I've only been working on my current collection for 2 years now 'cause I keep having to leave behind my collections 'cause I used to move alot, but this is what I've got so far. x2 Sansevieria trifasciata (one regular, one laurentii) Spathiphyllum wallisii Chlorophytum comosum variegatum Cereus peruvianus Hoya carnosa Podocarpus macrophyllus Dracaena marginata x2 Codiaeum variegatum pictum (one regular, one Golden Star) Ficus diversifolia x2 Howiea (some say Howea) belmoreana Hypoestes sanguinolenta (had 3 colors, red, white and pink but for some reason the red didn't make it) Dieffenbachia picta Exotica x2 Zygocactus truncatus (one with white flowers, the other with salmon) African violet (grew from a cutting) Schefflera actinophylla Citrus paradisi (grapfruit tree from seed ^_^) Echinocereus pectinatus Lobivia famatimensis Lemaireocereus marginatus An uknown cactus that looks kind of like a Lobivia but yet not...but I call it my snowman cactus 'cause they way it's shaped it looks like a snowman without a head. Philodendron scandens Sedum morganianum Saxifraga sarmentosa Beaucarnea recurvata Aglaonema Silver Queen Tillandsia cyanea Kalanchoe tomentosa A succulent whose leaves are bluish green and fuzzy and slightly pointed at the ends. Thought it may have been an Echeveria setosa...but those leaves are waxy...not fuzzy. Sedum pachyphyllum Aphelandra squarrosa louisae Sempervivum arachnoideum Coleus (just a little seedling) Araucaria heterophylla x2 Hedera helix (one Glacier, one sagittaefolia) Coffea arabica Gasteria liliputana (one of my personal favs) Lavandula heterophylla Radermachera sinica Dracaena deremensis x2 Pteris (one ensiformis victoriae, one cretica albolineata) Zamioculcus zamiifolia (the infamous ZZ plant, another one of my favs) Crassula perforata (probably not a good reason to buy a plant but I bought it merely for it's common name...string of buttons!) That's it, that's all. 14 of the plants on that list were added just this month! >_I have a few seeds I'm waiting on too though. Fuschia, Cactus, Salpiglossis, Strelitzia, Passiflora, Musa, Dracaena (forget exactly what it is), Lithops and a Succulent.

I live in an apartment too and grew mint last year from cuttings a friend gave me. Granted I'm in the New England region of the USA so don't have the heat issues you might have in Korea. But for smaller plants with young or "weak" root systems I have found that a window blind made of .. well to be honest I'm not real sure what it's made of.. it looks like a 1/2" bamboo rod at the top and really tiny bamboo or reed stalks woven together at regular intervals and maintained close but not touching from top to bottom diffuses the sunlight from the window. I have seen similar types in home decor stores and places like Home Depot and Lowe's (US retailers, could probably order from them online, I've never looked). In the summer I tried to keep the window open as much as possible but kept the blind half lowered on really warm days. I used 6-8" across pots to start with and when the plants started "exploring" I put them the entire contents of the pot in a window box and filled the remaining space with potting soil. The type of mint I had put out a runner from the root or base of the plant that runs along the surface of the soil. It has leaves and is green but will put roots out to multiply from. This is how that particular species of mint spreads so quickly. The runners can grow 1-3" inches or more a day under the right conditions. The advice on keeping the soil moist but not sopping wet is excellent. The advice on using potting soil instead of garden soil is also excellent. It is premixed to be "fluffy" for air circulation and drainage as well as is usually fortified with some basic minerals for healthy plant growth. After 6 months in this premixed potting soil you may want to consider using plant food to replace the minerals. Try using 1/4 - 1/2 what the recipe calls for to start because too much can hurt the plants and you can always add more if it's too little. I don't know if this is technically "right" but if you have florescent lights in your apartment (or can put one in if the window just isn't working for you), keep the plants within 3 feet under the light. Too far away and it won't be as affective, too close and it will burn them. I've grown plants at work before using this method by putting the pots on top of filing cabinets under florescent lights. I agree with taking some small cuttings off the top if you can and putting them in water to root just in case your plants don't make it. Like they said, once the roots are established, mint is a very hardy plant that WANTS to grow and will take over an area when outdoors. Send me an e-mail and keep me up to date on your progress. I don't have plants I could send you right now but later in the season I expect to have some Spearmint, Chocolate Mint, and Grapefruit Mint. I'd be happy to set some aside specifically for you and get the roots good and strong to send you if you'll foot the postage. Not sure what the postage would be from the USA to Korea, or even Korea's rules on shipping plants into the country, but if it's that hard for you to get it might be worth considering if this lot doesn't make it. Good Luck, Tricia

Krista - I've added some of my thoughts below. It's kind of long and repeats much of what is said above, but hopefully it helps you at least a little. Even indoors, the concept of seasonality still applies. We typically change our thermostats to the seasons and there are daily fluctuations that correspond to the weather outside. Here are my average indoor growing temperatures from last July to this February: Right now I am purposely keeping my home cooler in order to get better growth from my plants. The graph above is compressed so unfortunately you don't see the day/night temperature differential (17C night, 20-30C day under lights currently). Throughout the seasons, I try to keep similar photoperiod as the actual seasons here but keep a minimum of about 10 hours. That's because I want to give my succulents as much light/energy for growing as possible. Probably could spend all night long posting different graphs of my growing data, haha. I do not find a need to restrict or provide water to my plants to regulate their dormancy/activity. They take care of this themselves and all I do is respond to their needs. If they are growing then I just keep watering. Of course I am mindful of my Lithops/Gibbaeum/Lapidaria to ensure they don't grow too many pairs of leaves. If they are going dormant/semi-dormant then I water minimally to sustain them. In my conditions, if I stop watering completely most will die or suffer so much they will be damaged/setting back many months worth of growth. Most people would disagree with this, but if I miss the 'right' day to water by just two days then I can see the difference. It's like losing a week or two of progress. If neglected, my plants will surely survive but losing just a couple leaves on valuable plants can be very disappointing. Somewhere along the way I decided that 'growing something hard' is not necessarily meaning you barely water it because that's only one part of the equation. The rest is light/temperature/soil mix which can be similarly applied 'harshly'. Every fall, nearly all of my Mesembs flower indoors: Aloinopsis, Faucaria, Fenestraria, Gibbaeum, Lapidaria, Lithops, Neohenricia, Pleiospilos, Stomatium, Titanopsis. There are some stragglers, which are budding and I hope will flower late winter: Rabiea, Ihlenfeldtia, maybe Cheiridopsis. Also flowering in the fall/winter are many other succulent genus that I grow: Haworthia, Crassula, Gasteria, Aloe, Schlumbergera, Echeveria, Euphorbia, Dorstenia, Adromischus, Anacampseros. The only main difference in watering for me is the frequency. When it's cooler or shorter days, then the plants use less water and don't dry out as quickly. You could say in summer I water every 4 days and in the winter I water every 6 or 7 days. Absolutely everything is fertilized the same throughout the year. Contrary to popular advice, my succulents and Mesembs in particular are not gangly, unhealthy, or have hordes of extra leaves. What I found is the vast majority of succulent genus and species are opportunistic growers. For many, summer is a bad time for growing and not much happens. Fall and spring are the best season where virtually everything is growing. A great deal of my collection are traditionally classified as 'winter growers' and I enjoy that they are because it's fun growing indoors. Of course my 'summer growers' are growing too, but just not as fast as they were in the shoulder seasons around summer. As mentioned above, summer isn't the best time for growing under my conditions. It's very hot and stressful on my rooftop, even in zone 6a. Things get very colourful, but also slow down greatly. In the loft it gets hot too, but not as bad as outside. Indoor growing does have the benefit of being a little less extreme than outside and I can better control the conditions, leading to better growth. For sure I would have better results growing everything indoors year long but my 6xT5HO bank of lights are expensive to run and generate a LOT of unwanted heat in the summer. Plus it's just so comfortable for me to relax on the roof with my plants and enjoy the outdoors. Watering is a breeze and it's fun out there. However, the vast majority of my expensive Haworthia do stay indoors for the summer so they grow better and there is no chance of damage from squirrels, storms, scorch, or whatever nature throws at me. It's less stressful and more productive. The 4xT5HO are spread out much more so the heat isn't as bad and electricity cost is a little less. As for pests, I think indoors the conditions are just better/worse for different types from outside. We don't get aphids and ants inside, but you can still get mealies. Hot dry conditions are perfect things like mites and thrips. Or if more humid you may get fungus gnats, springtails, or molds. Outside pests are spread by wind, rain, and even other pests. Inside pests are spread similarly by air fans, watering splashing, and direct contact due to close proximity. If you have a very 'closed' system then you can stay pest free if you are clean and attentive. But if you buy new plants from anywhere then there is a risk you will bring something in. The important part is knowing how to identify them quickly, accurately, and know which action to take. Some pests are harder than others and I am relieved to say I have figured out how to eradicate them all (so far). After all the long-winded text above, I suppose my approach is trying to grow the way I know works best. There are so many resources online, but I have a great deal of skepticism on the advice given. Maybe I'm picky or stubborn or maybe I'm just trying to do better? Still, there are many expert growers and I'm picking up little tips here and there from them that are so incredibly helpful. At the least I try and adapt those parts into my own growing method. My goal is to get every species I grow to flower as well as have them grow as compact and colourful as possible. So far it's working fairly well - we'll see how this year fares for me. =)

Thanks Alain:)! I've bought pumice like the kind you just bought. A little more color and bigger pieces. I haven't noticed anything different in the way it works. Thanks for heads up on the bags. I already get soil all over my car from plants rolling around. I don't need dusty pumice on top of that:). OT the weather has been so nice and cool. The fog comes in every morning and night:). It's been a nice break. Supposedly the weather will be cool like this for another week. Fine by me;). It's made gardening/pulling weeds so much easier:).