FPT. It's too bad your marginata had/s Scale. Unless your other plants have bugs, scale/eggs were probably on the plant when purchased. BTW, did you isolate your marginata? I don't know if you want to spend time ridding scale, return or replace with variegated marginata. ???? People here have different methods ridding insects. Some work, some do not. There are two things I do to prevent/kill insects. I dislike chemicals, avoid using as much as possible. Therefore, my plants are sprayed w/a home-made insecticide. Since your plant has scale, I'll explain what I do to rid and avoid those brats! lol Did you ever hear of Fish Emulsion? FE is an organic fertilizer, high in N. It also works, as an insecticide, by spraying foliage. Kills Scale, big time. The owner of a Citrus Nursery in FL once told me they spray their trees w/FE as a Scale preventative. Because my plants never had scale, I half-listened. lol. Then, in 1999, I ordered an Olive Tree. On Day 2 while misting plants, I noticed a brown bump on an olive leaf. I approached the Olive, and discovered, not one, but hundreds of brown bumps. That's when it hit me...SCALE! I immediately phoned the Citrus nursery owner, asking the proper dossage of FE and water. (BTW, olive was purchased elsewhere.) She said, one capful of FE to approximately 16oz water. I mixed FE and water in a 16oz spray bottle, shook thoroughly and sprayed away. 1-2 days later, all signs of scale were gone. A week or two later, 'can't recall,' I applied a second application. FPT, I swear to God, since that day, my plants never contrated scale again. Ever. 2. Every 2-wks during winter, my plants are sprayed w/natural ingredients such as garlic, hot pepper, citrus rind and a few other things. Once a month FE is added to other ingredients, then sprayed. Works like a charm. Forgot to mention. The Olive tree sat between two Citrus trees. Citrus closest branches were loaded w/scale. The morning I sprayed olive tree, neighboring plants were entirely sprayed, too. Can't hurt, right? And, while spraying leaves to rid insects, the plant is also foliar fertilized. The only con about FE is an odor. It has a fishy smell that lasts 2-3 days indoors. There is an odor-less type, but I've never used it so can't comment. Fish Emulsion cost is about 7.99 for a 32oz bottle. Good luck, Toni

Leaning toward Murphy, and I love Finlay (actually he's a bit more of a Finney, I'll have to look and see what that means), but Reuben, Gabe and Leo are still in the running. Sorry, we have a Bailey in the family, also an April, Abby, Tommy, Ki (Kiowa), Bart, Gus, Henry, Babe, Chase, Chance, Jake, Marley, Max, Hannah and last but not least, Thud. (close friends and family). And I have had a Boomer, Brie, Rhett, Peach and Grace, may they all be happy in the big field in the everafter. This little guy will have a name by the end of the weekend, though he responds pretty promptly to "puppy! puppy! puppy! come!". Thanks all, I'm in heaven :) Keep those names comin' Sarah

hanz - I potted mine up in a dry mix. It was bone dry when it arrived, so I did mist it a bit after potting - something I usually do not do with cacti, but I noticed the orangey foliage in the center. So, I thought it would be okay to give it a really small drink, considering the free-draining mix it is in. It is now in a south facing window...gets pretty sunny there, should I protect it a bit? That window is where I have most of my C and S, so I thought it would be okay. Are these guys a little light sensitive? Thanks. T

Ok, here are the pics I promised, and Ill link you to the rest of the album at the end of this post. Im only gonna post the pics of my lil trachy in here. First is just the latest shot of the whole thing. Not too much difference really, but there are 3 new leaves. Pic 1: This next pic is is looking down the center. you can see the new leaves, and how they look different from the older / outer leaves. Pic 2: In this next pic, I took at at an angle, so the two leaves that are coming into the photo from the bottom right towards to top left diagonally. The leaf that is behind ( the older leaf) as you can see is darker green, and much more narrow, and the leaflets folded nearly close, compared to the lower, brighter, wider leaf in front of it. That older leaf is the one that is blocking a clear view of the chair in the center of the photo. Pic 3: In this last pic, the 3 new leaves are clearly visible as well. The two leaves in the very center of the pic facing the camera are the focus of this pic. The leaf that appears to be lower, is the 2nd newest leaf, as you can tell since it is shorter, yet still it has opened. You can see the 3rd and newest leaf opening down in the middle Behind the 2nd newest leaf, is another older leaf, and here too you can clearly see the difference. the older leaf in the back ground in the center is narrower and its "leaflets" are more folded closed. So those were the difference I was talking about, they seem to be similar to the difference in your leaves, but yours may be more dramatic since your palm appears to be slightly older/ larger. What do ya think?