If the student is young, I think a question on a forum that has a diverse group of participants makes sense - it takes time to learn about how plants perform in various environments and how various people respond to them. If the OP is young and starting out (not necessarily the case for that Diploma...), asking for opinions on a forum is probably the fastest way to expand their knowlege base on how plants perform in a wide variety of domestic gardens. And somebody young is probably very comfortable 'talking' on the computer and likely to turn to a computer conversation as one of the first options to consider.... (It was interesting how students reacted to the 'class participation forum' in the correspondence course I took last winter through the University of Guelph. The students ranged in age from 20s to 60s. I was disappointed that there wasn't as much discussion on the forum as I expected and asked the Prof. about it. She said that the older students tended to be uncomfortable with the whole written conversation format. It became very noticeable that, in general, the pattern of participation was pretty closely aligned with age - with some exceptions!)

how far from the lights ...??? how many lights... ???? and how much time have you given it... days??... weeks.. months???? has there been any new growth since ... is that growth tending toward the light??? if not.. its not close enough to the light ... i grown hosta indoors .... the lights are 2 inches from the leaf .. and must be checked every few days .... i would lower the lights incrementally to avoid burning the leafs .... i also use 4 standard 4 foot lights in two fixtures ... suspended with hardware chain to make them fully adjustable .... on hosta.. no effect with foo foo expensive bulbs .... its all about intensity .... think about it this way... you cant look a the sun ... but you can look at one bulb.. even 2 bulbs.. put 4 bulbs together... with reflector plates... and at least you are going to have to squint .... and if you move your eye.. AND PLEASE DONT... to 2 inches.. there will be intensity .... get what i mean .. and there should not be any diffuser between the plants and the light ... good luck ken

I used to follow the standard one-fits-all instructions when germinating cacti from seeds. Back then, I was unaware of the difficulties involved with peat-based soil, and later find it hard to follow-up on climate control while at work. The "Chain of events" had too many "weak links", such as forgetting to ventilate the seed tray, or forgetting to cover it afterwards, how fast should I reduce humidity, cats digging in the trays, and any other thing you guess is possible. As I re-potted cacti, I have found many small cacti just beneath the gravel mulch, and being amazed how easy and effortless that was, this has made me research on the subject. The cacti originate from seeds which fell-off from the mother plant and were left to grow on their own. This year is the first year I have re-potted a large number of cacti which I grew from seed using this technique. Next spring, I'm intending to try it on seeds which I've ordered, consisting of cacti for the time being. A small description of my climate: I live in a Mediterranean country, close to the sea, so temperatures are relatively stable: Winter temperatures have not gone below 37F (3C) as far as I remember, but hail happens. It is not a concern if you use the gravel mulch for the seedlings. Summer temperatures rarely surpass the 104F (40C), and mostly around 33F (91.4C). Rain falls in the winter, between end of September and early June. Cacti growers sow the seeds around May. About the technique: I find a 1:1 or 1:2 peat-to-sand as a good mix, and I include high-grade peat, just in case. I lay the seeds on the mix, then put the fine gravel on. The gravel is good for several reasons: Prevents the peat and sand mix from separating while irrigating, holds the seeds in place, protects seeds from birds, preserves moisture, prevents soil overheating and if you chose the right gravel, it may let in some light without full exposure. My gravel looks very much like alabaster, so it is translucent, but not completely transparent. From experience, seeds which fell-off to the ground in the summer have survived the rains in winter. This is fine as long as the seedlings do not germinate before frost begins in your area. In the summer, an occasional watering is just fine.The soil did dry-out between watering but they managed to grow. They grew even faster when I transplanted them, keeping the gravel mulch almost to the top. So the big question: Before I order more seeds, have you tried something like that on other succulents, like Euphorbias, Pachipodiums, Adeniums, crassulas and all other succulents? Did it work?

Yes: Probably a situation where you are trying to come up with something to furnish it in the first place because it is unsuitable for most kinds of under-planting. Some kinds of trees usually don't have anything growing underneath, gums (Eucalyptus) are an example. One large old one by itself may have other plants come in around it, but a grouping of several - especially if not particularly tall and old, as far as it goes - is likely to be pretty good at staving off competition.