Hey Kimmsr, so, I completed the soil in a jar test, and I was really surprised. Where I thought I had a LOT of OM/compost, turns out there is barely any. I would say it appears to be 1% or less, in a very thin layer floating on the top of the water surface. The rest of the results are harder to tally precisely because the sand and the silt overlap a little at their respective edges, but I can see a general trend. Together, the sand and silt comprise about 70%-75% of the mix. If I had to assign amounts, I'd say it looks like: Clay, 25% Silt 25-30%-ish (depending on overlap with sand) Sand 45-50%-ish (depending on overlap with silt) OM, 1% or less I also did the worm test and was shocked, shocked to find very few worms in the top 12 inches of the soil. I don't know if it's been the freezing weather (last week) or the biblical rainstorms (earlier this week) but I certainly was surprised by the lack of earthworms. The drain test is a little difficult to do right now because we just had a lot of rain, but it appears to be draining faster than 2 hours. So if I'm interpreting these correctly, I am in dire need of more OM, right Kimmsr? I am wondering if the mix that I started (a purchased mix from a reliable local soil company) with was either too light on the OM, or perhaps the OM was not fully composted and the soil food web gobbled it all up? Either way, it sure seems like I need some compost. STAT! And I'm guessing that I WILL need to dig it in rather than just mulch the top. And finally, after reading the PDF you posted earlier, I guess I'm not completely clear on whether to use a fully composted compost---which will provide longer term structure but not much for the soil food web, or a partially composted compost---which will provide more food for the SFW in the short term. help much appreciated! -kmama PS. I guess the issue of whether I need Azomite in this mix is cleared up... there certainly seems to be a rather adequate mineral supply, right? What are your thoughts on Azomite?

Ipe is very beautiful - we built our new deck out of it last year. However if you don't want to let it go silver, then we are finding it is quite a bit of work to keep a finish on. I have another post on this board on just this subject. Initially we had thought we would just let it weather and go gray, but that rich natural reddish color of the newly installed wood is so gorgeous it makes you really want to hang on to it! Plus, even though ipe is extremely durable, it will start to get some fine checking, etc. without UV protectant and that is what we saw. It is a large investment, and we found we wanted to do everything we could to protect the wood even though we know it is very durable even when left on its own. I don't claim to be an expert of any sort, this is just what our experiences have been. At the end of the day, I do wonder if we should have just gone with composite, but there are definite drawbacks to that approach as well. Sometimes I have felt that we've saddled ourselves with a big ongoing maintenance task, but I realize we are choosing to feel this way about keeping the wood UV protected and looking very nice. Good luck with your decision!

They have "peel and stick" hooks that hold a surprising amount of weight. I would use them. But be aware that you will be polishing them every 3 months if you hang them very near the kitchen. Linda c

Thanks for ALL of your opinions!! I remember that the way my top was made, the bottom has wood supports. The person who made it is an engineer by trade, and a woodworker as a hobby. He showed me the underside and it seems to be a work of art. He explained how it is all fitted together the old fashioned way. I can't remember exactly what he said, but I think it is made very well. He spoke about how it will be less likely to warp or crack - at all. SO- I think only the supported part of it would get some silicone caulking - just as a finishing touch. I know he plans on screwing it down also. Do you think it can be stable and fine without ANY calk at all? Thanks so much!