"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
...
Dear old Franz, for ever missed from this group, had impeccable
scientific credentials, and said this was nonsense. But he was a
physicist, not a biologist, and spoke only from his personal
experience -- you don't get science from one individual's anecdotal
knack. And, crucially, he seems to have watered his pot plants very
sparingly, so they never sat in stagnant water, and so didn't suffer
from rot at the roots. You can do the same, and if you have the knack
it'll work out OK; but I still think results will be better if you play
by the rules.


Agreed. But for some of us it helps enormously if we understand the rules.
For years I was denied the pleasures of gardening because it seemed to be an
infinite collection of arbitrary rules - far to many for me to get to grips
with. You know the sort of thing -'prune back to the second outward facing
bud on the first dry Saturday after the second frost free night'. Well
that's how I remember it anyway.

For me, the more I understand why, the easier it becomes.

Lyndon