I've played with several mixes Billie Ann and I mix in a handfull of fibermesh each time: 1 cement, 1 peat, 1 vermiculite 1 cement, 1 peat, 1 perlite 1 cement, 1 peat, 1/2 perlite, 1/2 vermiculite 1 cement, 2 peat, 2 vermiculite 1 cement, 2 peat, 2 perlite 1 cement, 2 peat, 1 vermiculite, 1 perlite I tossed in some liquid dye (buff) into one of the mixes and I didn't notice a significant color change while it was still wet. That mix is still curing so I don't know how it looks once it has dried.

Hi Mina, I just wanted to stop in and say that I hope you can gain some helpful Information from some of the post here!!! Just in case you haven't read this thread, I have linked it and it may help you!! Sometimes things get so technical and it is hard to understand what everyone is trying to say.. I realize you just wanted answers to your yellowing leaves .. Try and eliminate what might be wrong as others mentioned up thread. Soil choice , watering, light, fertilizer . That will be a start for you. Then you can figure out what type of mix will suit your needs as well as your fertilizer. So many have opinions about fertilizers.. It really can make your head spin!! Lol.. I'm really serious. I have a lot of different trees and plants, but I don't grow what you have.. So I'm just trying to give some basic helpful info. My trees that I focus on are Plumeria.. These are the trees that are made into leis in Hawaii. I grow many exotic trees that are native to Hawaii , Mexico. Thailand etc. I live in Virgina!! far different from Others that grow my favorites in California , Texas and Florida. I have always had to work hard to achieve the best in the growing season to get the overall health of my trees as they come out of dormancy. My trees have a great fast draining mix.. Learned from these forums.. ( see link) My trees have never been so healthy and I have beautiful blooms from these trees that take years to flower. ( Which is normal when they are first rooted.) .Even for those growing in California !! I also use Foliage pro ( 9-3-6). It really is all that my trees need to have beautiful healthy blooms.. It's has the perfect balance for all of my trees as well as others that I grow. The best compliment I can receive is when the experts who grow these ( godfathers of plumeria) who have written books etc compliment me on my growing ability to grow in my limited growing season... I just want you to hear from someone like me who started out looking for answers.. I did some research, did a few experiments ( fertilizers too) and came up with my way of growing that makes my trees the healthiest and the best that I have seen in years. My trees are mature and are blooming like they would be in the tropics.. Keep reading and asking questions.. You will find such wonderful information. Don't get frustrated .. Growing is such a wonderful experience and I want you to know it can be easy ! Your plants will thank you for taking time to understand their needs.. Once I started with the basics.. Soil and then added the best fertilizer for my trees as well as for my blooming trees.. They haven't stopped. Every year I say this is my best year and I am overwhelmed with the beauty I see .. It will happen... Please continue to ask and you will have your answers In The way your plants respond. Watching them grow and flourish is the best reward you can receive from your knowledge of what they like and need to be healthy. Al has really been a great teacher and I'm thankful for all that he shares... Sorry to break in.. Just wanted to say a few things to help you. Please dont get discouraged.. Growing is a wonderful thing and your plants will love you for the time you take to understand their needs... Mine did and still thank me everyday with new flowers!! Mahalo!!! Here is a pic for you, Mina!! This is one that just opened up a few days ago!! Just wanted you to know that others read these post and we are here to help you too ! ;-) Have a wonderful night!!! Laura Here is a link that might be useful: Good Growing Pratices- An Overview For Beginners

Exactly same problem when normally they're away by now!Difficult to gauge whether under or over watered - been very windy here perhaps foliage dries out too quickly? any other thoughts to help appreciated.

"I can understand it is not the same to chemical fertilizer, but what is the difference of compost and organic fertilizer? I thought plant can entirely rely on organic stuff, right? That's how crops were grow before chemical fertilizer was invented--using a lot of manure. I remember being told that chicken manure has a lot nitrogen. Isn't that a fertilizer?" Primarily a question for the Soil & Composting forum here where this is all discussed in infinite detail. But basically, all the confusion come from people using the terms interchangeably - compost, manures, composted manures, humus, fertilizer, etc. because they don't understand the crucial differences nor how composting works. They are not the same things at all. The simplest way to distinguish between compost and fertilizer is: Compost feeds the soil and fertilizer feeds the plants. Fertilizer adds to the soil's nutrient supply, but instead of feeding the soil food web, the ingredients in fertilizers are intended to meet the needs of fast-growing plants. First, most compost does not contain manure. Pure, normal, straight compost is nothing more than decomposing carbon and nitrogen (browns and greens) organic matter and it comes in many stages of decomposition. Whatever nutrients it may contain are locked up in the materials themselves until after it decomposes fully and turns into humus. IF it contains an active soil food web, a micro-herd of active bacteria and soil dwelling residents, then it can decompose quickly at which point it becomes humus and the nutrients that result are usable by the plants. Compost that has had manures added to the other carbon and nitrogen materials (grass, straw, hay, leaves, wood chips, etc.) is Manuered Compost. It contains more potential nutrients but still requires decomposition (eating and pooping) by an active soil micro herd to become humus for the nutrients to be usable by the plants. Manures that have been stock piled all on their own alone and aged is not compost but is Aged Manure. Same limitations apply. Fertilizer is any supplement that contains nutrients readily usable by the plants in either its current form or when mixed with water. It may be synthetic or organic. But neither requires pre-digestion by bacteria or decomposition. Experienced organic gardeners use both as they understand the differences between "composted matter" of any kind and "fertilizers". They recognize that composted material is primarily a soil amendment, a soil improver and that it is only secondarily a source of any nutrients after it decomposes to humus. But since it contains none of the minerals plants require additional supplements may also be required if lacking in the soil. It is why we keep explaining to new gardeners that you cannot become an "full blown organic gardener" overnight, or even in one or two seasons. It takes time. An inground garden bed that has regularly and repeatedly and consistently amended with high quality compost and aged manures over several years time can easily support all the crops with no additional supplements because that soil now contains large amounts of humus as well as all the minerals and micro-nutrients plants require. This only an abbreviated and somewhat over-simplified version of all the info required to understand the process but the first step is to learn the basic terms and use them correctly. Compost is a soil amendment and not everything called compost is equal in value. Fertilizer is nutrient food for plants. Suggest some reading of the many FAQs and discussions on the Soil & Composting forum, reading about "how organic matter decomposition works", and learning about "the soil food web". Dave PS: And nitrogen is not a fertilizer, it is merely one of many different nutrients that can make up fertilizer.