I remember finding a recipe on rose forum...Lets me see if I can find it now.. Here is one post I kept: Angela, I do what Pete does, just put a cup or so of alfalfa pellets under the mulch and close in to the base of the plant, and then soak with a little water. But, to get to your question, a good recipe to start off with is probably the original recipe for alfalfa tea, as described by Howard Walters, the Rosarian Rambler, in an ARS article: "Alfalfa tea is a great spring or fall potion that doesn't interfere with normal seasonal processes. Alfalfa tea releases a growth hormone that makes everything work better. Just add 10 to 12 cups of alfalfa meal or pellets to a 32-gallon plastic garbage can (with a lid), add water, stir and steep for four or five days, stirring occasionally. You may also "fortify" with 2 cups of Epsom salts, 1/2 cup of Sequestrene® (chelated iron, now called Sprint 330) or your favorite trace element elixir. The tea will start to smell in about three days. Keep the lid ON. Use about a gallon of mix on large rose bushes, 1/3 that much on mini's. And keep the water going. When you get to the bottom of the barrel, add water to fill it up again! One load of meal or pellets will brew up two barrels full, but add more fortifiers for the second barrel. You'll see greener growth and stronger stems within a week." I stir the "witch brew" almost every day...Keep it or 3-7 days, and then water everything with it- other plants besides roses will appreciate the "potion". Gardeners from upnorth recommend using it a few times a year, but I use it here a lot more often. I like to put a trashcan out in the rain, so it gets filled up. Then, add the pellets and wait for it to brew. Hope it helps :) Olya

I'm going to disagree with echo here in practically only, as I am not a wood floor specialist, I do not make, sell, distribute, etc any flooring product. I am just a homeowner who initially installed prefinished, engineered veneer oak flooring. The veneer of wood was 1/8 inch thick. I will qualify this by saying that it was 1998 (and I am sure they are much better made now) when we installed and it was an expensive floor and costs us several thousand above our builder allowance for wood floor. We had a newborn, a 20 month old, and a almost 4 yr old at that time. This floor was in the entry, a path separating living/dining leading from one end of house to another, kitchen, and 2 baths. Within months, the baths were ruined from water splashes (and we were ogre diligent)and within 2-3 years, the kitchen ruined by the dishwasher drips, and the finish destroyed by daily wear and tear. In 2006, we went with a finish on site hand scraped, stained and sealed red oak that is also a veneer but the veneer is much thicker than the factory prefinished stuff. As for the seal, 3 coats were applied and 4 years later, it is still beautiful. Those little kids are now teens (or nearly) with lots of friends coming and going, plus 4 cats and 2 dogs. Minor scratches are covered with a sharpie or furniture pen and those we miss, are not noticeable. My favorite thing, is the joints got filled with the sealer. Things have been spilled that have not penetrated through the joints. Just this past April 2010, a hot water heater went out and emptied its contents onto this floor. Water flooded the hall 20-30 minutes before discovery. The water traveled under walls into another room (tiled bath and carpeted closet) as well as the boys carpeted rooms. The carpet was ruined. The wood floor stayed intact with no buckling, warping or damage to the finish. And this was HOT water. Go figure. Long story short, I am not against engineered veneer (ours was made by corning which is not longer available but similar through Shamrock wood flooring) but I do not like the pre-finished stuff at all. Finished onsite, imho, is the only way to go.

I have it on my own house. It looks fine and gives the house am appearance that makes it stand out from others with traditional double 4 siding IMHO.

Hi MM, Yeah, I liked the lightness of it too - our lawns are on split levels so I have to lug the mower up and down a set of stairs, which is not fun! I'm pretty sure 1 battery would last our section...so long as I didn't let the lawns get away on me! Our lawns aren't in pristene bowling-green condition (I wish!) but otherwise o.k. We don't have to contend with too much - just the odd Cabbage Tree leaf that I've missed picking up, and the mulch the birds are constantly scratching out of the gardens! My old mower never said boo once to the missed leaves - I wonder if an enviromower would turn its toes up on them? The thing that I'm a bit iffy about is the blades - with my existing mower I got the blades sharpened, maybe, once every 2 years if I was lucky (yeah I know, maintenance is paramount and all that!). The frequency that the website talks about swapping and sharpening blades, etc, makes me think that perhaps the blades are not as robust as those on a petrol mower??? On adding it up, it'd cost NZ$823 for the mower plus a spare battery and cutting blade(just in case!), which is on par with many other mowers on the market here. Plus there is a dealer just down the road from me, so I have been able to see one close up. My biggest concern is wether it'd last the distance, or would I end up always dragging the thing into repair shops wishing I'd spent the $$$ on a tried and true brand! Regards, GF