Thanks to every one taking the time to try to educate me. tapla, If I have a large container that has a plant in it already, and I can't (physical limitations) repot it, would it be at least a second best if I punch holes in the dirt to aerate it? Or can I start putting something on top of the dirt that might eventually help improve the soil? (To clarify--- my physical limitations keep me from being able to stay bent over more than a few minutes at most. Or from lifting anything heavier than about 15 lbs. Woe to the healthy younger person who wanders by me. LOL It's kinda like being being drafted, only with some pay!) Thank you gardengal. I'll try to locate those suggestions. I did get my Sweet Potato Vine (Blackie), Oxalis (Sunset Velvet) and Silver Falls (something) planted yesterday in one pot. They're now hanging off the balcony railing and I'm waiting eagerly. My balcony looks like a very messy miniature botannical gardens. LOL But I love it.

Although this is an old thread, I can't help commenting on hydrogen peroxide as a carcinogen, just for the benefit of future readers. First, there are a lot of chemicals in hair dyes (and other products) besides peroxide (which is actually a bleach rather than a dye), so if cancer rates are higher amongst hair stylists, there are multiple possible culprits. True, peroxide is an oxidizer, which would not be particularly good in your cells. This is about the only hook one could use to suggest it could play a role in cancer. But it is typically used on the outside of you (skin). It is very reactive, and does not persist, so putting it on soil would not result in any exposure to it later on from eating vegetables. Finally, it is interesting to note that the ATSDR, an authority on toxicity, lists hydrogen peroxide in NONE of its toxicity categories - not a carcinogen, possible carcinogen, mutagen, teratogen, or anything else. It simply says: "Affected Organ Systems: None. Cancer Classification: None." https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/substances/toxsubstance.asp?toxid=55 Having said all that, I see very little reason to use it in the garden, as it is an indiscriminate killer of microbes which make up the soil food web and give soil its fertility. It would have to be an extreme case of soil borne disease to warrant the nuclear approach, and there are better ways of dealing with virtually any soil problem. This has been a public service announcement. Carry on!

Those temps are bad kms2! I have noticed some of my trees in black pots and gritty mix feel like they are baking! Yes, Plumerias grow in the tropics and it's hot BUT they are in the ground. Their roots are cool. Their heads can take full sun all day long but they like their roots cool. Also in most of the tropics there are breezes that help to keep leaf and temps down. I have grown them both ways for years, there isn't a doubt in my mind, they do better planted in the ground. However, let me say this... if they are young, small trees or rooted cuttings, I suggest leaving them in pots until they get bigger and have a well developed root system if you have to move them inside in the winter. In.South Florida or the Keys, put them in the ground and leave them alone and watch them take off. I have a Lutea that was being a real pain. It's a tall and skinny ugly stick that was that way when it was sent to me and it has never bloomed. After I took it out of the ground last October and wintered it in a pot in the garage, this spring I could not get it to do anything. No claws, then claws, claws would shrivel up. I repotted it in gritty along with all the others. couple of months later, still no leaves. I took it out of the mix, a couple 1" tiny brown roots. I was over it. I stuck it in the ground by some that are in pots and told it to root or die, I didn't care which it did. It sat there doing nothing for a couple of weeks and I waited to see if it rotted. Suddenly it took off, leaves all over the place, which means it also is rooting. I gave it some Root Excelerator to help the roots keep growing. No heat mat needed, The ground provides heat without the stress of wild temp swings which occur in pots. I believe bigger trees need to be in the ground and do far better by planting them in the spring, lifting them in the fall if you must due to freezes. Put them in a pot with the soil they were in while planted, put them in garage, greenhouse, whatever you use and leave them alone until spring. On warm days you can mist or give a cup or so of water, but keep them dry. Each year they will get much bigger than they would in pots. I have white plastic trash bags around some of mine in pots that get morning to early afternoon sun at a brutal angle. The heat of those black pots filled with gritty is insane down here in FL. The white bags reflect the heat and make a huge difference! We have had so much rain, day after day, LOTS of rain. I have about 100 in Al's mix and have yet to have 1 rot. In fact I have never seen such explosive root growth and such healthy roots on potted plumies. They are coming out of the bottom, all over the top, even ones that were just rooted in April have filled 1 gallon pots and are read to move up. Roots seem to love the gritty mix but you do need to get those temps down on the pots or the roots near the pots outer sides fry and turn brown. It's easy to test this. Put one where it gets sun, don't turn it. Take it out in a couple of weeks and check. All the roots on the inside that faces the sun will be in bad shape, the ones on the backside, perfect. Once I discovered this I moved most of them so the angle of the sun wasn't as bad, the others that get that intense angle from 9 Am to 2 pm I wrapped with white plastic to reflect the heat. It works,leave the bags loose so the black pot doesn't show through if the bags are thin. My trees look great, growing well, not many blooms yet. They are recuperating from the moves and repots I imagine. I may get mostly roots and growth this year but that's ok. With healthy plants and a big healthy root system, the booms will come in time. My Kapalua has an inflo. Hopefully all this rain won't cause the buds to drop off.

I think you'll be ok. Add a slow release fertilizer throughout since you don't have much in the way of compost or other nutrients in the soil. The main things to take away from square foot gardening, are the intensive planting methods, and the ways to reduce compaction of your growing medium.