"1. the window in my room has a draft; is it ok to keep the plant in a corner under one of those new energy-saving white light bulbs, which is cold and pretty bright?" I don't know. As long as it's getting some amount of natural light it should be okay. Mine's not getting great light, and it's the only thing that grows consistently during the winter months. It seems like they can adjust to light differences fairly well but don't like having to re-adjust, so I wouldn't move it around much. How cold are you talking, by the way? "2. Watering advice is conflicting; some places say that soil has to dry between waterings, others advise to always keep it moist." Let it dry. These things rot out fast. "3. there are 4 thick trunks in a small pot. Is it ok to separate them? Any tricks to do it with minimal root damage?" Wouldn't know. Mine came with five stalks. I killed four by not letting the pot dry down between waterings. From what I've heard, though, they like being pot-bound and they don't like being messed with.

The first 3 pictures are our Ming Aralia - Polyscias fruticosa. This was an HD plant we grew in a pot on the patio until it got too big - about half its current size of almost five feet tall. It's been in the ground for 3 years and was in the pot 3 years. Notice how the Yucca has claimed the space. This and all 4 of our 'Aralias' are on the north side of the garden and have withstood all three hurricanes with minimal damage. The next two picture are False Aralia - Schefflera elegantissima. This one came from Boynton Botanicals, who grow some of the largest I've ever seen, about 8 years ago. It was in a pot for two years and then moved into this spot. It's now 10' tall and you can see the differences in the old versus the new growth. This has bloomed every year for the past three. This is an Aralia I got from Jerry at TreeZoo last spring. It's doubled in height since going in the ground. I don't know the genus or species. And this one has been in this pot less than a year. Neat cup-shaped leaf. From HD and it's doubled size as well.

I also just bought a ming from Home Depot and I love it. I needed a full looking office plant for in my cube to sit behind my monitor in the corner. There is lots of fluorescent lighting above and it catches maybe a little bit of indirect natural lighting through the windows a few aisles over (i have the ming propped up a bit and peeks over the wall about 6-7 inches). I was also confused about how much light this plant would need so i purchased the Miracle grow plant food spikes and stuck a few in. I was hoping that would help give it nutrients. I am noticing what you guys were talking about how it turns yellowish and starts to shed. Perhaps it is also adjusting. Any tips on using the miracle grow? The yellowing started to happen about a week after i stuck the sticks in. overall it looks good, dry in some areas and i am watering it about every other day, just a little but on top to keep the soil cold and only slightly damp. on the weekend i moved it to the confrence room to get more light, and coming back this monday, is when i saw the most damaging.. maybe i'll leave ming ming in the same spot over the weekends too??

Does anyone have this plant who could send me rooted cuttings or seeds? In exchange I have corms of bletilla striata (Chinese ground orchid - both white and pink types), hakea seeds, rose scented geranium. Otherwise I'm quite happy to pay you for the cuttings. Cheers, Tomas tomasflamenco@gmail.com