Yes, I think your right, at most I think the phal I took back just needed more light. I read a post that said you could spray 70% rubbing rubbing alcohol on the leaves and 35% (one to one dilution) on the flowers. I've checked daily and haven't seen any more, but I have the alcohol ready just in case! Also, I noticed that the new one I bought has a smaller crown under the bigger crown with a stem and flowers. I'm assuming that this is 2 plants in one container? (I'm really not observant!) It looks healthy so I guess it will be ok for a few months until the flowers die and its time to repot. So today at a study break, I went to a local garden store and was surprised to see 6 or 7 pathetic looking phals. Only 2 had tags which sucked because the one I wanted had dead dark purple flowers but I didn't know what it was!!! They did have a phal wedding promenade a/tags that needed to be rescued. It was in soaking wet moss and had spots on the flowers from some type of bug. I also saw a spider one one of the phals. They wanted $8 for one, but for all the work and supplies that I would need and don't have yet, I think I'll just save my $8. Plus I should probably work on keeping my 2 healthy phals alive before branching out and saving one! still tempting...... and I might be able to be talked into buying it if the roots haven't rotted away

My grapefruit seeds appear to be doing well. They've grown little roots and they're pushing themselves up and out of the soil. One looks like it already has a bit of a stem structure. Anyone got an idea of how warm these should be. Our days range from 70-90 degrees. I know they grow well in states like Florida so I'm assuming this temperature range is okay. I also have questions on tomato plants. I put several seeds in a dish (not hoping for much) and they've grown very well. However, I planted them all in a very tight group. Obviously there's no hope of separating them without killing them. Do I cut the stems of the ones I don't want or will they work it out via survival of the fittest? Thanks again.

Eric, Robert and I use two different soil mixtures, one known as the gritty mix and the other one is the 5 1 1. If you search on gardenweb 1:1:1, or Al's gritty and 5:1:1 mix you'll find both. The gritty mix is not recommended, if you're the type who travels a lot, as the plants might need daily fertigating (fertilize+irrigate) in the heat of summer. It is basically equal amounts of fine bark fines / crushed stone and turface passed thru a 1/4 inch sifter. The 5:1:1 is easier to make and more moisture retentive. It's 5 parts of fine bark fines, 1 part peat moss, 1 part perlite. You can easily buy a small bag of repti bark at the pet store and make it. If you want to go the super easy way, do as Robert says or go for the cactus mix. You can attach your pots to railing, with some twine or some galvanized wire, so it won't fly away. Good luck and have fun.

After my last post I thought I would just move on to Shade gardening and stay there. I have a rather large shade garden, if it grows in the shade and is hardy to MN zn 3/4 I have at least two varieties of it. Hosta are certainly the MAIN event, but not all there is for me. Phil,inlimbo,I am glad to hear not everyone here are exclusively hosta growers. Esther I planted a ginko then a small heart shaped leafed hosta one after the other along a boarder. I have Fringe Benefit, Fire and Ice and Golden tiara behind them in a row, spaced several yards apart for growth. I expected the back row would remain larger than the front row. The ginko and unnamed hosta were very small, one-three eyes when I planted the border. I expected the ginko and the green hosta to grow at similar rates. The un-named green one grows like crazy. I could divide it every year and it still surpasses the ginko. As I think about it its leaf is the same shape/size Golden Tiara is... Anyway I was wondering if there is a way now that I have the colors all spread about as I want them (if I have planted and moved a hosta once I have moved it TEN times...) if there is a way to keep them balanced size wise larger to the back etc. I read all of Ken and your posts, I thought I had the size deal figured out but my hosta keep growing and growing and it feels like one day SOON they will all be the same size. I know I need to post pictures. After what happened to Ken I need to TAKE pictures so I have them at least....