In my experience the back-ability of tow vehicle and trailer is dependent on the distance from the back wheel of the vehicle to the ball divided by the distance from the ball to the wheels on the trailer (single axel) or Vehicle/trailer. As that fraction approaches zero the trailer will become very easy to back. If it goes greatly over 1 then the trailer will become impossible to back. With an 18 wheeler that ratio is probable about 0.2. Watch a truck driver back the trailer into impossible places. Compare that to backing a 4' utility and a normal car where the ratio could be as high as 1.0

If you were asking about the variegation on Champagne Pink (very pretty indeed!), that is called crown variegation, occasionally called Champion Crown variegation because Ethel Champion had many plants with it. Champagne Pink (7945) 10/08/1993 (S. Sorano) Double light pink pansy. Crown variegated green, white and pink, plain, ovate. Semiminiature trailer Mosaic variegation is different does not just appear in the crown area. Ethel Champion had some nice mosaics too. It's not a Champion, but Witch Doctor is an excellent and common example of a plant with mosaic variegation. Pacific Pearl is listed as longifolia. I had it at one time but don't remember anything about it. Maybe there was something wrong with it; I did get some bad things around that time. It's also a miniature. My search in FC2 for a trailer with mosaic foliage only found 2 and I've never heard of either of them. I was curious because I couldn't think of any. (Lisa Logan and Queensland Blue) Diana

HI Judy Your plants are very pretty. (So is Sue's RamblingDots) The fact that you have named hybrids of trailers makes a difference, because you can look them up on the internet or forums like this to learn what the hybridizers intended for their growth pattern. My guess is that because they were specially hybridized, they probably won't get too out of control. Sounds like they are becoming a specialty for you. As you noted, the genetics of trailers are all a little different, so their care might vary from plant to plant. Their genetic heritage is more complex than for plants that grow in the round. Karin has shared a lot on this forum about her experiences with trailers. I believe she also said the "yield" was enormous! There are other forums and blogs where members have experience. One is called African Violet Nerds. Also, there is a blog called Fuzzy Foliage that is fun to read. And another group, called Violet Reflections. There are others, too. Because I don't try to grow trailers anymore and gave mine all away, I did not read up on them too much. The ones I had were NOIDS and just too out of control for what I wanted. The ones I had were all given to me, so they were vigorous growers or else the people who gave them would not have had slips to give away. In fact, two of them were grown outdoors by their owners. (One was an orchid trailer.) When they got too big for my space, I took several to the office. They are happily growing and cascading down the sides of computer tops or filling in huge window sills of my office buddies who love all the greenery. Joanne

The trouble with charging batteries off of the truck charging system is that the battery chemistry of the batteries changes the float voltage. A gel cell battery should have a float voltage of about 13.4 V, AGM 13.5 and flooded-cell 13.8. Your truck probably has a flooded-cell starting battery and the voltage regulation is tailored to that. Overcharging or chronically undercharging batteries will seriously shorten their life. In addition, the charge rate of gelled batteries needs to be externally controlled, not voltage-controlled. Do you really have a gel-cell battery? It will likely be damaged by the tow vehicle starter battery charging system. Your use of the term "trickle charge" is confusing. Do you have a charger of some sort of these batteries or are they just hooked up to the tow vehicle's charging system? If the latter, this is not a trickle charge. (Do you have the right fuses in place? I hope so or you could easily make smoke and damage your property.) One diode-type isolator for each battery or shared? One should work. Again, what kind of batteries? The diode in the isolator will drop the voltage about 0.3V, IIRC. If you are isolating AGM batteries, lucky you, that drops the voltage about the right amount for battery health. If you have flooded batteries, you will undercharge them. If gel, you will overcharge them. Check with the battery manufacturers. The easiest thing for you to do would be one of two things, if you only do day trips, charge the batteries when you get home. This may not be legal or the brake battery, but I really have no idea about those regs. The other is to use two flooded batteries and hook them up to your charging system with suitable wires and fuses. You might want to use an isolation relay. If you want to use sealed batteries, get two AGM batteries and use a diode-type battery isolator or build your own.