SO if you want to maintain drainage and save weight you must use a material of the same particle size - but lighter. Perhaps the Styrofoam beads used in "bean bag" chairs would work better than Ghost Farts. -----Original Message----- From: pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of J.E. Shields Sent: Wednesday, December 04, 2013 8:45 AM To: Pacific Bulb Society Subject: Re: [pbs] Perched Water Table The problem is capillary action holding water in the fine spaces in the medium. Until the hydrostatic pressure of the vertical column of water exceeds the capillary attraction/surface tension of the water at the bottom of the medium, the water won't flow down and out. You will always get a better draining bed when the medium is uniform from top to bottom. In addition, the taller the water column, the better the top of the bed will be drained. It's physical chemistry or physics at its finest. Jim Shields At 08:40 AM 12/4/2013, you wrote: >Agreed that if the thought is that crocking results in better drainage - >well, that's a crock of animal fertilizer. >... >Bulb in 6 inch wide container, with 1/3 of 12 inch height filled with >soda cans / packing chips (ghost farts, my brother calls them) / >whatever should still drain satisfactorily, wouldn't it?. > >Judy in New Jersey ... ************************************************* Jim Shields USDA Zone 5 P.O. Box 92 WWW: http://www.shieldsgardens.com/ Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA Lat. 40° 02.8' N, Long. 086° 06.6' W ________________________________ PLEASE NOTE: The information contained in this electronic mail message is intended only for the use of the designated recipient(s) named above. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this message in error and that any review, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender by telephone or e-mail (as shown above) immediately and destroy any and all copies of this message in your possession (whether hard copies or electronically stored copies).