@JMJ 4Life Really sorry to learn about your tree. I assume some part of the root mass is fused, so the soil/root mass remains intact like so: If the answer is yes, unpot the plant and set the root/soil mass on a stack of newspapers, rags, old towels, dry sponges - something that will PULL excess water from the soil. Allow it to rest on the wicking material for an hour or two before returning it to the pot it fits. Use a wooden "tell" to "tell" you when it's time to water, because with no water loss from foliage, the plant will require very little water. Using a 'tell' Over-watering saps vitality and is one of the most common plant assassins, so learning to avoid it is worth the small effort. Plants make and store their own energy source – photosynthate - (sugar/glucose). Functioning roots need energy to drive their metabolic processes, and in order to get it, they use oxygen to burn (oxidize) their food. From this, we can see that terrestrial plants need plenty of air (oxygen) in the soil to drive root function. Many off-the-shelf soils hold too much water and not enough air to support the kind of root health most growers would like to see; and, a healthy root system is a prerequisite to a healthy plant. Watering in small sips in order to avoid over-watering leads to a residual build-up of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil from tapwater and fertilizer solutions - which limits a plant's ability to absorb water – so watering in sips simply moves us to the other horn of a dilemma and creates another problem that requires resolution. Better, would be to simply adopt a soil that drains well enough to allow watering to beyond the saturation point, so we're flushing the soil of accumulating dissolved solids whenever we water; this, w/o the plant being forced to pay a tax in the form of reduced vitality, due to prolong periods of soil saturation. Sometimes, though, that's not a course we can immediately steer, which makes controlling how often we water a very important factor. In many cases, we can judge whether or not a planting needs watering by hefting the pot. This is especially true if the pot is made from light material, like plastic, but doesn't work (as) well when the pot is made from heavier material, like clay, or when the size/weight of the pot precludes grabbing it with one hand to judge its weight and gauge the need for water. Fingers stuck an inch or two into the soil work ok for shallow pots, but not for deep pots. Deep pots might have 3 or more inches of soil that feels totally dry, while the lower several inches of the soil is 100% saturated. Obviously, the lack of oxygen in the root zone situation can wreak havoc with root health and cause the loss of a very notable measure of your plant's potential. Inexpensive watering meters don't even measure moisture levels, they measure electrical conductivity. Clean the tip and insert it into a cup of distilled water and witness the fact it reads 'DRY'. One of the most reliable methods of checking a planting's need for water is using a 'tell' (more reliable than a 'moisture meter'. You can use a bamboo skewer in a pinch, but a wooden dowel rod of about 5/16” (75-85mm) works better. They usually come 48” (120cm) long and can usually be cut in half or in several pieces, depending on how deep your pots are. Sharpen both ends of each tell in a pencil sharpener and slightly blunt the tip so it's about the diameter of the head on a straight pin. Push the wooden tell deep into the soil. Don't worry, it won't harm the root system. If the plant is quite root-bound, you might need to try several places until you find one where you can push it all the way to the pot's bottom. Leave it a few seconds, then withdraw it and inspect the tip for moisture. For most plantings, withhold water until the tell's tip comes out nearly dry. If you see signs of wilting, adjust the interval between waterings so drought stress isn't a recurring issue. Al

Have rooted 1 gallon pink insignis 2 or 3 plants to a pot. Interested in your pink and red plumeria. Are your plumeria rooted or just cuttings? Bobbi

I think I killed the crown of my windmill-it rotted as I had it in too much shade/water. I poured peroxide into the crown and moved it to a sunnier/drier spot (yes, I have heard of copper fungicide, but prefer organic gardening). The bigger leaves are staying on and still look green and healthy. Hopefully it comes back. I think I learned pretty quick that my main tropical garden has too much shade for palms-oh well, I guess I'll have a nice indoor garden for the winter again for my ponytail, sago, chinese fan. Obviously if I rotted the windmill these guys won't overwinter outside. I am proud to say that I now have added to the tropical garden: bamboo, cleopatra cannas split leaf philo.-selluom oleander purple potato bush red-hot poker giant dahlias four o' clocks more hostas (whirlwind, gold standard, janet, some gold/geen lakeside) caladium asiatic lilies calla purple oxalis wandering jew trailing verbena I don't exactly have a plan, but I am leaving most plants in their pots around for now to shuffle them around and decide, etc. If anyone has a brugmansia to trade, I would be thrilled-email or post me.

1. For seedlings, a T-5 would be ideal. 2. One of the biggest problems indoor growers face is too much light. If the plants get to much light they begin to shrink, pale, thin, droop, and roll their lights in an effort to escape from it. This is a problem you don't want! Remember, keeping the light a little too far away is never a problem. That's why outdoor plants never get too much light. Allow your plants to grow into their space. About 2-3 ft from the plants canopy will do and as the plants grow you should adjust the height accordingly. 3. Your seedlings can tolerate 24 hrs of light but once they get into the veg stage you'll need to cut that down to 18 hrs on-6 hrs off using a timer. Your plants should be safe and sound while you are gone 4. T-5 fixtures have the ballast and reflector built into it. There are also lights stands you could use to hang your lights from. I have a provided a link below with good options to choose from. 5. You want all of your plants to get some light but if some need more light than others it's OK to place your plants accordingly. If you have any more questions let me know, I would be glad to help! Here is a link that might be useful: Groflo Hydroponics Fluorescent Lighting