My plumaria expert says that blossom booster or anything with such a high middle number is useless. In fact some of the threads by Al will agree. I use "Dynamite" 13 13 13...Even numbers right across the board. In fact most plants don't like such a high middle number, because your throwing the abilty off for the whole plant to be healthy, even the colors of the leaves by forcing flowers on your plants when you don't have to. How come plumies flower from the ground outdoors withou someone throwing so much middle number on them? In the ground, they are getting an even amount of nutriets to sustain over look, vigour, and health. I will send you an excert of why the middle number is useless. The "dynamite" has worked wonders for me. It is slow release along with micro nutrients and a well balanced fert. Just some excerts... "Whatever nutrients are available in excess, will be absorbed by the plant to a certain degree, and in some cases, this may lead to toxicity or even symptoms of shortages of other nutrients as toxicity levels block a plant's ability to take up other nutrients. Too much nitrogen will lead to excessive foliage production and less flowering. Too much potassium or phosphorus will not lead to ill effect, but will show up as a deficiency of other nutrients as it blocks uptake". "What about the "Bloom Booster" fertilizers you might ask? To induce more prolific flowering, a reduced N supply will have more and better effect than the high P bloom formulas. When N is reduced, it slows vegetative growth without reducing photosynthesis. Since vegetative growth is limited by a lack of N, and the photosynthetic machinery continues to turn out food, it leaves an expendable surplus for the plant to spend on flowers and fruit". "The fact that different species of plants grow in different types of soil where they are naturally found, does not mean that one needs more of a certain nutrient than the other. It just means that the plants have developed strategies to adapt to certain conditions, like excesses and deficiencies of particular nutrients.." "Most greenhouse operations will follow pretty closely to a 2-1-2 ratio of the primary macro-nutrients on most greenhouse crops with minor deviations based on tissue analysis and the effect of the growing medium. Most post-greenhouse fertilization will follow fairly closely to a 3-1-2 ratio, with some deviation. Again, this very closely mimics the range of the primary macros found in plant tissues". Read the thread......type in search.... "Fertilizer Program - Containerized Plants (Long Post) very imformative article". I never use blosson booster, and all my plants flower Profusely.... Hope this helps and greens up the leaves along with giving you nice flowers next time around..:-) Mike

You could ask the folks at Stone Advice--although I often cannot access their server for some reason. Also, Google "poultice granite." The answer may be specific to your type of granite. Don't use BKF. You need to draw the wine out of the granite, not abrade the surface of the stone.

Aloha plumie addicts...do any of you know of a Grande Staghorn Fern Forum? We are growing the tiny spores from the back of a male leaf off our grande and are almost thru with the first half of the process where they are under glass for 3 months. Mahalo, roxanne

I'm so sorry to here about the direction you're headed... it's not an easy path to follow. BTDT. Please remember to take care of yourself too. One thing for your DH's soothies. My DH could only have liquids but had a dairy allergy. Grainlady suggested adding Great Lakes Gelatine - Collagen Hydolysate to his fruit or meat smoothies to add protein and needed amino acids... in the green colored can. I got it thru' Amazon from whichever vendor was cheapest because it's not inexpensive.... about $18 a big can... which lasts for awhile. My best wishes for you this holiday season. Kate