This could be a relatively simple problem of dry skin altho could also signal other problems. Have you been checked for diabetes and hypothyroidism? Other factors which can exacerbate cracks in feet are obesity, standing for long periods, wearing non-supportive shoes, improper diet and lack of nutrients such as omega-3, zinc, and vitamin C. You should use a pumice stone and gently and gradually work at removing the calluses after soaking in warm water. Add some soda bicarb to the soak water. Dry your feet well, apply petroleum jelly, and wear socks to bed. Never try to remove calluses by cutting. If the callus is too thick for you to remove with a pumice you should see a Podiatrist. This is a problem which has occurred gradually thru neglect and may take awhile to improve. Work at it gradually and never neglect daily foot care. I rarely have problems with dry skin but know people who use this cream for various skin problems. I have no interests in this company but this product is well-known and liked by many. Here is a link that might be useful: Gardener's Dream Cream

Wood chips would be good as long as theyÂre almost completely decayed. If thereÂs too much undecayed wood, it will bind the nitrogen thatÂs in the soil and could rob your plants of nitrogen until it completely disintegratesÂat which time the nitrogen is released into the soil again. I recommend lots and lots of any WELL composted organic matterÂas long as youÂre prepared to deal with any weed seedsÂand it sounds like you are! Being on a farm/ranch, you should be able to come up with lots of wonderful stuff to compost. When itÂs finished, home-grown compost is the best stuff you can possibly add to your soil. For anyone whoÂs lacking finished compost, I recommend (fluffed) moist Canadian sphagnum peat. It adds good quality organic matter, which helps the soil hold nutrients and moisture, yet allows excess moisture to drain off (same thing any GOOD compost does). It doesnÂt add any nutrientsÂlike home-grown compost doesÂbut I can deal with that. The reason I donÂt use store bought compost very often is because it varies so widely, you can never be sure exactly what youÂre getting. If you find a brand thatÂs consistently light and fluffy feeling when itÂs moist, IÂd recommend that too. Happy tilling, Skybird

Vermont Country Store used to sell a "mud rug", essentially very tight black and white cotton loops. It was great! Put one by front door, it literally sucked all water, snow, mud off your shoes/boots. It finally wore out. I haven't seen it in their catalog recently. Trapping dirt and water before they can enter the rest of your house is definitely the way to go.

If you do a search for "coarse perlite" you will get lots of hits. I bought my last bags on Ebay from the Violet Showcase and there are several offers for it right now from various vendors. You're looking for a #3 or #4 grade. I don't mix this with my potting mix; I use it in the bottom of my pots for modified Texas-style watering. There is still some dust/small particles in the bags because the stuff just naturally sheds, but mostly you will get pieces that are about 1/2" in size. I still use the small perlite (available at most big box stores) to add to my soil mix, but the larger grade is what I need for drainage in the bottoms of the pots because I use capillary mats to water my AV's. Be careful if you use the Miracle Gro brand perlite; last time I checked it they are now adding fertilizer to it...so, if you have fertilizer in your potting soil (which it is hard to find any without these days,) fertilizer in your perlite and then you add more fertilizer when you water - it could spell trouble for your violets. Trust me, you do not want to find out about over-fertilization (micro-nutrient toxicity) first hand. If using these charged products, I would withhold any additional fertilizer for the first 2 or 3 months after re-potting. And I re-pot my violets at least once (aiming for twice) a year. I will admit that the larger my collection grows (now well over 100 - yikes!) the less I get to that second time for the entire group. But it is worth making the effort because it is simply amazing how they respond to fresh soil and take off with new growth and bloom. Alternately, if you can't re-pot that often, even adding a bit of fresh soil to the top of the pot (thereby burying any neck) can also perk them up, I've found. IME, after a year most AV's are getting a neck on them anyway, and lowering them in the pot is much easier if you catch it before you are left with no other solution than to re-start the crown because the stem has gotten so long that even cutting off the bottom of the root ball won't make them short enough to sit down inside the pot as they should.