Jodik says: The coir might look dry on top, but down in the center of the pot, it could be quite moisture-laden! I have found it helpful to insert little wooden skewers carefully into the soil to about root level, and leave them there... I take them out and press them against my cheek to test for dampness... if they feel at all damp, I wait to water... but if the skewer comes out dry, it's time to water. My coir is 4" deep in a closed pot. I put the skewer to the bottom of the pot. When I take it out how many inches of bone dry top "soil" should there be before it's time to water again? Is it 1", 2" or 4"? I just went 10 days without water and only 1" of the top was dry so am I supposed to water this direct sun pot once every two weeks or so to avoid over watering, really? And how much water for my 6" closed pot? I had been watering 1 1/2 cup or so once a week and my plant was fine but I'm now worried that was too much so I'm re-evaluating. I know what conventional wisdom says (water deep, not shallow) but that advice doesn't seem to apply to my situation. Also how long should it be before I see new leaf growth in the summer time (first season outside)? My 18 month old Red Lion so far has only grown new leaves once a year. At potting and at dormancy end.

Hi Donald, welcome to the Winter Sowing Forum. *It's recommended to basically make flats of somekind out of materials at hand, put soil in them -> sow your seeds --> set flats outside in a "safe" area --> wait till spring to see what comes up.* Yep, that's basically what it is, and the nicest aspect, I think, of the method is that you get to do it your way with what you have and within the size of your own wallet. *Wouldnt it be easier to just direct sow in the soil where you want the future plants to be?* All seeds that can be WinterSown can also be Direct Sown, but they should be sown heavily because Mother Nature takes the vast majority of direct sown seeds to feed her critters and biota. Direct Sowing, also called Direct Seeding, is a traditional method for sowing seeds outdoors. It involves preparing the soil bed, sowing the seeds, and keeping them moist throughout germination. The Winter Sowing Method is better because the seeds are protected in their mini-greenhouses. When you direct sow in the ground the seeds are at the mercy of Mother Nature....they can get washed out in downpours, be eaten by critters and bug and birds, desiccate in the wind, or can rot in the soil. In a WS mini-greenhouse the seeds are in a protected environment. They get the same weather as the seeds in the ground...same temperatures, and the little slits in the lids allow both rain and melting snows to keep the soil moist and the flats watered. But they areprotected so more of the seeds will survive to germinate in Spring. The germination counts are generally astonishingly high. *My reasoning is that, if the seeds had dropped from a parent plant already in the garden, that successful germination is just as likely from "semi-natural" re-seeding as it would be if I used the recommended winter sowing method suggested in the FAQ's.* Plants which reseed in temperate climates are those recommended for Winter Sowing. *I guess to me it just seems like the recommended method over complicates the process and just adds more work, after I've spent the growing season pruning, deadheading, weeding, mulching, topdressing etc.* Just sow the flat and stash it outside on the picnic table or wherever your dog won't grab it or your snowblower won't hit it. *Again those are just my thoughts on the winter sowing process and in now way am I trying to gainsay the method recommended by others.* Don't worry about it, WS is very incredulous when you hear about it--you like to direct seed in your garden. I do both. I have a veggie garden and direct sow many of my leafy greens. Many posters do any or all of WS, DS or GUL. *I just have a terrible time trying to start seed indoors, and so I've amassed, what I consider a ALOT of seed packets, that are waiting to be planted but due to my iffy results starting seeds indoors "6 weeks before the last frost", which here in central OH could be as late as the end of April.* You've come to the right forum. Winter Sowing removes a lot of the frustration that comes with indoor germination, it's a big relief and gives you a gazillion seedlings. Nice plant list, it can all be WSed. Your yard will be a butterfly party. T PS, Did anyone tell you that Winter Sowing can be addicting?

That's funny you had your first Hoya experience in a violin shop, since many of the fragrances of Hoyas have notes of smells I associate with instruments and old music buildings. -- There are a lot of different Hoyas and, of course, some of them are hard to grow and/or bloom. But, I would not say that most Hoyas have or deserve a reputation for being hard to grow. They just need well-draining soil (like mixing equal portions of bark, perlite, and potting soil) and a lot of light. They root from cuttings easily. -- They do have a bit of a reputation for being hard to bloom, but that is just a matter of people not understanding the nature of the plant. Misunderstanding 1: Not understanding how much light Hoyas need. Hoyas will grow just fine in low light, but they need high light conditions to bloom. So, a lot of people will have a Hoya for years and think "it keeps growing, but it never blooms - why?" And the answer is, they need to put it in a nice bright east or south facing window and 9/10 times that will solve the problem. Misunderstanding 2: Not understanding how mature Hoyas need to be to bloom. Hoyas can and will bloom as soon as 6 months after they were rooted, if they are in very high light conditions, like a sunny terrace in Malaga, Spain. For someone growing indoors in a northern climate, they're usually going to take 1-4 years to bloom, given a good window and proper care. -- Yeah, when people get into Hoyas, they do get excited for their first blooms because it does take longer than, say, an African Violet. So, you feel like you've accomplished more. Again, just to be clear, typically our "near death" Hoya experiences are not ones we've had with the more commonly available Hoyas. It's just a typical experience when you get into collecting difficult varieties as well as hardy ones. But I have hundreds of different Hoyas and I would say 90% of them practically drive themselves, so to speak. And most people who come here asking for help with a sick Hoya have just overwatered it. Which is exactly how people kill jade plants, but no one calls them hard to grow. :) -- It's likely the plant you saw was Hoya carnosa, just because that's the one that's been around longest, that everyone's grandmother seems to have had. It's a very tough, very hardy plant that will even put up with people who don't know what its ideal setup would be. I personally think you should have asked for a cutting. :) Because that's a neat origin story, and it's the perfect time of year to root new plants. (Not that you can't root a Hoya any time of the year - they grow year-round, given adequate light.) Btw, there is a Hoya cv. Viola. :) That's what belonged in that shop!! This post was edited by greedyghost on Sun, May 11, 14 at 0:35

Nancy, I once had mine do the same thing for me a couple years ago and nothing since!!! That's crazy. They smell so good too. I think I had mine in the little greenhouse all winter the year mines did and fertilized all winter. I am trying the same thing again this year. I will take a photo for you on the one I started from that very plant , the momma you have there)) There si something about yours that just makes me smile so much. Thank you for sharing. The temps not so bad yesterday 70 here. Crazy. Still I have many annuals just pushing growth in pots but after this weekend it will be the end.((( Mike