I believe the potting soil drying is not due to drying per se, but rather a root tropism designed to deal with rocks. Since all potting soils are very loose, many native soils can appear to be rocks in comparison (especially clays). The root growth then tries to avoid the rock and ends up circling the hole without breaking into the native soil. In pots, this is called 'spin' because the roots circle the perimeter of the pot. Out in the ground, this will not show as a problem in rainy weather but after a couple of weeks without rain, the roots absorb all the moisture in the potting soil and then the plant dehydrates and dies. > I got your recent message, maybe it was the potting soil drying, I'll try that. I > plant most other things with potting soil and have not had a problem as far as > I know. > Should I wait until they are fully up or bareroot them now and plant them. > They are up about 1 - 1 1/2 inches right now but in a cold frame. Perhaps I > should bareroot them, plant them and protect them from frost if we get it. > That seems like the better approach. > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/