This is not where it sits all day- it is normally on the window next to that one (the one you can sort of see in the background of the picture of the whole plant) along with a bunch of other plants. Because it is with so many others and i only have one fan running in the room, that it is probably getting inadequate airflow. (Also my basil keeps growing a white mouldy film on the side of the pots, once again i think it is from lack of airflow). Trying to find more places to put my plants, but living in an apartment with only so many southern windows and no outdoor space is really challenging! I think there is more new growth on it than i realized, but the rate of leaves dropping off to new growth happening was troubling to me :P

Leg, scale are pains in the behind..still, I'd rather deal w/them than mealy bug. Since you can't use the hose, I'd keep up using the shower. When you last showered your tree, did you find any scale on the floor? I'm curious if water will actually knock them off. One other thing, I know it's work ridding them, but be seated, set your tree in front of you, turn on the tv or radio, and start plucking. LOL..Set a piece of paper towel nearest you away fro tree and set scales on paper. Continue doing this daily/nightly. One other thing..I make my own brews for certain insects, though I don't have one for scale. One thing you can do is, using a mister, add Cayenne Pepper and ground citrus rind. Shake..Then spray away..If anything this will keep kitty's away..It will not harm them and might keep bugs at bay. It's ironic because I came up w/this concoction a few yrs ago..then while browsing through a plant catalog, I saw an ad for hot pepper insecticide..they've one for bugs and another for wildlife. Then about 2 months ago, I saw another organic fertilizer that contained citrus rind. LOL. If only I had marketed this idea when I first thought about it, I might now be loaded..Not drunk mind you, rich..lol.. One other thing you can try is spraying tree w/Fish Emuslion..Since it's an organic fertilizer it won't harm your cats. I was told to do this by a woman who owns a citrus nursery..they spray the leaves/stems..it not only works as an insecticide but a foliar feeding, too. In fact, when I spray my trees, I'm going to add the fish emulsion, citrus rind, garlic, Listerine, 2 drops dish soap, and cayenne pepper. My brew will hopefully keep bugs at bay..spray the tree well, and voila, instant bug killer. Good luck, Toni

Happy Sunday.. The weather is perfect..high 90's, 95% humidity, breezy, and the sun is shining.. Plants are in heaven..:) So, am I... Consentida..You're welcome.. I too need to repot my tree Gardenia. The problem is, I want to use a bigger, plastic growing pot..nothing fancy. Got to look for one..never toss pots..whenever we buy a perrenial that comes in large container, I save them. Large, growing pots are expensive. Especially 12" and up. My gardenias are potted in a combo of soil and soil-less mediums..since gardenias prefer acidic soil, Peat or Spaghnum Peat is added..Black, rich house plant soil, too. When HD sold decent sand like Mike's talking about, it too was added..the finish is Perlite and small stones. I think that's it..After repotting, soil gets a hearty drink with a few drops of Superthrive. Con, regarding hoyas, do you know its type and what size pot it's in? Hoyas start flowering when roots fill container..light is important. Some people grow hoyas under artificial light, but lights must be on 14+ hours per day.. People on the Hoya forum have beautiful specimens..Wow. They fertilize quite often..Years ago, when I got 'hooked' on plants, I read, slow-growing plants should get little fertilizer. 2-3 times per year. Hoyas are slow-growing, so, they'd get little fertilizer..after talking to ppl on the hoya forum, I learned they fertilize every other week, etc, and their hoyas are just gorgeous. If you feel your hoya is overpotted, perhaps you should downsize its container??? Mike, it's tempting, but an 800? mile drive is a bit far..lol...Although, I always wanted to visit the east, especially New England states..it's impossible going anywhere, no vacations, not with the pets..2 dogs, 4 birds and an iguana..lol.. The last time we left IL was for a funeral. I had a friend come over to feed the birds, (we didnt have the iguana) and at the time we had one dog..we put the dog in a kennel which ended up turning into a disaster. Umm, chocolate-scented-flowers..I had a chocolate scented Geranuium..it smelled delicious..lol. I've never seen pics of your hoya..What type do you have? I got to get outside and snap pics..plus repot fand fert a few more plants..I'll get to it soon..gotta eat something first, my last meal was yesterday..lol Cereal and a banana..ummm..lol. Ponderosas are the prettiest. A local conservatory has a huge, tree-shaped Ponderosa..The first time seeing it, I thought the fruits were grapefruits..the lemons are huge. It's different growing citrus in a green house year round, opposed to a house. I think, not sure, theirs is planted in dirt, not a container..We used to visit the conservatory several times a year..Despite the season, their Ponderosa was in bloom and fruiting. After seeing their tree for the first time, the following day, I contacted Briteleaf Nursery and ordered a ponderosa..lol. Mike do you bring all plants outside? Does your house look empty? lol..it's so easy buying plants when a room is barren..then come fall, one thinks, where did this and that plant go??? lol. Happy Sunday..hope you're weather is beautiful..Toni

It has a raging case of scale!! That's what is causing the sticky substance (honeydew) to form and also what is causing substantial leaf drop. The scales should pick off easily and I would try to remove as many manually as I could before resorting to insecticides. Typically, a horticultural oil application is the recommended treatment but requires the proper timing to be properly effective. Otherwise, for a plant that is kept indoors much of the time, I might go with a systemic like the Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub insect control.