Oh Lord, this happens all the time..in the store and Ebay/online. lol. I want to kick myself, moreso, when plants are on sale. Just last wk, our grocery story had 4" potted plants for 1.50. Most were plants I have, but there were also some really nice Crotons..Passed them up, and now regret it. lol 6/7+ yrs ago, while grocery shopping, I stopped to look at plants. A novel idea. lol. There sat, one-solo, green-leaf with orange center plant, price 6.99. I had no idea what it was. It went in the cart, then put back. Home I went w/my groceries..While putting everything in place, that plant was on my mind. I thought of reasons not to buy it, but there was ONE reason I dwelled on this beauty. It was different. A plant I didn't have. 2 days later I went back to the store..sole purpose, to buy this NOID plant..it was gone! I was devestated. I went home, and even though I thought it was fate, that pretty plant was inbedded in my brain. A wk or so later, dh and I went shopping..I talked about this plant all the way to the store, and then some. lol. So, I drag dh to the plant section..sure enough, he found it behind a group of other plants..The same plant I had in my cart the wk before. I didn't hesitate. This time it went in the cart w/o hesitation..Ironically, while shopping, 'for actual food' two women walked up to me and admired the NOID plant..lol..After getting home, I did some research and ID'd it as Chlorophytum 'Fire Flash.' At the time, Fire Flashes were rare. The only Chlorophytums discussed were Spider Plants: Green, Variegated and Bonnie's. And Bonnie's were new. In IL anyway, and here on GW. Christopher..2.00 for orchids..Do you know they're type? Were they in bloom? If so, at that price, one of each color flower would have followed me home..lol..OR, one of each type..That IS a bargain. Angel..pink and green flowers? You and I are different..Because of the flower color, it too would have followed me home..lol Never seen an AV w/green and pink blooms.. Mr Sub..Variegated Agave..1 month..way too long. Don't hesitiate..Var Agava's are usually pricey. Next time, grab it..lol Bunny...LOL.. Houseplantlover..do you feel the same when you go to a grocery store? To buy food, not plants..then discover they have new plants in stock? Pug, you need to get dh to build you a new room..Start bugging him, today. Mike, too bad you didn't ask a manager if you could put a down payment, and keep the Gardenia on hold.. Bamboo, you'd be surprised the number of ppl who would go out in the cold, rain, snow, and ice to buy a plant..lol Josh, you should kick them in the 'BeeHind' lol Toni

The difference in success from year to year involves so many variables. I've been WS for 6 years now, and even with that amount of experience, the differences from year to year, do vary every year. My success rate has always been at least 95%; success defined by me as germination of any kind in a container, not the number of seedlings germinated in each container, I do try to keep records as to where the seeds came from. Such things as trades, commercial seeds and what co. they came from, my own collected seeds. From year to year, not all seed will germinate the same, even for me. I always put out the perennials first. Being in New England, I do have a few months to get them out and get the cold that they need, BUT, 2 years ago we had the strangest winter. 60 to near 70 degrees in January and I know people that had WS their seeds in Dec. and had seeds germinating in January because it was so warm. Those plants didn't survive. I had a late start that winter and ended up not getting my seeds out till mid February and they germinated fine for me, I didn't have any germination too early. So for me, I learned that I can start in mid Feb and it won't be too late for me. BUT, I've also had some serious cold snaps as late as mid May and if I had not covered my tender annuals several nights in a row, I would have lost all of them. So variables are major things to deal with. Weather is a real problem. One year I had 8 inches of rain over 2 days and all my containers where floating in the backyard and the ducks where swimming right beside and around them. Most survived, but there where some that survived the floods, only to be eaten by the invasion of slugs that I had never had before in 29 years living in my home. When we sow seeds that we traded for, we take a risk. Where the seeds collected when they where ripe or where they too early? If too early then the seeds will not be viable and will not germinate for you. The same thing can happen with commercial bought seeds as well. I've had my share of "no shows" in containers from commercial purchased seeds from big name seed companies. I've gotten my money back, but still had no plants from the seeds I planned on. Watering can be a problem, which goes with the weather. this year has been the craziest weather I have seen in 28 years living in my home. We've gone from freezing temps to 80's and 90's, with temps not staying stable for more than 2-3 days at most. 80's and 90's in early April are not normal where I am, but we've had them. We've had frosts long after it should not be happening and may happen again tonight. I've never had to water my containers before the last week in April to the first week in May at the earliest. This year I have had to water every other day since the first week in April. Germination for me has been very eradic as well. Same seeds, same kind of containers, sowed the same day from the same collected, traded or commercial packet and containers are germinating days and weeks apart. My datura are usually about 4 inches tall now, and most have not germinated yet. They need steady 70 degree soil temp to germinate but they haven't gotten it. And, we have not had a lot of rain. lots of days with rainy showers that moisten the top of the containers but not enough to soak into them. Over 6 years of WS, I've learned to just go with the flow. Always expect good germination in terms of container numbers, sow more seeds than I will need in more containers, which usually will cover the beds planted. Assume that some will not germinate and that's just the way mother nature is. Remember that no matter how you look at it, you will have more plants than you would have if you had to buy them and just WS next year and keep going. The only way you will have a sure fire way to have every plant that you want, no matter what, is to buy them. That's far too expensive for me to deal with, considering the number of beds that i have to fill and keep filling. WS does it for me and I wouldn't do it any other way. Fran

According to the info I have read, if its tarteric, malic, or citric in crystal form, all three have an equal amount of acidity. The crystals are formed once the ratio of acid reaches a level where these crystals form when the source they are made from is refrigerated. Ever see what happens when you chill glacial acetic acid down to about 40 degrees? The 100% prure acetic acid will form large crystals, and quite possibly break the glass bottles its store in. You wouldn't be able to get regular vinegar to that level or crystalization as its diluted down to just 5%. As to tomato sauces, some like to add a litte grape juice to offset some of the acidic taste. By home canning tomatoes, you do need to add an acid to ensure they are safe. What better way than to use an acid common in grapes. Linda Lou is correct. Allowing the juice to settle overnight in the fridge will reduce the amount of crystals you may get when making jams. Linda lou is also right when she mentions using frozen concentrates in sweetening jams. I do this with every jam I make, and they usually come out much less sugary, especialy when I use Splenda.

Japanese maple seeds can take 1-5 years to germinate. Don't throw your seeds away as they may germinate next year. Seeds I had from 2 years ago are starting to germinate now. I will keep these pots and hopefully more will germinate next year. I have found the coral bark and bloodgood seeds have a high germination rate the first year. Seeds from hybrid varieties or the full moon maple have been taking a minimum of 2 years for me. It takes patience but I am getting a lot of interesting seedlings.