Hi Ron, I've only been growing violets for 33 years so you've got me by a few years. I've relocated 5 times. I agree with you about keeping everything clean. Where we live has much to do about the culture we can provide our plants. I know what you mean about thrips, but to be honest, I haven't had them in 9 years. We do have a rash of red spiders each spring, but even if they make it into my growing room they are easy enough to eliminate. I really think that removing the roots and soil a plant arrives in does lots to elimate thrips! I sort of agree with Irina about soil mealy eggs though. I think they can stay dormant for years, and then they just show up. They do show up unexpectedly for me from time to time, but are easy enough to control with marathon. Wish, I hope you are taking this all in. I read the whole thread again tonight, rather than just the replies. And feel I do have to reply to question 5. Horticultural charcoal is good to add to your mix, but make sure to sterilize your mix by baking it if you do. Charcoal does remove impurities, but it can also hold fungus and mold spores and release them into the mix unless you take the proper steps. I use charcoal, and some dolomite lime in my mix, because we have acidic water where I live. Russell

There is a long way to go before you even start thinking about pruning and overwintering, enjoy your plants for the rest of the growing season without that worry. If you feel that your plant is in need of repotting I would use the 'pot-in-pot' method as described in the link below. If you have the plants in a shaded place they will benefit from an overhead spray with clear water a couple of times a day. Another thing worth mentioning is that your plants could be stood on a bed of gravel which you could water and improve the humidity around your plant. You need to stop the plants (take out the growing tips) to increase the bushiness of the plants and therefore increase the flower power, although flowering will be delayed depending on the type. By dead-heading the plants and making sure that you remove the seed pods when you do this you will have a steady continuous flow of flowers over a long period of time. Hope this helps. Tight.... Here is a link that might be useful: 'pot in pot'

I repot my plants when they need more space and that could be any time of year but I do use artificial light as well so they grow on and off all year. If the plant is badly in need of new potting mix don't worry about the timing. I find that newly repotted Hoyas can stop growing above the soil for a while but it usually means that they are growing new roots. Working with plants is best done during the daylight hours. Plants do sleep so they are best not disturbed at night. There was a great show on last Friday called In The Mind Of Plants where a Japanease scientist demonstrated that plants die if they are deprived of sleep. There was also reference to material that was included in The secret Life of Plants which is a very cool book about plants. The movie version has music by Stevie Wonder! Mike Here is a link that might be useful: The secret Life of PLants video !

Sarah, There's a good pictorial on another thread about repotting. As esox07 said, if you have the space, don't trim when you repot. As the plants get less sunlight and temps go down, they'll shed leaves. In my experience, trimming the crown somewhat will encourage new growth in overwinters, provided your storage temps are over 65 degrees. I keep my GH at 55-60 degrees which encourages dormancy. Thicker stems and branching result from a crown trim also. As out winters are relatively short compared to other areas, you may be able to set the plants out again in March to take full advantage of direct sunlight. Don't know what your planting medium is, but Miracle Grow works fine with all my overwinters and peppers that I grow only in pots. Just remove both plants carefully with as much as the root ball as possible, and put it in a larger container with some soil on the bottom. Pack more around the inside too. Water it well. It shouldn't go into shock as you aren't disturbing the roots. You'll probably break a few branches off when you are working with it, but they'll grow back. BTW, go over to Fiesta on IH35 & Airport Blvd. and check out their fresh and pickled peppers from all around the world. Pick up a bunch of epazote and try it out. It's an alternative to cilantro with an interesting flavor. There's all kinds of stuff there. I could wander around there for days and buy all kinds of crap. The "Great Outdoors" over on South Congress always has a good selection of super-hots and other peppers. After you get through plant shopping, walk up to El Gallo and get a good Tex Mex meal with plenty of good cervesa frio. They have breakfast on weekends too. Good menudo and barbacoa...