Hi Al/plantcrazed/et. al., I thought I should come back and share some results from my "experiment" that I started at the end of April. The controls in my little trial were almost non-existent, but I think that actually makes the results more relevant to me and my growing conditions (and hopefully others will get something from this too). Back in April I got an order of leaves of 19 varieties of AVs. 14 came as pairs of leaves, so I decided to try growing them in different media. As I described in my post in mid-May, 14 leaves went in 100% vermiculite and 19 leaves in 100% turface fines (the smaller stuff left over after sifting for other mixes). The planting tray is an old kit I had leftover from years ago that has a clear cover for germinating/propagating. I had grand plans to carefully measure watering, leaf condition, first sign of roots/new leaves, etc. (like a good experimenter would), but the same day I planted the leaves my toddler ended up in the ER, kicking off several weeks of stress and doctor's visits, not to mention usual life events and adventures when working full time and caring for a small child. My plant care regimen settled in to, basically, watering when I noticed they looked dry. After the plantlets started to appear I took the covers off the trays, but otherwise I've just watered and left them under fluorescent lights and hoped for the best. Here are my results. Vermiculite 4 have plantlets, all of which seem to be growing alright 5 are mostly-dead or all-dead 1 formed a nice-looking plantlet that subsequently died, tho the leaf is still there and has roots 4 have roots but no sign of new leaves (yet?) Turface fines all 19 leaves are still alive 16 have multi-leaf plantlets 1 has a new leaf just beginning to appear 2 are strongly rooted and some gentle investigation revealed new leaves that just haven't broken the surface yet (I had just finished watering when I took this photo, which is why the turface shows wet and dry spots. This is what my usual watering of this tray looks like) A few other observations: the leaves of the new plants in the vermiculite are larger than any in the turface the leaves of the new plants in the turface are much smaller, but there are many of them, they are a strong green colour, and have a vital appearance (my experience tells me these are stronger plants than in the vermiculite) one variety was not in very good shape when it arrived. I considered complaining to the store owner about the quality, but see above re: bigger life priorities right now. That variety didn't survive more than a few days in the vermiculite. The leaf just rotted away. In the turface, it slowly rotted up the stem towards the leaf, but then rooted from the remaining piece of leaf and now has a lovely little plant growing: What these results say to me is that, for my horrible, neglectful treatment of these leaves, the turface was a better growing medium. I'm sure Al or Kevin/ewwmayo would have the correct terms for the properties of the two media, but I would say it seemed like the vermiculite contributed to a less stable environment - it went from a soggy mess when I watered to very dry, very quickly - and the turface was much more stable and allowed these poor things to survive despite my neglect. I've read some of the very lengthy threads about the properties of the various gritty mix ingredients and it makes sense to me that a plant like an AV that doesn't like to dry out but also hates being soggy would appreciate the turface's qualities of holding water but allowing for drainage and air movement through the medium. I think from now on the turface fines will be my preferred method for starting AV leaves (and likely other similar plants like episcias or begonias). I also moved two other AVs (a standard and a mini) into a modified gritty mix (1:1:1, but perlite in place of bark). So far nothing meaningful to report, though neither plant has bloomed and the mini seems to be happier than the standard. But with my neglect of the plants lately I don't think these results are meaningful, beyond saying that AVs can actually survive in the gritty mix even with an inconsistent and sub-optimal care routine. If there's anything interesting to report as these AVs continue to grow and I pot them up (likely into a gritty mix of some sort), I'll be sure to come back with an update. I would happily accept comments/questions/criticisms of my results, but please be kind in your criticisms of my care routine. I might be bad with my plants, but this little one is thriving: Thanks everyone, Melanie

It has been about a month... did you take any before and after pictures to see any differences? It's hard to see changes when something is growing fairly slowly and there are lots of leaves to notice. Here is my AV (i took a lot of leaf cuttings from it, so it's regrowing). The first pic was the day I put it under lights, and the second pic is 16 days later... yes, there has been a color change, I guess from the different kind of light. It used to be in a south-west facing window. I use the Schultz AV food you describe everytime I water. I think it ends up being about 3-4 drops in a standard size water bottle. I mix it up and have that bottle on hand anytime I need to water.

Thanks for the follow ups, really good information. I'll try to address each comment and ask some more questions. fluffybunnysui: The 1st contractor called me last night to ask about what I was thinking about doing to fix it. I told them I had a 2nd contractor come out and test it and told me the expansion valve. 1st contractor said that they determined it WAS NOT the expansion valve because they blocked off one side of the flow at/on the compressor, and the bypass valves opened and it couldn't suck the pressure all the way down.(I don't really understand how it works, I have replaced Automobile A/C but just followed basic instructions.) 2nd part: Both contractors said that they *think* the evap coil is icing up. Because we could turn the unit off for hours, let it melt, and then it would blow really cold again for a short time. Unfortunely for me, I had to leave the house today and go to work in a different city for the week. I can't spray the unit off, and my wife doesn't feel confident doing it, but the 1st contractor is due out to the house later today. thanks. Jack Mason: thanks, the 2nd contractor did show me their pricing on new units. Said $2,899 for a new evap coil and all related work. $4,600 for a 12 SEER outside unit. (my system is a 14 SEER I believe). Reading the link you provided now. thanks. Heatseeker: I don't know what refrigerant is used in my system. A quick web search points to R-410A. The unit is a Carrier unit, Model: 24ABA430A300 Serial # 4506E08945

Update: Mac's is picking up it's leaves a bit already, and the Trinidad II (pictured only in the tub and on table, not listed in the OP) seems less "squished" in the center of the crown. The rest are... well they're trying their best. It's only been four days so I'm hopeful. The Ness' still looks wilted and droopy and the "sunburned" optimara (I don't know what kind it is) is still crinkled up and sad looking. The Dark Kiss baby looks like it's making new leaves, so maybe it'll be ok. The baby optimara don't seem to be recovering from their brown rings just yet, but I'm giving them more time. One hasn't changed but the other is starting to curl up where the brown patches are and the brown part seems soft. Not sure what's going on, but I'm just going to be patient with them (since it hasn't been that long).