Friday evening

I have made a few changes to my website. I am now allowing comments to my posts to anyone who has something to say. There are also two more links, both of which are online retailers of succulents and cactus. I have made purchases from both sites, and was pleased with their plants. I am sure there will be more links soon......Cat and Anna started going back to day care this week. They are in the same class. Cathrine has been struggling, but is pretty well potty-trained. Finally... No more pull-ups........I have been working on perfecting a recipe for 'homemade' succulent/cactus potting soil. I have settled upon a mix that has showed good results all summer. I use the cheapest 'potting soil' that I can find. Most off the home centers sell this. It is usually the cheapest stuff you can find(around two dollars for a thirty pound bag). If I can't find this I use the 'top soil' mix. It is important to have a highly organic base for the soil. It is also paramount that it drain really well. The soil(which is a soiless mix), consists of about six parts 'compost'(the potting mix), four parts perlite, two parts cow manure compost, one part charcoal, one quarter part(or a big handfull) bone meal, and an organic fertilizer. The fertilizer I use is relatively weak at 5-3-3. It is important that you do not use a high strength, or time released fertilizer, as most succulents and cactus go into dormancy through mid-winter. I mainly add the fertilizer for the trace elements it adds to the mix, as there is no actual 'soil' in it. I have also found good results with the charcoal. It absorbs the toxins from the soil. Most commercial mixes are sterilized, and since my mix is not, and for the fact that I add manure, the charcoal helps control fungus and disease. I have found this mix to be great for both succulents and cactus. There are also a couple of good commercial mixes on the shelves of the home centers/nurseries. The most important thing to remember is not to add peat moss to the mix. Peat retains moisture too well, and lowers the p/h of the soil. Most cactus and succulents will not do good in a standard potting mix for this reason......