A few trips in and out of the same pot over the course of a week or so I'd remove what brick hard old soil stuff I can from out side inward toward the root with an occasional mist here and there during the old soil removal . for cacti It's a 100% peat free world in some preferences such as mine would suggest the granite chips you have be 45-50 % and perlit be 30 % to equal 75 - 80 % of the new soil mix. No clue about the cactus soil % you might want. Yes the sand you have in pic is to fine but sand isn't the wrong thing to use IF it where more course and bigger in size to fill the rest of the mix to be 100 %. And there are those here on GW who know how to use peat based cactus soil for cactus that are more than welcome to add. What ever new soil you choose for this task rinse it and let it dry for a day or two mix it again and sift to size before adding to or complete re-potting. Perlite being carcinogenic I'd suggest a breathing mask be worn.

Or...you could order the impress aluminum labels from the manufacturer for a very good price at http://www.amekron.com I find that they hold up way better than the flimsy ones from other suppliers that have only a single hole for the stainless steel wire. Since I've been using the Amekron labels I haven't lost one. The old ones have littered my landscape as they inevitably fall off after a few years because the wire works its way through the thin aluminum. Charley

Thanks Minnie! I had to send that one to DH. Very cute. ~Anj

Many times the cash advance carries a charge of 3% of the transaction, up to a certain amount (often it is $70 I believe), whichever is less. Does it carry a cash advance fee? Have you read the terms? I cannot really believe it would be for $36,000, for 13 months. Sometimes the available credit is divided into 2 different amounts...part is available for cash advances, and the other part is available for purchaces. Have you read all the fine print? Also, they can raise the interest from 0% to whatever, if at anytime in that 13 months that you are late paying for 'anything' and they get wind of it. They will be requiring you to make minumum monthly payment on it for 13 months too, won't they? Keep us informed please. I got 5,000 on cash advance (no transfer fee) for 1 year. Right now the min pay is for $60, but I have it set up to automatically take the minimun plus $250 each month from my checking. B4 the year is up, I imagine I will have another similar offer from another company in hand, and will use it to finish paying this one off. In the meantime, I keep getting these checks for the company I have the 5,000 borrowed from. They think I will weaken, and use them, and then whatever I buy, I will pay interest on until after the 0% part is paid off. They always apply the payment to the portion of the bill carrying the lowest interest rate. If I don't have a super offer handy when the end of the 0% draws near, I can always use the already approved line of credit home equity loan at my bank. I got approved about 3 years ago, and haven't used it yet. Once another super totally free offer comes along, I'll then use the cr cd free interest money to pay off the home equity loan. Sue