Hi Frank, Don't feel bad about not wanting to repot your plant. No novice wants to repot their plants. I'm assuming that you are a novice. It's a little bit like skydiving. You just have to go for it and know that the parachute will open. Yes you are correct in that you can start a new plant from just stem cuttings. They don't need to have any roots on them to begin with. With this plant stem cuttings root very easily if put into moist soil and then put into a clear plastic bag (not in direct sun light). It's even possible they may root without the plastic bag but why put these plants under that kind of stress. My feeling is do what is going to maximize one's success. Along with starting a new plant you can also try to save the mother plant. Again I gave you those instructions. If anything about saving the mother plant doesn't make sense to you then ask away. I am perfectly happy to explain things in more detail if need be. With a porous soil, goldfish plants should do very well without having to work very hard. Giving the plant a good watering until water comes out the bottom of the pot is the way to do it. This is pretty much true of any plant for that matter. Then let the soil are you heard so you've already too are OK every 5 minutes to do this dry out and stay dry for about a day and then repeat the cycle. I don't think you did anything wrong. I think that problem is with the soil. Many greenhouses plant their plants in very dense soil. I'm not sure why. It may be that they don't have to water the plants as often. But I really don't know. All I know is that it happens and it is a real problem for people when they bring their plants home. The reason I don't think you did anything wrong is because you only watered the plant two times in six weeks. That should've been plenty of time for the plant to have dried out in between waterings. The fact that the soil did not dry out is probably because of two factors. First the plant is not absorbing any water from the soil because of root damage and the soil is so dense that it is holding a tremendous amount of water that will not evaporate very quickly. Goldfish plants are not bog of plants. They need to have some air in the soil for the roots to be healthy. If the soil is too dense then there is no place for air pockets to exist. When this happens the roots basically drown. Goldfish plants are epiphytes or tree dwellers. These epiphytes grow in trees in the rain forests of the Americans and the Caribbean. They basically grow in the area where branches meet the trunks of trees. There's usually a little cavity where decayed leaves and such collect. The goldfish plant seeds germinate there and that is their native habitat. The medium is very airy and not saturated with water. You ask about light. Goldfish plants like to have strong indirect light or direct light that is before 10:00 AM and after 4:00 PM. They can get a little sun burnt if they get direct sunlight in the middle of the day. That's about all I can think of at the moment. Again if you have any other questions don't be afraid to ask. Good luck on your plant propagating. Larry

Another place you might inquire is Carolina Orchids. He doesn't have that particular one listed but he doesn't have all of them listed. He will be on the pricy side but the plants are fabulous - you will get what you pay for. I purchased several from him last year and all were multiple mature growths and have bloomed their hearts out this spring. Here is an example of the quality - here are two pictures of Phrag. Grande 'Glenn's Pride' I don't remember what I paid for it but I've been completely happy with it and the others from him. Brooke - thumbnails are clickable

I understand your being hesitant to repot the plants again so soon after the first repot. I was in the same situation. Folks here told me that I could leave my plant in the less than optimum soil and hope for the best or get them into soil where it will thrive asap. I went for the second repot and my plant is doing great. I'm currently in SW Florida, zone 10A, but I grew up in zone 6 in Portsmouth, OH. While regular potting soil works so-so in Ohio, and my mother still uses it, I think you may do better with at least a cactus and succulent soil. You still need to mix at least 50/50 perlite or pumice with the soil. Every succulent that I used potting soil on when I lived in Toledo died from rot. I didn't think I was overwatering, but the plants did. I think the soil was a big factor. Hopefully the sun will be shining for you soon! It will lift your spirits and help your plants thrive.

It doesn't look okay to me. The leaflets seem to have curled which can happen with too little water. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's had too little water in the pot, it could also be damaged root system. Damage roots could also be if where you bought it they had recently repotted it. Do you know if it got very cold at some stage? It can be difficult isolating the problem as there could be a number of reasons. Using a wooden skewer to push down into the potting medium can show if there is enough moisture deeper down. If the skewer comes out clean it'll be too dry. If it's wet down there you'll see that when you pull out the skewer. Other than that, as palmsandsnow said, you just might have to wait a few weeks to see.