Clayton brings up a very important point, and one that has to come from experience. We all have our own method of watering (or not watering) that has to work with our particular soil recipes. The advantage to sand beds in a shaded glass house is that even if you forget to water occasionally, the roots can go deep, thereby staying cool and a little damp which is all they need when dormant. In pots grown for production, things can be a lot dicier. I once briefly worked for a nursery that produced an acre or two of tuberous begonias in basically peat mix in fiber pots for garden centers. It was all about the watering and boy, did I learn a lot! I'm a bit careless about fertilizing myself. Bonemeal is all I use. I've tried slow-release fertilizers at 1/4 strength, but bonemeal is much easier as there's no way to overdo the dose. Robin Hansen Nursery, Southwest Oregon, USA robin@hansennursery.com