Mary Sue wrote, >I know a number of people who swear by dilute miracle grow with every >watering. Will Ashburner who was a participant in the IBS forum in the >past said something that has stuck in my brain. He suspected getting your >medium correct was more important than what kind of fertilizer you used. >He stressed a medium with the correct air filled porosity. I swear by applying a liquid (soluble) fertilizer 4 times a year: once in fall and 3 times in spring. I have used Miracle-Gro, which several writers mentioned, but I prefer Peters Blossom Booster. I also repot my bulbs into completely fresh soil (including nutritious unwashed sand from a subalpine quarry) every other year. The old soil goes onto the garden as a top-dressing or ingredient in rock garden soil. For information on porosity and air space, look in the new book "Rock Garden Design and Construction," (Timber Press, 2003) in the chapters on "Soils" and "Moraines." You will learn probably more than you ever wanted to know on the subject. There is also a detailed table of soil ingredients as an appendix. Best regards, Jane McGary Northwestern Oregon, USA