No, not totally dry. Basically what happens is, it stops raining where they live. For a couple months or so, at various times of year, it just stops raining and so the plants go into a 'rest' period. While they may not get drenched with water, they DO still get morning mist/dew/fog. So the problem is trying to strike that balance. If you can manage to mist/fog in the mornings during dry periods, more power to you. But for most, it translates to watering less. Some Angs you can actually go by the leaves and withhold water until the leaves start to shrivel a bit. I'm too much of an over-waterer to do that...so far. Leonis is one that can take significant drying. I don't have a veitchii so I can't say much about that side of the parentage. I've seen photos of sesquipedale growing on fallen, rotting, logs. So I really wouldn't be too worried about the breakdown of media, it may be just what the Dr. ordered! (but i really don't know...wild vs. cultivated ...who knows??). I think it's smart to avoid bothering the roots by repotting. If you have to, cut away most of the pot and just pot up. What should I being doing (or not) from now until Bloom time? Answer: getting more Angs What should I do for culture after bloom? Answer: follow the roots, cooler and drier in the winter How much does one cut back on water when he is not growing new tenticles? Answer: it all depends on many factors. Significantly. What should the run time for the cfl's be? Decrease time or stay steady? Answer: go from a max of 16 hours in July to a min of 12 in late December or so, with gradual increases or decreases What should I expect in terms of flowers if I get it right on the 1st try? Answer: you should expect fantastic things to rain down upon you, including the respect and admiration of your fellow man, and moth. OK, I am being presumptuous. Is he blooming size? ( Jeez, wouldn't that be a shock!) Answer: I would think so. What is the most common mistake with Crestwood or his parents? (besides the re-potting tantrum) Answer: the most common mistake is assuming anyone else has one! (I don't, and i've got over 100 Angs!!) I'd guess using bad water is a very common mistake or not giving enough light. Oh, your plant is a 'she'. :) -MB

Tony Avent from Plant Delights Nursery has a great book on starting a nursery, a must read. I didn't plant on making much money with mine (it wasn't mail order, tho) but with the taxes, license for business, and license for nursery, and other costs, I ended up losing money. I'd say you have a have a great shipping method, lots of plants get damaged in the mail, and you'll have to replace them. Tell us more about what kind of a nursery you want, will you be the only employee? Will this be your only job? What area do you live in? What kind of plants do you want to sell?

If you don't have that 20-30% override cushion, then you just don't build. Or you risk losing your property (collateral for the construction loan) and any money that you put into the project as a down payment. Lenders will have a hard time approving a build where the financials are so close to the bone, as they are the ones left with the mess, and they already have enough of that on their plates as it is. Lenders also won't lend above the appraisal and most appraisals aren't coming in at the cost to build either. So to start a project, you'd better own the land, have at least 20% for a down payment, and have 20-30% as reserve for upgrades and in case you can't make appraisal. You'll spend almost every bit of that and maybe more if it's there. And that's if you can find a bank that will work with you on a build. That's getting rarer as well since so many builders went belly up with partially constructed home and so many owner builders did the same. Or do a 100% cash build with no financing. You'll still need the "20% upgrade cushion" but you won't need to cushion for the appraisal mess because you won't need to make an appraisal for any loans. Build as you go with cash over a lengthy time frame is also possible for cash builders with limited funds, but that requires a LOT of time dedication and many skills to DIY a home. It also requires a certain laxity in permitting by your local codes guys, as most permits have "drop dead" end dates. Or, buy an existing home, where your money goes much further. You build a home because you are able to get what you want from the beginning, realizing that getting what you want comes at a premium. Or you build to be able to have "new condition" rather than "used". Just like a new car loses a lot of value the moment you drive it off the lot and it becomes used, it's the same with new construction. But people buy new cars to be able to say they have something new and (hopefully) reliable rather than an older fixer upper. But, that older fixer upper is certainly a LOT cheaper!

Whoo Hoo!! Ran the 10k Cotton Row Run yesterday and finished with a decent time (for me anyway)! And I feel good today so that is even better. No soreness, which I attribute not only to good training, but also to the stretches I've been doing before and especially after the running. My DD and DGD ran the 5k and I'm so proud of them! DGD killed it and was 10th in her age group out of 52 in that group. She is 14 and ran it in just over 29 minutes which I thought was really great for her first 5k. My time for the 10k was 78 minutes which isn't a barn-burner by any means, but keep in mind it was very, very hot, sunny, and humid, even at 7 am when we started. The first half of this course is a gradual uphill climb, with a quarter mile hill just before the 3 mile point that is so unbelievable that almost everyone walks up it. Then the last 2.8 miles or so is mostly downhill which is a relief but still by then you're zapped. The 5k course isn't so bad. Now on to the next great challenge, which is to keep running in our summer heat and humidity. Most of the races around here in the summer are 5k races until September. Too hot and dangerous. Our running group has a get-together this evening at a local watering hole...should be fun and I've met some great new friends and running buddies I hope to see again on the trails. There is also a group that runs trail runs on Tuesdays, 1-3 miles, from now thru October, so that is a good thing to do. Anele, so glad you are noticing progress. Normally you'll notice some change in 2 weeks and big changes in 4 weeks, so am really happy for you that you've stuck to your plan. Hope you have a wonderful vacation and can work in some exercise, even in 10-15 minutes here and there per day, to keep it going. I've read that those intervals do just as much good as long workouts. Oh yes, forgot to mention...I treated myself to a day off today and had a massage. Sometimes you just have to do things for yourself as I'm sure you've all figured out. We had the family over for dinner last night and celebrated DH's birthday too. So it was good to have another day to recuperate after a busy weekend!