I still don't really under stand your container. But the answer to your question, if pouring the water into the top of the container passes through slow enough to wet the chips, than no you don't need to soak. If it passes through to fast, and therefore does not soak the chips enough, than yes you do need to soak. Probably along with regular watering, a good soaking ever month might be enough. - Millet (1,342-)

So I started soaking my CHCs yesterday and I now I totally understand why this product is suggested as a groth medium! When you pick up a handful of the soaking chips and squeeze them it is like squeezing a sponge! I wondered at first how helpful they would be and I now totally understand!

One question though, it says in the article on orchid growing to soak with water for one day, rinse throughly, soak overnight with the epsom salt/clacium nitrate followed by a good final rinse. I have soaked my CHCs in water for one day and am going to rinse and re-soak with epsom salts tonight (couldn't find calcium nitrate) and my question is if I need to rinse the CHCs after my epsom salt mix tomorrow morning? In the orchid article it says you need to but I am also not using calcium nitrate (if that makes a differance) but it would seem that a final rinse would defeat much of the purpose of the epsom salt soak in the first place? Just curious. I did purchase them from Crystal Co by the way.

Joe

First, if you purchased your CHC from the Crystal Company of Saint Louis, MO. they were already rinsed and squeezed "dry" three times, before they were sold to you. Because citrus trees, require more of the trace element magnesium then any of the other trace elements, I never rinse after the Epsom salts/calcium nitrate soak. I have potted over 100 citrus trees, of all varieties, without rinsing after the Epsom salt soak. The Epsom salts that remains in the chips is a benefit to the tree. BTW a CHC chip can hold up to seven times its weight in water, and still provide excellent aeration to the tree's root system. - Millet (1,332-)

That's kind of what I was figuring also Millet. I got a few trees on the cheap from Logees and will be doing some repotting today. I think my poor Meyer lemon is struggling in a growth medium that holds too much water as it is yellowing and dropping it's leaves (the medium seems to take forever to dry out). I have a feeling it will be doing better in a month or so after being repotted in some CHCs and a smaller pot (pretty sure the current pot is WAY to big...).

thanks millet for all your help. I have repoted all my trees but one and I guess we will see what happens.