Thanks everybody for sharing your experiences! My conclusion is...you folks definitely need some more Hoyas/Dischidias! Therefore, I highly recommend going to visit Kartuz Greenhouses down in Vista. It's definitely worth the trip. His online catalog really does not adequately represent the great variety of tropical/interesting/unusual/rare plants that he grows. Plus, his prices are really reasonable so you can get a good collection going without having to pay an arm and a leg. If anybody is interested...I also posted this thread in the following places... Garden Web - Hoya Forum - Cold Tolerant Hoyas/Dischidias Growing on the Edge - Cold Tolerant Hoyas/Dischidias PalmTalk - Cold Tolerant Hoyas/Dischidias? Flickr - Epiphytes Group - Cold Tolerant Hoyas/Dischidias?

Kim is a great person to trade with. She is very generous and has lots of great plants. If you still are interested in a trade I am interested in several of yours as well. I have several to trade as well. Tami

Ah, excellent! Thanks for the advice, the kind wishes of luck, and vote of confidence (in the plan, and the toughness of the plants). There is active growth on the plants right now, humidity is up, and we've got lows in the 55-60F range predicted next week, so I'll start kicking them outdoors pretty soon. Do you think it's imperative to wait until they're acclimated to the outdoors and the growth spurt has kicked in completely, or could I get away with doing it sooner? I look forward to pruning, too. I tell myself the answer is "PATIENCE!" but I keep eyeing it anyway. There's other plants scheduled for bare rooting that I can control myself regarding until June. Thoughts? Thanks again!

Kim, Yes, that's actually Dischidia ruscifolia. It's definitely worth growing, and since Hoyas & Dischidias take the same care, why not? They call it "Million Hearts Dischidia", BTW... If you root in perlite, it does produce some awesome roots. And it's better than straight water because the roots that develop in water are different than the ones they need in soil, so it has an adjustment period when you go from water to soil. When I root in perlite, I keep the pot in a deep tray with some water in the bottom all the time so the perlite never completely dries. When the water starts to get low, I water from the top. But this time of year, they root fast right in soil, so there's really no need for a two-step process... I usually remove yellow or damaged leaves just because I figure the plant/cutting doesn't need to put any energy into a leaf that's a goner. If there's any signs of dehydration, I put the cutting, pot and all, into a rooting dome or gallon-size baggy to maximize humidity. Denise in Omaha