There are many products on the market that claim 'neem' as an ingredient. Often, the 'neem' is combined with other insecticides and a vehicle that makes emulsification and thus delivery/application easier. If these products have used neem oil that was altered or obtained by a process other than cold-pressing, the value or effectiveness of the essential ingredient azadirachtin has likely been reduced or negated entirely. I have read reports in these & other forums about growers using products like Bio-Neem by Bonide (and others) and having less than what they consider stellar results, while I continue to use the cold-pressed product, such as is produced by Dyna-Gro, with what I consider very safe and very good results. Remember that neem oil doesn't deliver a huge initial knockdown punch, but it IS a powerful antifeedant and chemosterilizer, rendering current generations unable to feed or progress through metamorphic stages to adulthood, and rendering adults sterile. Cold-pressed neem oil is excellent on mites & works initially in the same way as hort oils work, with the added benefits of the other properties already noted. This from a recent post @ another forum site: "As I consider the prophylactic use of any insecticide, including systemics, I guess I have to say that about the only compound that fits that description for me is neem oil. I over-winter around 100 tropical plants (most are normally grown as houseplants, but my focus is on bonsai) under lights in my basement. About 2 weeks before bring them in, I apply neem oil - then again a day or two before I bring them in. Normally these applications keep insect levels in check all winter, though I may see some scale or mite populations appearing toward winter's tail. If it gets too bad, I'll do a neem application & hold out until I get the plants outdoors where the increase in the plant's metabolism and thus natural defenses, along with the increase in beneficial predators, usually completely eliminates the trouble. The bio-compounds plants use to repel plants are a by-product of the plant's metabolism. Plants with high energy reserves and plants growing with good vitality are much better protected 'naturally' from insect predation, which is why plants in low light and those that are just limping along are far more likely to be troubled by insects. I very often diagnose the occurrence of insect infestations as the end product of poor cultural conditions, and the greatest, most frequent offender is a poor soil." I'm not implying you're using a poor soil; I know you're not, but others might wish to consider the corollary. Al

My first tip would be don't fall into the trap of thinking you need all these miracle products, the only thing that will do is put you in debt. All you really need is good, healthy, nutrient rich soil with a complete soil foodweb. Me and a lot of people achieve this by merely topdressing a couples inches of compost annualy, while keeping your gardens mulch(mulch breaks down into compost and fertilizer). You dont need any expensive product in a bottle, what you need is good homeade compost and mulch. A soil test will tell you if you need to add anything, but i would just an inch or two compost and mulch until you get the results of the soil test. The test will tell you to add synthetic fertilizers(non organic) for whatever you are deficienct in(if even anything), you dont have to add those synthetic fertilzers though, you could go with organic alternatives. For example, instead of usong STEM(Soluble trace element mix) you could use azomite(crushed rock, or kelp seaweed). Your question about fertilizing seedlings.. Seedlings dont need fertilizer until they are around a month old. If the seedling is in your gardens mineral soil(sand,silt, clay), then your seedlings definetely dont need fertilizer, they can obtain it from the soil. How do you think nature grows plants, she arent spoon feeding it chemicals, she is merely dropping leaves, and other organic matter on a continuis basis. I try and imitate that for my garden. Neem oil is an organic alternative to other harmful insecticides, etc. i never used it, never needed it. But, some people really like it.. I would always go with a less toxic, safer alternative than glyphosate and stuff like that.. Dont get fooled into buying all these products, all you might need is a little compost, leaves, and hard work! Get a soil test to rest assured, and look for organic alternatives to the products the soil tests tells you. It's really that simple! Don't get overwhelmed! Best of luck!

Paperwhite, I have guvar seeds -it is a nylon (?) variety, I brought from India in 1999. The seeds are stored dessicated in a refrigerator and have 30-40% germination. My seeds were started in peat pots before going in the garden. I am afraid I have planted them very close (For Tindolas, best bet is to sart from a root cutting. This is my first year for tindola. I discovered an almost dry, abandoned cutting languishing in a dark spot behind a motel. With great difficulty I have nursed it back to life. Now it has the first green twigs with small leaves. Hopefully it will mature during this season such that I can share cuttings with friends. Later in the season I will try to air-layer well -established shoots. I am a newbie at propagating plants & therefore would like to know more about how to multiply tindola plant.

I love Fort Worth! I have been to Texas many times, my grandmother lived there when her family first came to the US and I have some relatives there. My son just got a job in Austin, he's 23 and it is a great place for someone his age to live. I was there a few years ago, going to visit again in the fall... When I lived in TX in the early 80's, I got a job working in a greenhouse at a maternity hospital, I believe it was a place where the patients were all unwed mothers. Anyway, they had this little greenhouse where they grew all kinds of stuff both for office bulidings and to sell, I worked part time with the owner, just taking care of all the plants. I already knew alot about plants from my mom, but I learned alot more at that job. She had 2 big hanging hoyas, a tricolor and the plain green carnosa, for me it was love at first sight! When I left TX, I went to Florida first where I gave my aunt the tricolor cuttings and kept the green for me. A few years later here in NJ I bought an unlabeled Pubicalyx Pink Silver...It was years before any of them bloomed, I never thought they would unless kept in a greenhouse, but I love the way they look even with no flowers so I didn't care. Then I was dusting one day and found a whole peduncle cluster about to open on my Pink Silver, which was in a pot on top of the TV...I screamed, I was so excited! My boyfriend came running to see what was the matter, of course he did not understand but I know you all do. And then, of course, when I got a computer, I went crazy with the hoyas!