i bought m. cumingii a few months ago and also decided to roll over the dice and pick up the seeds they are arrived with. i squeezed the seed casing just as everyone did in the surface of the sterilized medium i used and sprayed deionized water each watering schedule. but because i became too busy with school, i forgot to maintain the moisture in their environmeent and forfeited the idea of propagating them. i also got a m. speciosa and decided to propagate it by stem cuttings and failed miserably, then settled to repot it and washed off the soil from its root system.(it's too bad that after that it promptly died because i disturbed its roots.) but that never ended there and i blood-mindlessly jerked another one, which is a m. myriantha. this time, i decided to use the cheapest, most reliable, and most water retentive medium, which is coco dust, and cautiously and quickly did i took it off its previous pot. now resting under the shade of my humble queen sago cycad, that small, compact, barely 1 foot tall m. myriantha has more than 15 racemes and still pushing growth.(if not for the cursed mealy bugs, it would have more.) and the m. cumingii is growing uncontrollably. (i've heard tell it grows as a small tree in the wild.) i consider the medinilla do best in larger pots despite their nature in the wild as i observe from the ones i have without disregarding the environment where they are in. (though, they are relatively new to me.)

Hi Barbiekj1 It is pleasing indeed to think that someone even read our comments and delightful too think that they may have gained some benefit from our experience. It is some time since I was in contact with Kit. Australia's horrendous bushfire season early last year, followed by the Covid 19 outbreak has caused many of us to become deeply engrossed in our own world. But our worries here in Australia seem very trivial compared with those currently facing the United States. As a keen gardener myself I am reinvigorated by the knowledge that despite the difficulties facing you, that you are still able to show some concern for your environment. Jolting myself back to Medinilla, I am a little concerned about your need to move your Medinilla plants indoors. Some years back I wrote a book on the topic of growing Australian native plants indoor, as house plants. The most suitable plants to use indoors are generally those normally found growing in lower lit environments such as rainforests and jungles. The problem is, that the two most critical environmental factors for plants are the two that are least well understood by most gardeners. Those factors are light and humidity. Plants have a sensitivity to light which closely parallels our own sensitivity to temperature. A plant located close to a brightly lit window generally receives adequate light to maintain the production of essential sugars through the process of photosynthesis. But move that plant across the room and while we may hardly discern a change in light levels, the plant may be effectively have been moved into darkness. It may begin to shed lower leaves which, being now unable to receive sufficient light for photosynthesis have become redundant. At the same time, any new growth will probably be small and extended, with long stems between pairs of leaves as the plant stretches out to find more light. In the forest this would equate to an effort to reach the forest canopy where there is more light. Artificial lighting is possible, but plants do best in light closer to the light blue or ultraviolet spectrum. The best we offer is usually cool fluorescent lighting. But even these lights need to be very close to the plants. Of course it is important to keep the leaves free of dust which may impede what little light is available. Humidity is the other commonly unappreciated factor. Humidity levels in the rainforest may be as high as 90% or more. In a temporate climate such as California, daytime levels usually average 40% to 60%. Even deserts are not devoid of atmospheric moisture. Deserts commonly have humidity levels of 10% to 35%. But in our built environment the humidity is usually between 10% and 20%. This is way too low for most of the plants we like to have indoors. Short term measures such as keeping plants in a well lit bathroom, if not actually in the bath can help as will measures such as plant grouping and trays of moist gravel or similar. As usual I have prattled on longer than was perhaps wise. But I did so with good intent and the hope that my words my contain a glimpse of something you find useful. Regards, Vera

Hi Rina, thanks for the vote of confidence, I'll need it. On a brighter note I do have the Medinilla myriantha and its getting a couple of buds! This variety doesn't have the gorgeous bracts like the 'magnifica' though...just the berries but its still very pretty just the same :o)

I wish I had the answer for you...I've had some issues ( similar but different) that some of my magnifica leaves had also. I sprayed mine with Bonide all season horticultural oil. Unfortunately, a few weeks go after I watered it I accidentally left it in full sun for a few hours and sunburned a lot of the leaves...**sigh** its in the shade now but a lot of the leaves shriveled up and has fallen off. The hort. oil has helped but not sure if that is what you are dealing with? Have you seen any bugs on yours?