Progress report: I got the zinnia stubs and roots out. The soil felt dry to my hand, and the moisture meter confirmed that. At the bottom it registered just barely moist, and I confirmed that by digging down and getting my bare hands into it. What's the diff between yesterday and today? I don't know, but the moisture meter may not be as accurate as I would like - gotta get my hands in it I guess. So much for manicures. I added fresh mix and a balanced fert and just enough water to mix it in down to about three inches. I can paint the pot a lighter color, but that's the best I can do for it now. Took off all the blooms and I'll keep them off for a while to see if the yellow and dark veining gets any better.
I think one mistake I've made is to adopt the "experts" idea of using coffee filters to cover the holes. The filters get clogged with wet soil and bulge out and actually seem to retain water rather than let it pass. To the extent that I can I've turned every pot I can on its side enough to punch holes in the coffee filters. This one is too heavy so I'll go ahead and drill into the low sides. The BB root ball was actually dry. No substitute for bare hands, is there?
