Some people draw a distinction between types of soil, thinking it's improper to call a mixture of peat and perlite a soil, or that because something doesn't come from the top layer of the earth (mineral soil) it's not really a soil, but if plants grow and have their roots secured in it, it's a soil. Actually, the gritty mix is much closer to a mineral based soil than anything most readers are/were used to growing in, simply because it's has a 2/3 mineral fraction as opposed to something like Miracle-Gro soil with perhaps a 2" mineral (perlite) fraction, the remainder being organic components. Anyway ...... in our gardens & beds, ie in mineral soils, we rely on soil organisms to break down minerals and organic components alike, into elemental forms plants can utilize. Because of the bulk density of mineral soils and fine particle size, attachment sites for nutrients are numerous. Container media, with their relatively low bulk density and low CEC, don't hold nutrients well. We can't depend on the breaking down of the organic fraction of the soil to supply nearly enough nutrition for plants to grow normally. That's partly because of the low CEC and partly because of how slowly the nutrients locked in hydrocarbon chains become available. If soils DID break down fast enough to supply nutritional requirements, it would quickly destroy the soil's structure. Which point leads me to the idea that container soils (or media if you like) are more about the structure than about any nutrition they might supply. Some gardeners try to build the nutrition into the soil, which usually comes at the expense of either the soils structure or structural stability. Near perfect nutritional supplementation can be had via synthetic soluble fertilizers. Using them, you can concentrate on only the soils structure, while you shoulder the responsibility for the plant's nutritional needs. With fertilizers like Foliage-Pro 9-3-6, you can be sure you're supplying all the essential nutrients in the right ratio, and you can also be sure of how much and when those nutrients are available, the 'when' part being immediately. You don't have to guess at when the fluctuating populations of soil organisms might make enough of this or that nutrient available so there are no deficiencies. Growing well in containers doesn't get any easier than when you use a well-aerated soil and soluble synthetic fertilizers. Al

Well put, Waryap... I agree. I don't think it's gardening that attracts those few exceptions, either... I think it's more a message board thing. You'll find that every message board has its typical, recognizable players. But that aside, the majority of folks are simply wonderful. Most are not only plant lovers, but pet lovers, too, the ratio being interestingly high. I await each of Al's articles with bated breath, knowing there will be a wealth of information contained therein. And I don't have to worry that it will be too technical or scientifically complicated for me to grasp. I know that each writing will have meritorious information that I can use... and whether I grow bonsai or not, a good portion of it will translate nicely to the plants I do grow and the trees and shrubs in my yard. Some of the ideas are so common sense that I'm surprised they didn't occur to me long ago, proving how filled with misinformation and wive's tales the world of gardening really is! I don't know... maybe I just thought some of it was a lot more complicated than it is. Take fertilizer, as example... the store shelves are loaded with different formulas. But when it comes right down to it, most plants require basically the same things, so why would we need so many different mixtures? We don't! Al has become my mentor, and the work he's done and shared has opened up the world of growing for me exponentially. My previous failures have become today's successes, and learning what I have has made gardening all that much more enjoyable! Anyway... we're glad to have you join us. To tell you the truth, I've been thinking about trying bonsai, myself... Al makes it look and sound a lot less complicated than I had originally thought... plus, I have a gorgeous little Japanese Maple that I'm not sure what to do with... a candidate for bonsai, perhaps? Hmmm!

Jamie, there are plenty of aquatic plants, but we seldom grow them as container plants in soil. I would not consider a willow tree to be aquatic. All the willows on our property grow in areas where the ground dries out occasionally during the growing seasons. They are never in a constant state of being waterlogged. I think maybe you're thinking of a mangrove environment, as opposed to a rain forest. In mangrove swamps, plants and trees have adapted to being in water. In a rain forest, the trees have adapted to seasons of high humidity and lots of rains. Orchids, for example, enjoy the humidity and rains, but couldn't be grown in a constant state of wetness. I'm not really knowledgeable enough to explain the chemical breakdowns and the science of it all, but I can tell you that in nature, there's a certain balance kept by all the living and non-living organisms and the constant decomposition going on. It's a cycle that works very well in a garden environment... but it doesn't work in a pot. Within the confines of a pot, it's next to impossible to keep everything in a state of balance because the same living organisms are not present cycling the decomp... and an organic environment in a pot can quickly become unbalanced and toxic. That's why it works best to keep a more inorganic medium in containers. Perhaps Al or someone can explain mycorrhizal fungi, which have a symbiotic relationship with plants, and how they fit into container growing. There's a huge difference between water in vapor form, or being slightly moist... and being in a constant state of wetness. Most container grown plants dislike being consistently wet. The roots can't survive being waterlogged all the time. They need oxygen and a chance to "dry out" for periods of time, and a fine, compacted soil that holds too much moisture for long periods of time does not allow for the necessary exchange of oxygen and gases. I'm probably doing a poor job of explaining it... we can't really talk about growing in the ground and growing in a confined container in the same breath... the two environments are at opposite ends of the growing spectrum. Instead of comparing the two environments, I think of them as two completely separate subjects. Each has a different set of needs. In a garden, nature controls most things... in a pot, we are in control... we are playing the part of Mother Nature.

As with many other issues, I suppose there are different views... but being a newbie and after having read different responses, here and elsewhere, I'm more inclined to accept that beach sand is not a good thing. Thanks for your input :)) @lisasfbay9b I would say the proportion is say 1 to 8 in the smaller pots, 1 to 15 in the medium-sized ones and way bigger in the others, so yes, it might not be such a drama after all. As I said, the intent (alas, how mistakenly it seems now!) was to have a small layer of a material which, in principle, would always be dry (beach sand doesn't retain water, right?) so when the plant roots reached that level at the bottom of the pot they wouldn't be soggy or wet in case I over watered, hence they wouldn't rot. Yes, all the pots have holes, I'm newbie, but that I get! As per how salty... I'm not tasting it, huh (LOL!), seriously, I wouldn't know and I don't have the equipment to measure it. I can only say is natural beach sand from the beaches here in Barcelona. It's very fine sand. As per salting it out, well, since there are plants in the pots I don't want to overwater and then kill them. @rina_Ontario,Canada(5a) Regular soil means (to me as a 'city dweller') standard bagged soil you can purchase in 5,10,20 and 50L bags at most garden centres, and I believe in English is referred to as "potting soil", right? As per how are they doing, well, some are doing fine others no so much, but (a) it's been a recent plant out and (b) those that are not doing so well it might just well be that I'm a newbie and perhaps I'm watering too much, or perhaps they are too exposed to the sun.... or a thousand other things I might be doing wrong. As they say "always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will."