Yeah didn't know that when I bought them on impulse. Saw 'em at Home Depot and was like, "Yeah, I'd like some of those." Been working down the row, planting the tomatoes, peppers, etc. Doesn't help that everything is clay! (See pic: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg061246098308.html?15 ). I've just been winging this whole thing. I'm only planting one. Got a mound 4in high and about 3ft wide with a lot of manure worked in and about 2 shovel-fulls of Miracle Gro garden soil. I've read variously to fertilize because they are heavy feeders and others that say don't fertilize a lot if at all (I forget why not), so I'm taking a middle road (I know that's a logical fallacy, the middle road is not necessarily the truth, but it seems like a good compromise is this case). Wondering if I should peel away as much of the peat pot as I can (after soaking it ofc) since peat is very acidic; I dunno about peat pots though. The last tomato I planted though had a lot of roots growing through the peat pot, guessing it probably true for these guys.

Purple, I've never been to the houseplant forum. Do they have any ID FAQ's for the common houseplants we see frequently requests for like wandering jew, kalachoe, dracena, etc.? If there was, perhaps a link in this group's FAQ section to it would help. Thanks. FataMorgana

Thats normal, they are spore cases, sure are different looking arent they :>)

As far as spreading to other plants....maybe, maybe not. The confusion comes from this: Saying that you have powdery mildew is kind of like saying, "I have a cold." You can get a cold with all the familiar symptoms from many different kinds of germs. Here's the thing, people often see powdery mildew on one type of plant and then another different plant next to it gets hit and assume that the pathogen has spread. It is only occasionally the same fungi. However, the same conditions that allows powdery mildew to take hold in one plant allow powdery mildew of different species to infect other plants. That is to say, it isn't so much a case of a pathogen spreading as it is, the conditions favoring the disease in general are common in an area and so plants in that area are prone to get that disease from whatever species of fungi happens to attack them. i.e., powdery mildew pathogens and hosts: Erysiphe cichoracearum on begonia, chrysanthemum, cucuribis.... Erysiphe polygoni on legumes, beets, crucifers AND cucurbits Microsphaera alni on many shade trees and ornamentals Spaerotheca macularis on strawberry, gooseberry, and curant Uncinula necator on grape and horsechestnut etc. etc. etc.... So, the best way to stop the disease is to create conditions that do not favor the pathogen. When it comes to that, it's pretty much the same old story: Prune out dead stuff and thick growth to increase air circulation. Try not to overhead water. Water in the morning so that plants have a chance to dry. Monitor for disease. At first sign, spray with light horticultural oil or potassium bicarbonate. You'll never eliminate it from your life. Control is your best shot.