>>> there needs to be a formal organization of some sort to give individual groups a way to get insurance and that insurance is often needed to get access to any municipal or other public spaces. The affiliation with the ARS makes that possible. *** Yuppers. You're absolutely right. If ARS had no other function or value, I would want to see it survive as a support and pivot for the often-more-valuable local groups. >>> I will never forget exhibitors from out of town telling me that if we didn't have better and more expensive prizes, they wouldn't bring roses to our shows. *** HEH. I've seen them carry that particular brand of rudeness to the point of mocking the trophies during a trophy presentation, loudly trading them back and forth, and rudely urging the show committee to hurry up with the trophies so they could leave. I'm sorry to hear that sort of rudeness is not confined to my district. >>> And the person who chaired the rose show after me telling me that she'd never do it again as some of the old biddies had her in tears on a weekly basis. *** My own two local societies gave up shows, in large part because they were tired of the rude behavior of "Elite Exhibitors." Both Societies have given away their properties. They will never put on a show again. No, all is not well in rose show centric worlds. *** No, and I am really sorry. Because I think if they are done with a different emphasis, rose shows CAN be educational, and even fun. PHIL -- I agree with you. Several of us really tried to persuade our local society to just put on a LOCAL -- NON-JUDGED rose show, for the pleasure and education of the community. But they'd had it, and they were done. Too bad. Jeri

Yes - I treat it as I would fertilizer. As long as my plants aren't wilted, or in the case of those plants that don't wilt - if I'm sure they are not completely dry, I simply fertigate - water/fertilize at the same time. I use a smaller (than 2-1/2 gallons) watering can with a fine nozzle to apply the solution until the entire soil mass is saturated and water drips from the bottom. That is also how I generally water. I apply water slowly until the first few drips appear at the drain hole, then stop. This way I can be sure that 10-20% of the water I applied moves through the soil & out the bottom. This helps keep nutrients balanced and flushes accumulating salts from the soil. I don't have time to water like this, but this is the best way to water: Wet the soil until it is damp/wet but no water drains from the pot. Wait 10 minutes & water again so 10-15% of the total volume of water applied in both apps exits the drain. Of course this requires some guesswork on your part, but you get the picture. Watering technique hardly EVER gets the attention it deserves. It's very important to maximizing vitality in container culture. As a bonsai apprentice, you might be required to only water the master's trees for several months before you are allowed to work on trees. The first thing you learn is how to water. The soil solution will automatically work toward a state of isotonicity (like equilibrium), which is a condition where the fertilizer ions are equally dispersed throughout the entire soil solution. This is why it's important not to allow your tree to sit IN a collection saucer when you water. It should be above the saucer so the effluent can drain from the soil. If there is any continuity between the effluent and the soil solution, the salt levels will quickly move toward the state I described, reducing the effectiveness of flushing the soil. If you can't water so the soil is flushed each time you water (worried about root rot), I can say with great certainty that (the collective) your plant is not all that it could be - that some degree of vitality is being sacrificed. The only reason you need to worry about root rot is because of a heavy soil that remains wet/soggy/saturated for extended periods, which does kill roots the tree has to then replace, which is expensive in terms of energy outlay - energy that would have gone to increasing plant mass & number/size inflorescences (figs). Lol, JJ. You know where to find me if it doesn't sink in the first time, but I'm sure it always does. ;o) Al

As many of you, I have been drooling over this grill for over a year. Your postings have confirmed my thoughts and I have already received financial approval. I will be getting this grill within the next 2 weeks. The question I have, and also saw that someone else asked but have not seen a response, has anyone done a "permanent" or "semi-permanent" installation with an LP heated house? My house is only a year old and is heated by LP. We have a 1000 gallon tank buried in the yard. All of the discussions of plumbing type and size encourage me to offer some detail as to our setup. There is a regulator on the side of the house that drops the pressure to 2 PSI. Inside there is a regulator attached to a manafold that provides individual taps for every appliance (2 furnaces, water heater, stove, dryer, and a dedicated run to the deck for a "future grill") All of this is done with a somewhat flexible 1/2" yellow (I guess vinyl) coated copper. That main regulator is supposed to be able to support all of the appliances and maintain the 14" of pressure. Outside is a stub of 1/2" black pipe to which I need to connect. My plan is a temporary connection (soft hose) upon purchase and a permanent one when I can build this unit in. I agree with the concerns of leaks and will obviously put a shut-off valve before any soft hose. I saw mention of a hose kit from HD for $35. This is listed as an NG hose but at roughly 1/2 PSI I assume it will work for LP? Any thoughts or input would be appreciated. Thanks, Lee

Post your electric rate in cents per kw-hr, and your gas rate in either $ per ccf or $ per therm. The heat output of a gas furnace is very similar to electric resistance strips if enough kw are used. Utility costs decide which is cheaper. 5 kw electric strips put out air temps about 15F greater than room temperature. So a typical 10kw strip heat puts out 100 degree air if the room temp is 70F (70 + 30 = 100). This# is based on 1200 cfm air flow from the indoor fan. 15kw = 115F which is more in the range of gas furnace temps. The air handler must be sized to handle this heating load. These temps are for the strip heat only and do not include any btu's from the heat pump. The heat pump itself puts out air temps from about 90F to 100F based on outdoor air temps. The 90F supply temp air from the heat pump combined with 20 kw aux electric strips provides minimum 120F output air when needed. Heat pumps provide enough heat up until the balance point, which is around 32F or so based on home construction/insulation (mine is 25F). At temps lower than the balance point, aux heat is needed - either furnace or strips. The good thing with the strips is they can run along with the heat pump. The furnace cannot run when the heat pump is in heating mode; its one or the other. When the heat pump goes into defrost mode, the air output is in the low 50's. 10 kw provides 30F to temper the air into the low 80's so it doesn't feel too cold while the heat pump is defrosting. The furnace will provide 120F air during a defrost cycle. The heat pump is typically 300% efficient down to 35F ambient. Heat pumps make cheap heat. One comment about the XP-19. It's "up to 19 SEER". Not all combinations get 19 SEER. Model numbers can be used to determine actual SEER. Also, dual-compressor systems like the XP-19 are more for hot and humid summers than for heating. In the cooling mode, running on 1st stage saves $$ and reduces humidity. Once on 2nd stage, it loses its operating $$ benefits. A 14/15 SEER usually provides the best combination of purchase price and operating cost. If you can afford a "19 SEER" system, go for it. Whichever SEER you get, you want as close to 12 EER and 9 HSPF as you can get for low operating costs in cooling and heating respectively. Good luck.