Thanks everyone! Nice to know I can probably get fines at Walmart. I will definitely check that out. I need to find a local source for a potting mix like the mix I'll-mannered is getting from Volusia Shed. I was getting a potting soil from a local topsoil company because it was $17 a yard and would go in the bed of my pickup truck but I now know that a recipe for disaster in a container (topsoil/sawdust/organic material/manure). I like the MG 3-1-2 but I'm still thinking a CRF might help if not applied too heavily in the mix. Also, I didn't add a calcium source so I find myself adding a teaspoon of hydrated lime around the base of each plant, watered in once a week to combat BER on the maters and peppers and help growth with the other veggies. My containers are 7 gallon and 10 gallon black nursery containers. Al said he didn't think that would be a problem IF I did pot-in-pot. I didn't get that far, it's all in the 7 gallon containers so maybe our Florida heat is becoming problematic for the soil. I work 0600-1430 so I can't water during the week until approximately 1530-1600. I may consider adding a watering system for AM watering but I'd rather not for now if possible. Gotta find a source for Perlite too...seems Scotty had posted that he found industrial bags very reasonably in his area. Keep coming with the favs for potting mixes. Sarasota Norm has had years of good success with Promix and I've heard good things about MG as long as you stay away from the moisture control product...never hear anything about Metro Mix here so maybe that's not available. Lamberts? Where can that be purchased and what's in it? Ultimately, I'd probably like to mix my own just for the best control over moisture in my "microclimate" of high humidity and NO frost. Again, thanks everyone for your input. All responses are more than appreciated. Tom

I have been reading this thread with interest. I am amazed that professional cleaners are just using stuff they buy off of the grocery store shelves. This stuff just doesn't work well at all. I don't do cleaning for a living, but working in restaurants, we do have to do all the cleaning around the place. Professional products work a hundred times better. I am lucky, I can order professional cleaning products for myself, for my home, through my employers account. If you have a cleaning business you can order directly for yourself. I have a friend who does have a home cleaning business and sometimes she asks me to go out on jobs with her, to help her when she does not have enough staff. She was using junk from the grocery stores for her cleaning jobs. I couldn't believe it. I showed her the products I have, and showed her how well they work, and she was amazed. Although every restaurant I have worked at may use a different line of professional cleaning products, The BEST I have found is by North Woods: http://www.northwoodstm.com/his/index.shtml Over the years I have converted new empoyers to their produsts. I even give their products to friends and relatives and they come back to me begging me to get more for them. They do appear to cost more when you look at the prices, but they are much more concentrated that the ordinary stuff you buy at the store. For instance the Dew Drop laundry detergent used only 2 ounces per 50# of laundry. Their Blue Ox cleaner is only 3 cents per GALLON (!) when diluted. AND this is some of the best stuff out there for cleaning. They don't spend money on TV commercials. They don't print coupons and send them through the mail. They don't rent shelf space in stores. (Yes, shelf space is often rented in stores.) They don't have fancy packaging. They don't sell through a pyramid scheme. The Fireball spray degreaser works like magic. I just pulled my refrigerator out from the wall the other day and used it on the back of it. The greasy dirt just ran off. I first sprayed it with some Mr. Clean that I use for quick wipes of my counter and the Mr. Clean barley put a dent in the built up greasy dirt. Fireball zipped it right off. No other cleaner can do what this stuff does. I just used it on my keyboard today and it is squeaky clean white again. None of the store bought stuff does what this does. Sure, the store bought stuff will clean things OK, but not great. The Brilliance they sell cleans glass and ceramic like nothing else and never streaks. They have a window cleaner called Clarity that beats everything. They have a hand protectanct called Force Field that is great for protecting hands when doing cleaning tasks. I have no connection to this company. All of there prodects that I have tried have surpassed my expecations. They only sell to businesses. There may be other companies who sell *professional cleaning products* that are just as good and are just as economical. I haven't tried them all. North Woods has become my preferred cleaning product. I have never used North Woods carpet stain remover, because I am rather loyal to Carpet Science, which is also a *professional cleaner* made by Johnson Wax Co to sell to businesses. I love Carpet Science and I used to obtain it through one of my employers, but I see now that office supply places online carry it. It's great for spot cleaning on carpets. I used it to clean my white linen lampshades after trying to use Tide on them. Tide did nothing. Carpet Science made them look new again. But my point is, is that if you are running a cleaning service you should be using professional products that work better and in the long run will be cheaper. Even commercial paper towels are better and cheaper in the long run, than Bounty or what ever popular brand is advertised. http://www.rightlook.com/browseproducts/Blue-Heavy-Duty-Paper-Towels.html The only gorcery store item I would recommend is the disposable toilet cleaning brushes. Sure, it is cheaper to just use bleach and carry a crusty, wet, toilet scrub brush from job to job, but it is rather gross. I wouldn't waste my money using them at home but my friend who has the cleaning service uses them because she doesn't want to carry around a smelly toilet scrub brush. And you wouldn't believe how many people out there *do not own* a toilet scrub brush. Really. She always brings one along. I would also recommend using Bar keepers Friend or Zud. These contain oxylic acid rather than chlorine bleach and will *eleiminate rust stains* and work well on grease. I think Zud is the better of the two but it is harder to find in the stores. You can order BKF cheaper by the drum 200# for $150 or 25# for $30. If you have a cleaning service you will have no problem going through tht much in a short time. An easier way to clean is to get cotton gloves and spray your cleaner or polish on them and then go over everything rather than using a bulky rag. It's a breeze to clean lamps and figurines and even mini blinds with this method. As far as hardwood floors go, the guy who refinished my wood floors told me to never use Murphy's Soap with water on them. He recommended Bona and gave me a sample with the microfiber mop. I have used it ever since. It cleans very well and does not damage the floors, after all how dirty are wood floors going to get? Kitchens, bathrooms, and entryways are going to be either tiled or have vinyl floor coverings on them, because they need to be scrubbed. Wood floors don't get filthy like they do. Any comments?

That's pretty much the problem. Commercial potting mixes were originally made for seasonal things, annual flowers and/or veggies, and they do a fine job for that purpose. Most mixes were never meant to last for more than a year or two, and yet many plants in pots these days are long lived shrubs and trees, such as citrus. And actually there is another area where we can look to for advice, in addition to the fine folks who've developed Gritty Mix and 5-1-1 Mix; Bonsai enthusiasts. They've figured out a lot on how to keep looooong lived plants in pots, often the same pots(!) for decades. Really, Gritty Mix is very similar to Bonsai potting mix, without the painstaking layering of various layers of different sized particles. A well planted bonsai pot mimics the layering of soil in nature. But we don't need to do that for Citrus, just a well draining, long lasting mix is fine.

Like porknham, I usually use a mason style jar (the small size). Our favourite jam comes in them, so we always have loads of them floating around. They hold enough dressing for two or three large salads and have measurement marks on the side (and never, ever leak). I used to use this Tupperware shaker but it takes up more real estate in the fridge and I prefer a glass container. I still use it for Caesar dressing and popover batter, but it doesn't get the use it once did.