I'm not a big fan of cedar mulch. I want my mulch to break down to enrich the soil. And I've found that any mulch I've put down only looks good for one year because the sun fades it out. So even with cedar, if you want it to look good, you'll have to put down a new layer every spring anyway. Just my personal observation. :) As far as the size of chunks/chips, whatever looks good to you- like Ken said, the coarser stuff won't decay as fast. The very fine stuff seems to become compacted by the end of summer and restricts water from passing through it, especially if it's put on very thick.

Barb, Here's the Flan recipe---I translated it, so scroll down for the English version. It is really easy and delicious. My other favorite is Flan de Queso or Cream Cheese Flan. Flan de Calabaza Sencillo por: Melanie Lugo Ingredientes : 2 1/2 taza calabaza majada 1 lata de leche evaporada 1 lata de leche condensada 5 huevos 1 cdta. canela en polvo 1 cdta. vainilla 1/4 cdta. clavos de olor (opcional) 1 taza de azucar derretida (caramelo Procedimiento Precaliente horno a 350. Mezcle todos los ingredientes y coloque en un molde previamente acaramelado. Ponga el molde en Baño de Maria por 1 hora. Translation: Simple Pumpkin Flan 2 ½ cups mashed pumpkin or squash 1 can evaporated milk 1 can sweetened condensed milk 5 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground cloves (optional) 1 c. granulated sugar for the carmel Pre-heat oven to 350. Mix all of the ingredients (I use a blender) and pour into baking dish/pan/mold that you previously put the carmel in. Put in the oven in a hot water bath and bake for 1 hour until knife inserted in middle comes out clean. Note: To carmelize sugar IÂve found IÂm less likely to burn it if I add 1TBS corn syrup and 1/4 c water. Then I let it cook over medium to med-high heat until it start to turn a light amber color. I donÂt have a custard dish, so I just use a round cake pan and put it in a 9" by 13" pan with hot water for the hot water bath. I have also found that the flan sets up better if I add 2 tsp of corn starch, or 1 TBS of flour to the batter. This is a very pumpkiny flan. You can reduce the pumpkin by ½ c. if you want a milder pumpkin flavor.

I've been using a 50:50 base mix of perlite/ turface for many years. You can easily modify this mix for different needs. Most mesembs benefit from the addition of a clayey component. For me, I just dig beyond the topsoil in my yard for some good dirt. I also substitute perlite for some lava rock and small pebbles. It's a heavier, longer lasting mix which works when repotting infrequently for mesembs. This same mix is my preference for small cactus species like Aztekium, Blossfeldia, tricky mamms like luethyi, etc. "bigger" plants like some Crassula, aloes, aeonium etc. you could add more perlite to lighten big pots. It also makes it safer to leave outdoors all spring/summer/fall with rain. My palms, plumeria and cycads live in this mix too. Floating perlite is not an issue. But it does easily displace with high water pressure like from a hose. Some form of fertilizer is a must. I'm also a fan of submerging small pots with small plants into bigger, deeper containers to help stabilize root temperatures. Practically any healthy plant I've ever had to repot always has roots circling the bottom. I really don't understand the concept of shallow or regular pots. I think the deeper the better. I haven't really noticed any exception. For some species it's mandatory. Haworthias, many cactus plants with tuberous roots. Even Lithops which tolerate a shallow home will grow much better in very deep pots. Pleiospilos too. For anyone unsure or unconvinced, try an experiment. Take a pot with any plant you want, and bury it into much deeper pot for a growing season. Pull it out later and see what you find. Bury an Aloe, pachypodium or most any strong Echeveria or similar in the garden and watch it take off. We would all be great at bonsai, plenty good experience with root constriction and limiting growth lol!

For a cupping wound that will hold water, I think the moisture holding capacity of the foam probably keeps the decay site drier than an open wound, depending on the site of the wound and the climate/rainfall. A good rain will keep a cupped site on a tree wet with standing water, potentially for days. Howard's Feed-N-Wax thinly coated on the decay site, once or twice a year, is what I've pick up on, though it's probably more effective for non-cupping wounds. A good deep spray of pure orange rind oil on the same schedule, prior to the wax coating isn't a bad idea either. The bees wax more or less mitigates moisture flow in both direction. In short, limits checking from rapid drying while also reducing the dead wood's propensity to become a sponge. The orange rind oil helps to thwart organisms, both microscopic (bacteria, fungi) and small (insects). Not sure how varmints respond to it. Cupping wounds are tough, especially this large. The tree likely cannot ever heal over these wounds before it succumbs to structural or vascular failure from decay. Though, that may be decades from now.