It only takes minutes after application for soluble fertilizers to make their way into the plant's nutrient stream. Many nutrients need to be in the nutrient stream constantly for the plant to grow normally. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are considered mobile nutrients and are readily borrowed from one plant part to sustain other parts, particularly strong sinks like new growth o flowers/fruit. Calcium and boron are usually considered immobile nutrients, and need to be in the nutrient stream at all times for normal growth to occur. Sulfur, chloride, copper, zinc, manganese, iron and molybdenum are intermediate in mobility, and only under certain circumstances are intermediate elements mobile. The mobility of the intermediate mobile nutrients is usually linked to the breakdown of amino acids and proteins in older parts of the plant under low nitrogen conditions and their movement to younger parts of the plant via the phloem stream. Again though, unless nitrogen availability is good, these elements are mostly immobile. That it rains doesn't mean all the fertilizer you applied is washed from the soil. Elements attach themselves to colloidal surfaces and tend to remain there to some degree until they are exchanged. Cation exchange in soils occurs when root hairs utilize proton pumps to pump hydrogen ions (H+) into the soil. The hydrogen ions effectively displace the cations that are attached to negatively charged colloidal surfaces, making the cations available then for root uptake and incorporation into the nutrient stream. AL

Hi Yuewen, Pot size doesn't really tell us much about the plant's maturity, but a mature Vanda coerulea probably measures about 10 inches from one leaf tip to another, and is about 10 inches high also. I imagine yours is probably quite a bit smaller than that if it's in a 2.5 inch pot. Vanda coerulea is a great plant when in bloom, but like any Vanda it will require very high light, intermediate to warm temperatures and evenly moist and humid conditions to bloom. Since you've likely got a seedling on your hands, I'd start it at medium light, the same as you would for a Phalaenopsis, and as it grows, start acclimating it slowly to more and more light until it gets very high light (think direct light from the South, ALL day). A healthy plant getting what it needs will grow better and faster than one that isn't, but I'd say you're at least 5 years away from a bloom. Also, unless you have a greenhouse, this one may be a bit harder to grow in MA, though not impossible. Good luck. Julie

I am currently growing sweet aperitif tomatoes. Thompson & morgan says it is the sweetest tomatoes around and I did my own research, it is definitely the sweetest, but when I read on the internet, it seems not many people is growing it. We have only one season in Malaysia which is hot, hot and hot. Well there is two seasons here, rainy season and dry season. But rainy and dry season temperature is almost the same, Just example if today is cloudy and raining, temperature will be cooler by around 5 celcius, but as soon as the next day you will be back to square one that is hot unless it rains again. I grew my tomatoes on 29 May 2014 and it took only 3 days to germinate and packet says 7 days. It says germination temperature is 15-21 celcius more a less, but the afternoon temperature was around 37-39 celcius at the peak and around 28 celcius at the coolest and still germinate than less than half the time, sometimes people give lots of advise, I always believe this, never try never know and too many good cooks spoils the dish. My tomato plants is now 1 month and 1 week old and it already has flower buds. One packet seed has 10 seeds in it, some say it is a hybrid some says heirloom, whatever it is, if I do have extra seeds in the future, would you be interested in having some? If I do send postage is on me :-)

I have only been growing as a collector this past year, and only a few of mine have gotten to blooming stage. However, I am in Eastern Washington, long gloomy winters, lots of overcast days in spring, with hot dry summers. Hoya bella- took 3 years from cuttings, very sheltered East window. Started budding and blasting at about 1.5 yrs, finally bloomed when I started fertilizing with Miracle Grow Bloom busters. Now I have 20 peduncles getting ready to pop. Hoya javanica- purchased as a plant, have seen this guy bloom from cuttings in well under a year. Hoya shepherdii- I have a 7 month old cutting producing buds right now. Recieved as cuttings in November, rooted them under a fluroescent grow light, where they lived the first couple months before being relocated to a North window (with adjacent West window). My grow light isn't fancy, the fluorescent I use only to give cuttings a boost if needed, and get babies through the winter. I do have two LED lights, the $10 bulbs available at Amazon, that screw into a floor lamp. The only Hoya I grow that I think really needs it in the winter is my H. imperialis.... Also, I have pubicalyx RHP, Pink Silver, and Bright One, the first 2 are about 7 months old, no peduncles yet, and my Bright One is a year old plant, no peduncles yet.