide + 33% coarse perlite on streps - I tried - it works on streps pretty well - it has wetting agent and it is preloaded with fertilizer. It doesn't work on Primulinas - overloads them with fertlizer - and leaves turn red.

I didn't try it on AVs - but should be working OK. All this perlite should prevent the mix to be too soggy.

I.

@fortyseven_gw Joanne, are you doing your presentation for a violet club? If so, do they sell their own potting mix to members? That's where I get my soil from though maybe that's unusual and we're just fortunate to have someone to do that for us. I believe the base for the soil is Promix.

Joanne-

I am sure they will enjoy the presentation. (And drive to the store to buy more Optimaras).

Thing is - humidity is house specific- and drier houses probably will need a heavier mix with vermiculite to retain the water.

Like we use to say - buy AV mix- and split it with perlite. The lady from New Jersey who posted today asking for help with her not too happy AVs added 50% perlite - and in the way she grows- it didn't retain enough moisture for them to prosper. In my conditions on wicks and mats - they would probably be very happy.

So - whatever works for you, Joanne - will work in your area. The further from your conditions - the more tweaking will be required. There is no universal soil recipe to end all recipes...Good growers - adjust!

We all have a wonderful free tool. It is our index finger. Stick it in the pot - and it will tell you if the soil is dry or wet, too loose or too compressed...

(Just do not show them your middle finger 8-O!)

I.

We are fortunate to have experts in our club too. They are so generous with sharing their knowledge and plants/leaves...I could just hug them! Just as I could a few gw'ers we are fortunate to have hanging out here. I won't name names -- you all know who you are. :-)

If you find your way back to the original format, ... bookmark those pages.

Suggestions on how to get back to the original format might be found in this thread ...

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5066022/odd-new-gardenweb-presentation-format?n=26

Search is affected too.

A first attempt at searching takes you to the most current entries on the newly formatted African Violet page ... and searching from there works.

If you use this procedure, you might be able to get back to the previous format ...

1.) Type www.gardenweb.com in your browser address slot

2.) Select Garden Forums

3.) Select African Violets

Aegis, that always worked for me. Not anymore! :-(