It looks like the email issue has been fixed however, any changes that were made (trade list updates, etc.) were not backed up. For instance, I did an 'overhaul' on my trade lists yesterday... everything was saved and it was reflected on my member page last night. This morning, it's back to how it was prior to GW having issues. Was nothing backed-up when they were working on the email problem?

Hi, Margaret, I looked at the pictures, and have some thoughts for your plant. It appears to be way too dry. When wick watered plants go dry, just refilling the reservoir usually won't re-hydrate the potting soil. The wick itself needs to be 'primed'. You can do this by taking the pot off the reservoir and setting it in a bowl. Then, pour nice warm water into the bowl, and let the pot soak until the soil is wet all the way through. This may take up to an hour. Then dump out the excess water and put the pot back in the bowl. Remove those dead leaves on the outside, they are not going to magically spring back to health. After a couple of days, you should re-pot this plant. It is way too small for the size of the pot, and I can see a lot of fertilizer buildup on the sides of the pot above the soil. To determine the correct size of pot to use, measure the diameter of the plant (after you remove the dead leaves), divide by 3, and that is the number of inches in diameter for the correct pot. When wicking, watch for limp plants, and check the soil. If it is dry, and there is water in the reservoir, you know the wick has stopped working, and you will need to 'prime' it or repot if that fails to get it to work again. That is the most obvious thing I see. I don't think it has root rot or critters. Barbara

Update from the accidental inadequate pepper grower, on making a 5-1-1 (ish) mix: went to Lowe's today, and got a bag of pine bark mini nuggets (plus some egg rock to put in the bottom of the pots to improve drainage). Got home, and realized I did not have a half-inch screen. Spent 20 painstaking minutes picking out larger bits, and bits of wood, which were often the same thing. My perlite was the much smaller kind (almost gravel size), but it went in anyway. In the end, my container for mixing mandated more like a 3-1-1 mix. This can be fixed if people feel strongly I should go for more bark. If this happens, I will also get a piece of screen to ease the process of weeding out (like my pun?) the bark. Also, i had no lime. Not sure that is absolutely essential. I want to get re-potting asap, as some of the plants have lost nearly all their leaves, and I want to get them off that old, dense soil. (Being in the working world is not helping. Tomorrow morning at the earliest.) SO..... More questions for my pepper-growing elders: Do you think something closer to a true 5-1-1 would be better than my 3-1-1-ish? Aslo, how essential is it to get out bark chunks larger than 1/2 inch- and also bits of wood? It was a real pain in the.......back (in more ways than one), and I would like to simplify if I can. I really did get a lot out.) As always, thanks for your advice! You have all helped me immensely!

So glad you finally had success. Too bad you had to go through all that though. But you did gain some knowledge!!