I know exactly how you feel, Kwie2011. When I stumbled up to that website, I think I suffered from sleep deprivation shortly thereafter, lol. I combed over as much of it as I could, trying to soak it all in. I was devastated when the original site stopped functioning. I thought all of Steve's knowledgeable information was lost to those of us online. You can't imagine how thrilled I was when I learned that the IAS had archived it. I'm always going back to read up on different sections whenever I get the chance. Seeing as how I live here in Arkansas, not too far from his "Exotic Rainforest," I plan on some day heading on up there to check it out for myself. As beautiful as the pictures are, I'm certain that they don't entirely do this place any justice. :)

Actually, if you don't like the scar, just truncate the branch at a point proximal to (below) the scar. The branch will quickly back-bud and all will soon be well. After severing the branch, wait a bit for the sap to stop leaking, then paint only the wound with waterproof wood glue. It will seal the wound, preventing substantial dieback of the cambium because of desiccation and the accompanying scar. I'm sure someone is going to mention proper pruning procedures and how conventional wisdom is to avoid wound sealers, but this is not a plant in the landscape, in which we need to worry about the structural failure of 20 years down the road. I do this with every succulent I prune and all my bonsai trees, never having a hint that it even might be a problem. This is one plant and it wouldn't have been possible to create if I hadn't painted the wound with a sealant to keep the cambium from dying back after the stem was truncated. It would have died back unevenly and noticeably, and all the new branches would have emerged from the stem at different heights instead of from the cambium immediately proximal to the wound. Al

It will definitely grow much faster, but it won't immediately take over your patio just yet. I put mine outside every spring, and it does grow faster, but it's still a manageable size. Though it does come back inside for the winter months. It still grows, but at a slower pace. I've had it for about two or three years now. I think keeping it contained to the pot it's currently in has helped tame it somewhat. I may give it a larger pot next year. One more thing I might suggest is to use these adjustable locking ties. They're made of rubber and work great at harnessing in my Monstera's vines. They work great because its vines aren't exactly all that flexible. So rather than forcing the vines to immediately grow upwards and possibly breaking them, the locking ties let me gradually tighten their hold on them, pulling them up over time. It's been a few years now and the rubber locking ties haven't stretched out or lost their shape. I bought a pack of them from my local garden center for a couple dollars. I loved them so much, I went back and bought several more. Great stuff.

Yours is slightly larger than mine. Mine is my first and I got it at a nursery in early June. I really like it. To me, the marks on your leaves look like shipping damage from the leaves being bent too much. The younger leaves yellowing could be just from acclimation to your new environment. The leaves pulling out and the new leaves that appear to fall apart - I am not sure what that could be. It probably all began with the lack of drainage you mentioned. Fungus gnats love moist unventilated indoor soil. I used to have a lot inside in the winter and none now in the summer. Others on this board can give you some more help than me. I've had a few indoor plants that began dying in early Spring. Then when I placed them outdoors and in the ground they ALL perked up. My banana had several treatments of copper fungicide even after being planted in the ground. It's beginning to look nice. Back to my M. Deliciosa - I place it outdoors almost daily in dappled sun and never in the wind. It's doing well. No issues. I bring it in when windy or if rain is eminent. I also back off the water. I only water when I can detect dryness by sticking my finger 1" into the soil. It's hard for me to not water like I do other plants. But I know they have aerial roots in their natural habitat and climb up trees. So their roots are exposed to the air. Here's mine when I got it on June 10: https://st.hzcdn.com/simgs/48e2ed860b1dde23_9-4068/home-design.jpg And here it is outside tonight - 3 new leaves have opened since buying it. It still bothers me to see the soil that dry. Those flipped over chairs around them filter the sun they get: (on left is Philo. 'Brasil, center is Pothos Epipremnum aureum 'Manjula')