Sorry for the delay in responding. The letter W= white (or yellow) tissue - these cells lack chlorophyll; and G=Green. Sans leaves (and many other genera) have 3 layers. The outer (epidermis) is called L1 and is the 1st letter. A leaf with green edges would have L1=G. The middle layer (L2) can be hard to determine. L3 is the core and if the leaf has a strong yellow center, one can be pretty sure L3=W. There is no code I know that differentiates between white and yellow tissue, although that would be useful. Thickened edges and probably longitudinal striations (raised ridges) indicate polyploidy where the cells have more than two strands of DNA (diploid). Hope this helps without confusing.

Wow, LWO!! That is fantastic. You've given a lot for us to talk about. I was staring at samplers this week trying to figure out how to work them in--your idea is pure genius. Someone who updated a kitchen that way might never get around to a full renovation. Lavender, every word is spot on. The One True Kitchen is very specifically Edwardian in inspiration, sometimes veering into a bit of Victorian butler pantry. In the '20s, color and prettiness came in, and there was a lot of interest in European design brought home to the farm by doughboys who had seen Paree. Circus, I agree on the no white kitchens. What about no subways? We probably should also exclude straight-out craftsman, too. Those are very easy to just cut and paste, because there are so many gorgeous examples on the Web. Mtnrededux, yes, we should write the rules to say, everybody deserves a comment, and nobody should feel slighted by criticism, right up front. Don't know about the deadline, though. People may have busy schedules. Who wants to write up the post? I don't mind doing it again if people can wait for the weekend, but at the same time I have no desire to take over like Reese Witherspoon in Election. We do have to specify the Rules and point to that website as homework.

Hi, I am a first time houseplant owner and recently picked up a fiddle leaf tree a few days ago. It is looking pretty run down and I thought I would be able to revive it, which I’m starting to think is going to be a large undertaking. After reading some different posts I have to basic info of suggested watering, light, and kind of soil but still have questions. As you can see from the attached pictures the tree is multi stem, leaning to the side, with a lot of crispy brown patches on the leaves. I have read that this could be to root rot/ over watering or too much salt intake? I have read : http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1493078/ficus-trees-in-containers So I wanted to make sure that I’m caring for this correctly. I am thinking of flushing it out and potting up with a 3-9-6 fertilizer, since it is March I will wait till June-July to fully repot and cut the roots. I live in CA, so I mainly have had my tree inside for now (it’s only been 2 Days since purchase), but it should warm up in a few days so I can put it outside for some fresh air. 1. Should I water with tap or is it better to use filtered? 2. As far as flushing: Do I just take it outside, take it out of the pot and rinse the soil then let it dry out for a while? 3. For potting up: I have read that some people put a thin layer of pebbles at the bottom of the pot, (Or like listed- crushed up granite) or is it recommended to mix it with the fertilizer? From the pictures attached, do you think that the roots are “root bound” (which I think means coming out the top of the soil)? Does this mean it needs a bigger pot? What does root rot look like, and how would I know if it was rotted? Because of the brown crispy leaves, would it be okay to cut off a few inches of the bottom roots just as a precaution? 4. Should I cut off the browned, dead leafs? Or can I just cut off the portion that is dead on the leaf, or will that kill the whole leaf? I’ve also read about scraping the dried crispy stuff off the stems, is this bad? 5. There is 5 stems (or Trunks) that are being supported and tied together - How can I make them strong so they don’t have to be? Or will they always stay this way? Sorry for all the questions, I tried to read a bunch of posts so I wasn’t asking the same things, but just need to clarify some things and really appreciate anyones input! Since I’m new to this, I’m not clear on some gardening terms so please simplify any answers for me : ) THANK YOU! I made a link for my pictures - let me know if there is a problem seeing them. http://dyingfiddleleafplant

Pothos (common name today) is kind of a weed in the tropics and can be in the house if you let it do its thing. When I bring mine indoors for winter, I find long vines have rooted in the ground and they break away from the mother plant when I lift the pot. Typically I just let those stranded vines behind for Jack Frost. The mother plant will soon replace all the long vines that are cut off or broken. You could chop it all the way to the ground and it will come back but that is drastic. I chopped this way back since 2014 when I tried to save all the vines. Last year PS: this is what Pothos looked like in Maui last year