I have a couple of comments. But my main question is at the end. Quote: "If you have ever spent time on any plant forum you know the common advice is to keep your plants root bound, or at least when you repot give the roots only an "extra fingers width" on each side the pot." I have never seen anyone recommend that you keep a plant literally 'root-bound'... In so small a pot that the large roots are circling the pot, and having the root mass pretty much completely fill the pot. But it's also true that more non-pros have killed plants from serious and stupid "over-potting" than any other cause other than perhaps persistent over-watering. Take a small plant, put it is a much bigger "pretty" pot with a lot of cheap potting soil, water it once a week, and the small, shallow plant roots are trying to survive in a desert while the bulk of the pot-soil is moist. I *always* advise people to pot-up very slowly... after making sure that I have looked at the roots, and that the plant is not root-bound. I suspect that nursery staff start their plants in small pots because it eases time and labor, and reduces the expense and the watering, and allows them to toss cheap any that do not propagate or thrive. Those that do, they pot up a level. And perhaps again. But I strongly suspect that they hope to *sell* them before they become literally root-bound. And they don't, so things become root bound. There are some plants that like their feet a little more constrained, while others want to grow wild. But are you saying the there is some folk-practice among pro-growers that it is somehow *good* to keep the roots seriously constrained? I would be interested. LindaS

The flatness or roundness is hereditary and due to the parents of the hybrid. Judges look for flatness in the flower but I have little interest in what the judges say. If its a nice flower and you enjoy it that's all that matters. Enjoy your flowers - presumably that's why you have them and each and every one has its own special qualities.

FWIW, my orange habanero this year grew up with the big chinense leaves. It squeezed out a big first flush, then a whole raft of new growth along with about 800 blooms. The new leaves were all a lot smaller than the giant old leaves, which are now deep in the foliage. Many are yellowing and falling off. The new leaves seem still to be growing so the size differential isn't as striking as it was at first. Plant is in a big (15 gal?) pot. Dennis

Yumtomatoes, My eyes and my mouth suggest to me that all the tomatoes on one plant may not be GENETICALLY IDENTICAL!!! Furthermore, I have saved and kept segregated seed from two tomatoes sourced from the same plant. These were planted in rows side by side the next spring. There were observable differences in row to row performance, as well as plant to plant performance in the same row. Of course, there is the rare chance one or both could have been externally cross pollinated--not very likely. On only one occasion have I gone to the trouble of bagging a blossom cluster before they opened, then saved the seed for future use. Though I did not do side by side row comparisons from seed collected from more than one tomato I did see plant to plant variation from single tomato sourced seed. I have a suspicion that there are trivial genetic variations in all seed from the same fruit and major variations between some of the seeds. I can't otherwise account for what I have observed.