Sorry, BP. I get a lot of mail from GW, and the first thing I usually look at is whether or not you have your home page settings configured so I can reply to you. I didn't notice you'd included your email addy in the body of the message so I deleted the message. I just found it after reading your post. Please forgive? The most important advice I can give you is, the concept behind the soils many of us use is more important than the actual recipe. Distilled, the concept is based on the fact that water held inside of soil particles is not something we would consider as having much potential for limiting root function, and by extension, the well-being of your plants. Water held between particles, is a major contributor to root issues, with the severity of the issues usually linked closely to how much water is held between particles and how long it is held. By increasing particle size and promoting uniformity in particle size, we can eliminate almost all inter-particulate water AND control the volume of intra-particulate water by choosing what material the particles are made of. This concept continues to have a major influence on the ability of growers who understand it and use it as a tool, to consistently bring along healthy plant material. If you have questions or want to understand how it all goes together, there is an ongoing discussion here. Easy (inexpensive and sourced near): - sand, garden soil - granite or small river stones/ quartzite - scoria or red lava rock (i can't find pumice) - coconut husks (shell/ coir) - rice husks/ hulls (some nurseries here grow their coleus in pure husks and i must say theirs look better than mine!) More expensive and harder to acquire: - perlite (though i find it pricey here so i only got one bag and i'm not planning to use it for long term) - "orchid bark", pine bark And... i cannot find turface here. This one stumps me. What can i substitute for it? DE is a no go too. Based on the material above, can you recommend and acceptable mix? When you're building a mix with the idea you want water inside of particles instead of between them, obviously, you'll need some ingredients that can absorb and hold water, and the size of the particles as well as the range in size is also in play. You need particles large enough that the spaces between the particles (macropores) will be largely empty of water. It also does you little good if you carefully screen one or more ingredients, then add sand of topsoil to the screened ingredients. You end up pretty much with a soil that has the drainage and aeration characteristics of a soil comprised of only the fine ingredients, unless the volume of fine ingredients is closely controlled. Let me know if you have questions about what I said so far, please; and tell me about dry/wet seasons and what you think would be an acceptable interval between waterings. Sometimes, practices that offer the best opportunities for plants aren't within what the grower seems reasonable, so compromises need to be made. It's better to work within those parameters from the outset. Al

A long-time organic gardener with a hankering for old roses, I was desperate to find a good source for beneficial insects for my new garden that offered a combination pack at a reasonable price so I could experiment with several insects at once. Most other sites offer single strains at $25 to $30 a pop, or use their own brand labels and no precise descriptions of what is in their product. I ordered only yesterday but will post back about results when I receive the product and then again when I observe any benefits. Fortunately, I am not in the throes of an infestation... Here is a link that might be useful: Where I ordered mine...

Bernard - yours doesn't look like puill bug, but very unclear. save - that's why I said to google, since you have seen it 'up-close'. You are right, very difficult to take good photo, those things are very fast. I was to suggest that it is possibly one of the bugs that live happily in compost...there are billions of them! Bernard is on the right trail, springtails are compost lovers. They love moist conditions - exactly what happens under the pot (in the saucer). Springtails are soil micro-arthropods Springtails, or collembola, are primitive hexapods (six-legged arthropods) that are closely related to insects. These small critters (1-6 mm, usually less than 3 mm) live in soil, leaf litter, and other damp organic material. Springtails can be extremely abundant in some damp, highly organic soils. They generally cause no harm to garden plants but may be so abundant that they become a nuisance. Very occasionally they damage tender, young garden plants by feeding on roots. Springtails may be nearly colorless to white or gray and even yellow, orange, red, or green. The name "springtail" comes from an ability to spring forward, or jump, by releasing an appendage that is normally tucked under the abdomen (right, lower drawing). All stages except the egg are similar in shape. When springtails are abundant the cause is usually high soil moisture and/or highly organic soils. .................. In either case simply sweeping them up is the best strategy, no insecticide treatment is needed. Springtails won't breed indoors, except in houseplant soil, and won't cause any harm. Outdoors the "invasion" will stop once the rains cease and soils and leaf litter dry out. Treat houseplant soil by allowing it dry out between watering as well. From: springtails/collembola I have seen silverfish in damp saucer - they are common in moist areas (kit, bathrooms) in apartment building - they travel up & down...yucky, but won't harm you. Rina

Oh geez, yeah, that soil was caked and soaked through. OK, I set them up on paper towels for the moment to absorb what's left of the water. Two of the succulents had roots I could tell, but the reddish-yellow one seemed to have what looked like a branch, but no roots? I think that cactus is well and truly dead, though. About half of it, it turns out, was under the soil. It had a really extensive root system, but it's all squishy and rotted. Do I cut off the moon cactus top with just a knife, or how should I go about trying to salvage that part? (And thank you so much for your help. I wouldn't have any idea what to do without you!)