For years I've used perlite in my bulbs compost, to very good effect. I use Supercoarse grade and sieve it to get rid of the fines. Over the past couple of years I've noticed a trend towards more fines and less Supercoarse particles - to the point where, today, I spent 45 minutes sieving 8 cubic feet of perlite and ended up with less than 50% by volume of sieved material I can use. This seems to be a waste of time and energy and a misrepresentation by the manufacturer of the perlite (Schundler). Is there anything out there that anyone has practical experience with that I can substitute directly for the perlite? I use about 50% perlite in my mix and don't want to have to learn a whole new watering regime unless I have to. Thanks and happy 4th. J. John T Lonsdale PhD 407 Edgewood Drive, Exton, Pennsylvania 19341, USA Home: 610 594 9232 Cell: 484 678 9856 Fax: 801 327 1266 Visit "Edgewood" - The Lonsdale Garden at <http://www.edgewoodgardens.net/> http://www.edgewoodgardens.net/ USDA Zone 6b