On 30 Jul 05 at 22:04, Alberto Castillo wrote: > ...not long ago I explained that the solution to drainage > problems lies in making good sized drainage holes in the > containers' sides close to the bottom. Now that Rodger moved > his T. cyanocrocus to an 8 litre container they will explode > into growth but unless he makes better drainage holes, the > drainage will be slower and the core of the mix will remain > wetter for long. In other words, the bigger the containers > the better the results but drainge must be gradually more > substantial as the pot size grow bigger. It might be worthwhile to do a few quantitative measurements on these matters. Anybody interested enough to make it all worth my while? Phil Pearson and Steve Doonan, previously referred to, did something along these lines at one time. Further thought: Phil and Steve's Grand Ridge Nursery (now closed) is situated in the Cascade foothills, with something like 100" (2500mm) of precipitation a year, mostly rain. For successful growth of *alpines* in these conditions, they devised very lean, very open, non-retentive mixes. I've heard more than one alpine gardener here, after adopting their soil mix formula, lament the number of deaths that resulted. The difference is that here in Victoria, we only get about 20" (500 mm) of rain a year, and such lean, fast-draining mixes are not appropriate during our long summer droughts. Moral/conclusion: whenever one reads a given recommendation re potting or planting, keep a close eye on the conditions the recommendation emanates from. In the present instance, I wonder if what works very well for Alberto in Buenos Aires might not be off the mark in other climates with different temperature/precipitation patterns. Stay tuned. -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate on beautiful Vancouver Island