I know this geranium was available last summer so I am just wondering if some GW members can comment on its growth and floriferousness.

Begonia, Repeat after me_I AM NOT SCARED!!! I swear plants know when you are afraid of them and will take every advantage to die on you. Confidence!!! Now on to your questions: Your soil mix is appropriate for wicking. Some people use a thinner wick for smaller plants and vice-versa. I do not. I like my reservoir go dry for a day or so before I re-fill it to let my plants dry a bit. If the plants become too dry, watering from the top will get the wick going again. You will have to experiment but as you are a confident plant person this will not scare you. Just stick your finger in the soil-if it's soaking, it's too wet but I don't think you'll have this problem. (Spraying the stem is unnecessary but not harmful). And you will have to pat your soil in somewhat. Just don't go at it like you're punching down bread dough. You do not need fancy grow lights. Go to HD and get a warm white and a cool white. Your fixture should have a reflector. (I have been using this combination since 1972.) I think the warm is labeled daylight or sunshine. If you want the reason for this, let me know. It's rather lengthy and it's very late so...you'll just have to trust me. (I can also rhapsody for quite a while on soil mixes in case you are interested). But...I digress...) I replace when my tubes get a dark ring around the ends, (very noticeable) or when growth and blooming start to slow. Be careful with new tubes. They are very strong in the beginning. As you have learned, plants of a genera are not all the same . Each cultivar and even each individual is different and will respond differently to your growing conditions. Just follow good AV growing practices and don't be afraid to experiment. And don't be discouraged when you lose some. We all lose some. Some plants are just naturally weak, some won't like you or your conditions and some are just suicidal. Just chalk it up to experience and move on. A plant that dies gives you room for something new! I have been at this plant business my entire life and there are still violets that refuse to bloom for me. Ex: Gillian. Grows like a weed. Will not bloom. I don't obsess over these non-bloomers. I give them to my neighbor and let her obsess. Instead of individual containers-why don't you get a tray-the kind annuals come in-with no holes. Add egg-crate and place your plants on this with the wicks extending through the egg-crate. This takes care of humidity (Question 4) and you won't have to figure out what containers to use (Question 5). It also makes it much easier to care for your plants when they are all together and all you have to do is water the tray. Let me know if you have more questions! Linda

This is a sensor faucet, so when you have you hands or cup or whatever in the path of the sensor (it's a cone shaped zone), the water comes on. Tapmaster would work too. I think the secret to doing renos well together is that we essentially grew up together. We were 19 and 21, still in school, when we married and this is almost 44 years later. We've always done stuff together, and since we had zippo money for a lot of years, this included lots of manual labor of one sort and another. When I was getting ready to graduate, I was being encouraged to go to grad school. Even though he had landed a teaching job and taught 5th grade for a year, he said if I wanted to go for a Ph.D. he'd go to Africa with me to study primates. How's that for love? I decided it was time for a family instead. He goes to archery with me when I ask, I go to License Plate (collectors) meets with him usually. I won't go to NASCAR races, though - there I draw the line. At home, we're a team. It works for us. The kids think it's cute. When did we become cute?

Please don't take this as spam, it is a personal recommendation. This company is very good because they are excited about every trip they plan. It is not just a job for them, they genuinely love what they do. They are a little more expensive than the competition in our city but it is for extra nice accommodations. If you go to a large city anywhere, they have a step on guide to show you the sights of the city and give you the history. On a ship one of them is in the atrium coffee shop 95% of the time to answer question during the cruise. I don't know where you live but if you want to go with them, they arrange your flights and you meet them at the international airport. If you live far away you could not do the bus tours which are great also. I quit because I don't care for cruises and I can't do the long bus tours anymore. Getting on and off the tour bus so many times during the day is to hard on this old body. I would like to go on their Tahiti/Hawaii cruise early next year. You fly to Tahiti, spend 2 nights there I believe and start cruising. You will find it on their sight. Here is a link that might be useful: Kansas group