Pollinating the pepper plant with Q-tips is overkill. Peppers and tomatoes are not bee-pollinated, so all you need do (if anything at all) is to give the flowering plants a tap around noontime. I brought in four pepper plants last fall (all over a year old by now), and though I rarely even did this, I had more peppers than I could use this winter. Granted, I wasn't making stuffed peppers or the like. Flowering didn't occur the first month indoors (perhaps due to the potting process), but after that, flowering was continuous. I don't think there is anything in particular you need to do to "perennialize" a pepper; nature has already made it so. All you have to do is keep it alive, same as any other perennial plant.

BTW, for anyone thinking about whacking their P.Afra - I ran it by Jim Smith. Basically, he confirmed that they will come back like gangbusters, growing conditions considered (he was careful to keep saying "in his growing conditions" - aka Florida). That said, he was not a fan of selective hardpruning - he said you should keep a balanced approach, i.e., prune the entire tree back hard, not a branch or two. He felt that, if you are selective, you put those branches in jeopardy, and they may not survive. Does this also apply to these techniques with crassula? Tom

Sorry about the Pachy confusion..Actually, I meant Pachypodium seeds..the species is P. lealii. Warmth and Superthrive hastened germination. I've sown other Pachypodiums before, under lights and heat, yet they never sprouted this fast. Sage, when you say you water with a spritz of water, (soak a paper towel and squeeze) were you talking about seeds/seedlings? or mature succulents? Wannabe..you asked if Opuntia's are hardy, if you can keep outside year round. If Prickly Pear goes dormant, I don't think it's for long. Wannabe, it's best knowing which species you've got there..Seems to me Opuntias prefer cool temps, even as low as 30, but before planting them in the ground, find out which type/s you have, research and/or ask around. Google, purple leaf optunia, see what it says about your Prickly Pear. Where do you live, which state? One thing you can do is, say you get several of the same type. Plant a few in the garden when weather permits, and pot the others. After your pp matures, post pics or research opuntias. Some sites list numerous types/colors. Someone on Ebay had a purple leaf optunia on auction. I don't know if it's stil available, but when I check Ebay I'll see if I can find it..sellers usually list zones plants are hardy. Do you know your zone? There's an online nursery that sells cold-hardy cactus and succulents..Opuntias, Sedum/Hens & Chicks, etc. Hope I saved it to favorites..if I did, I'll post the name/addy. But it's important you know your zone. BTW, keep a journal. You don't have to buy anything expensive, even a notebook will do..Jot down name of plant, date sown, progress/date and height. It's so much easier going back to your notebook for info. I love my journal/s..lol.. I jot everything down. Places and dates plants and seeds are purchased. Size of plants upon arrival. Dates plants are fertilized, Superthrived, etc. Names and dates plants flower or berry. And so much more. It's really important when sowing seeds. Keeping track when you sowed, how long it took to germinate, size measured once a month or whenever you choose..One thing great about keeping a journal is going back to the beginning. Especially several years back. Good luck, Toni

Howdy! I did a year at U.C. Davis....the pollen and the humidity were intense ;-) The farmer's market should have a nice selection of plants. During the Summer, the temps range between 85F and 95F for the most part here, but we always have a couple weeks of 100F+ weather....those weeks are awful. I'm at 1600 feet elevation, so I don't quite get the higher elevation cooling effect. You guessed it - containers are moved into shade (mosaic sun) during the hot spells. I find that peppers don't really need full, unobstructed sun - just a few hours direct. I don't actually use any peat moss in my mixes - I use pumice and turface, which maintain structure far better. I'd rather water more often than have collapsing soil in the root-zone. I agree that it's great to have some "local" growers, so that we can compare notes and increase the knowledge base for others in our dry climate. Josh