Well Gang, May I pls. be the voice of caution here & while I wish both your Serpens to recover, I encourage taking healthy cuttings now (just in case). Unfortunately, I lost this Hoya to this kind of ailment several yrs. ago. When I first got it, a couple of bits broke off & I sent them to Ooojen along w/ some other plants. She since posted that it's grown on for her to the point of even blooming! She's even offered me some of it back which I do plan on taking her up on, I'm just a bit too chicken___ abt it still. Mine had been a quick favorite in a pretty big full pot (6" maybe) & I loved it dearly, very cool texture & sort of dainty look abt it. She's the only one I know of who seems to be able to grow this w/out much trouble. I think I'll go over to Houseplants & ask her to come here to share some tips w/ all of us. Pls. check back in case she stops by to help. (PG) Karen

one would presume that if something chewed/dug off all its roots.. it might be suffering ... you put more fert on this thing.. than i have in 10 years on 6 clems ... on glacial sand ... not much to go on here.. how about a pic ... have you ever had a soil test????... does your soil dictate this much fertilizer love??? ken

The gnats are in the Miracle Grow potting mix. It is a problem this year. If you google "miracle grow gnats" you will get 18,700 hits and a day's worth of reading about people being really pissed off about it. The pro mix has no nutritive value afaik; it's just peat, vermiculite, perlite, and the usual other odds and ends. It's a growing medium, not soil. Thus it must be supplemented by fertilizer when you get some true leaves or soon thereafter. The mg potting mix slow release fertilizer you're using on the up-potted plants is not going to be sufficient. A low-key fertilizer like diluted organic fish fertilizer, diluted to half the recommended strength, wouldn't burn the seedlings. Definitely do not want to use full strength or non-organic fertilizer at this stage. Anyway as others have already noted you are killing them with kindness; you gotta cut the watering back radically. my seedlings are 14 days old and have gotten 1.5 cups of warm water per 72-cell tray, once. They are slightly slightly moist but pretty dry, and the plants like it that way.

Linda... I am not one of the plumeria experts, but my first thought, is that a plant that has been in the same pot for a few years is going to experience stress. No matter what the problem is, I would be looking at getting your plant in a larger pot. Where do you live? I am in South Florida, zone 10, and wouldn't hesitate to transplant now. If I were in New York, I'd let it go dormant and transplant in the spring. I also wonder what size pot it is in, and what your watering/fertilizing routine is. I could be barking up the wrong tree here, so don't stop looking for a definitive answer. If you would like, email me, and I will share an email address with you that may help. Bob