Congratulations on having beautiful healthy plants! It's true that there's really no "law" that you have to remove the suckers. It appears that most of your plants have at least some extra growth there. A single crowned plant will form one rosette (like a bouquet). You have more than one rosette on your plants. When we buy them at box stores (Lowes, etc.), they often come that way. Someone should make a video of tearing one apart and redoing it. There doesn't seem to be anything on straightening out one with multiple plants or bigger suckers. You could take them apart and repot them, but they would look sad for quite awhile. What you might consider (if you decide to grow single crowned plants), is to start new ones from leaf cuttings. Then you can enjoy you current plants until you have new ones ready to take their place. I don't think I would try to redo all of those. Certainly not at one time. The two headed one would probably come out well :) I have a trailer that looked like that after I pinched the crown. Trailers are supposed to have at least 3 crowns but that one just looked weird. Leaves do grow in 3's but not all at once which would make life easier. That confused me for a long time too. It's more like there's 3, then the next 3 will come between those ones and they form their rows that way. Diana

You can use most any growing mediums you want. They all have their advantages and disadvantages. Some hold moisture better, some hold more oxygen, some provide better drainage etc.. For my drip systems, I cover the bottom drain hole with a screening filter (that I cut out of a cheep replacement furnace filter). Then I add a layer of rock I get from my back yard (though any river rock or fish tank rock will do). That I wash to get all the dirt off, and sanitize by soaking it in bleach water for an hour or so. I use the rock to add weight so the plants don't become top heavy and blow over in the wind (I grow outside). However the layer of rock also provides excellent drainage properties, holds the furnace filter screen in place, and takes up space so less growing medium is needed. Then on top of the rock in the bottom of the bucket, add the growing medium. I like using coco "chips" myself, because it's fairly inexpensive, holds moisture very well, and while still being able to allow the roots to be well aerated. 2 cubic feet of coco chips is about 15 gallons when expanded. With the layer of rock at the bottom (about 1/3) of the bucket, that's enough to fill 4, 5 gallon buckets. Coco fiber is the same material as coco chips (made from coconut husks), just smaller particles, so it dosen't aerate as well as the "chips," but still does a good job (chips just do better). The chips are about the size of small wood chips for your smoker, and the coir (fiber) texture is about like peat moss. Here is a link that shows some different typical growing mediums Growing Medium, I haven't used lava rock, though I understand it works well also. What ever growing medium you use, you'll want to rinse it off well first. The coco chips (or coir) will color the water at first, but wont hurt the plants at all, and eventually rinses out. Treating water (like water filtration systems), or nutrients to use? Sounds like you meant what type of nutrients to use. Miracle grow dosen't make a line of hydroponic nutrients that I know of, and I'm not familiar with "pro teck," "Lanka," or "super thrive." But you want to use nutrients designed for hydroponic plants. Fertilizers that are for use in soil don't contain the micro elements (elements used by the plant in small quantities) needed for healthy plant growth (because soil contains enough of them). Soil fertilizers generally only contain the macro (elements used by the plant in large quantities). Hydroponic nutrients are designed to be complete, and provide all the mineral elements (macro, and micro elements). So just make sure their made for hydroponic plants. I have used both the General Hydroponics Flora Series nutrients, and the Verti-Gro nutrients. The GH flora series is a 3 part nutrient (that needs all 3 parts to work correctly), and because it's a 3 part nutrient, it allows more flexibility in mixing them for your specific plant needs. However if you grow enough it will get quite expensive, making about 390 gallons of nutrient solution from the 1 gallon concentrate jugs, and costs about $100 (shipping not included if you need it). The Verti-Gro nutrients are a 2 part nutrient that needs both parts to work (the fertilizer, and calcium nitrate). They come dry and are mixed separately in water jugs to create a liquid nutrient concentrate, that are generally mixed evenly into the nutrient solution. The 4 lb combo special (fertilizer, and calcium nitrate, SKU#: FCombo) that includes shipping and runs under $40, and makes about 500 gallons of nutrient solution. The 25 lb quantities make about 5000 gallons for about $130 (shipping included). Here are a few others that are priced similar to the Verti-Gro nutrients that I haven't tried yet, but plan to test out in the future. QuickGrow nutrients J.R. Peters nutrients (I especially want to try these) P.S. If you want to send me a e-mail at; rocketman1022000@yahoo.com with the title "drip system" I can send you complete directions on how I built one of my drip systems. It's in PDF, is easily printed out, and contains many pictures of the build. Even if you don't build it, it will probably give you some good ideas.

re-reading, especially Karen & Bill (not that I don't appreciate everyone else--the bottle method really sounds interesting): I've gotten a little more courage reading Bill's final entry and understand much more clearly: essentially, plant what I have, 4" deep, in mostly perlite, water once, give heat & light. But Bill, Karen, anyone, do you think I'd actually be okay, cutting off a branch and make two cuttings? My 1st experience trying to grow a p. was with a Hawaiian Yellow (or was it Gold?). It was a disaster. I was told to try water rooting. Never rooting a Plumeria before, I do what I'm told. --usually when I water-root, anthing, I see roots within a few days or at the most a couple of weeks. And I keep clean water in the container. But this cutting sat & sat and did nothing. After a couple of months, there still was nothing. Since it didn't root, I was advised to take it out of the water; cut off the bottom to check for rot (the color inside was a beautiful white, so ok); soak it in hydrogen peroxide for a couple of hours, let dry overnight, dip the cut into a very dilute solution of bleach/water for good measure, then into rooting hormone and pot up in a sterile mix, setting the base 4" deep, watering once. I did all that. Poured a cup of water + superthrive around the stem, sat the container on a heating pad, and gave plenty of fluorescent light: both going 24/7. Within a few days, it leafed out. Since it couldn't have put out roots in a couple of days, I began misting the leaves on a daily basis, with tepid, tap-water. However, within two weeks the cutting went mushy. I checked; and, the entire inside was black. I suppose, even though I thought everything was sterile and the Hydrogen peroxide killed all germs, the cutting was attacked by some kind of fungus or mold, that must be in my house. If I divide this cutting, how do I keep the demise from happening to each of the new cuttings? (I do have some agricultural sulfur; also a copper, fungicide--as well as bleach and H2O4.) How long do I wait, for the wounds to heal before potting either cutting? Now, for my really, dumb (non-knowing about Plumeria neewbie) question: When growing flowers, usually the center is pinched out, so it will make more branches and more flowers. Making two cuttings out of this one, seems to be doing the opposite: fewer branches, fewer flowers. Thus, a branched plumeria will have more flowers and be more sought after. Why, then, is a single stemmed plumeria, preferable to one that is branched? Bob

All day, everyday customers ask me what are the best appliances because their expensive two year old appliance is broke. I always tell them the cheapest ones. If a frig is full of electronics it will break and cost 2-4 hundred to repair it. A basic simple no fancy electronic frig will last. Whirlpool or Frigidaire. The fancier the range the better for me. Keep it simple. All ovens heat at 350 degrees. It seems today everyone is a chef, must be all those cooking shows. They buy $2000.00 ranges and pay me $400.00 to fix them. I love it. People pay big bucks on a dishwasher with all those buttons but only use the normal cycle. I don't get it. A mid line whirlpool is a good dishwasher. All dishwashers work about the same. Water comes in, sprays around, and drains. Its not magic. If you like the Bosch, Samsung, Miele, asko etc. make sure there are people in town that repair them. I'm like the only LG servicer in my area which means I can charge more to repair them. No competition, business 101. There are only a couple of people in my area that will repair Samsung refrigerators, bosch, asko, etc. And they are not cheap. Everyone repairs Whirlpool and Frigidaire. I live in an area with over 500,000 people so its not like we're in a small town out in the boonies. Talk to an independent local servicer that doesn't sell appliances and he can advise you on the appliances that he has the least problems with. You won't find too many appliance tech's that own GE. Their parts are the most expensive in the industry. Whirlpool, Frigidaire and even LG parts are reasonable. Fischer Paykel. There again one maybe two companies repair them. The only place I can find parts for them is from Fischer paykel and they're in New Zealand. Takes about 3 weeks to get parts. I just picked up a customer with apartments full of Viking. Viking controls their part distribution so only one part supplier on the east coast carries the parts. No competition means expensive parts which equals expensive repairs. Its a great time to be an appliance repairman. I was never this busy in the 90's with the simple basic appliances. All those new fancy electronic appliances keep me very busy.