Zusya..You asked if you're a total moron..NO, you are not, but the clerk who told you to use soap and water to rid mealy, is. It's important you isolate plant/s that have mealybug ..of all plant bugs, mealy is the worse and most difficult to rid. So, place infested plant in another room away from heathy, non-infested plants. I don't use chemical insecticides, only organic and made-up concoctions to prevent or kill bugs, but I've yet to find anything that kills mealy. Sorry..I haven't had a chance to read Mr. Sub's blog, so he may have information pertaining to rid those suckers. If not, perhaps someone else will chime in. Many people claim rubbing alcohol does the trick, but I'd say going over each stem/leaf would have to be repeated a couple times a wk. Spraying the entire plant w/rubbing alcohol, especially if it isn't diluted w/water could burn and kill a plant..(if the mealy hasn't already) Depending on how dear your China Doll is to you, and/or if it's a rare find, if it's badly infested, I'd toss in the trash..(outside, away from other plants) I've also read, (think it was the Hoya forum) people use crushed scented geraniums to prevent plants from getting mealy..It may or may not work, but worth a try. Cylamen: They bloom once a year, but flowers last several months..after flowers fade, it goes dormant..that means, very little water and no fertilizer..after 6 weeks or so, (more in some cases) you should spot baby leaves.. Older leaves die back while new leaves grow in. Cyclamin loves summer outdoors.. One thing, it's important Cyclamen isn't overwatered. Corms rot. Rotted corms have a sour/bitter odor. Campanula is an annual/biennial/perrenial plant, mainly grown in outdoor gardens. Zusya, it's fun growing outdoor (annual/perrenial) plants inside, but it can also be dangerous..If garden plants aren't getting fresh, circulating air, they develop insects, usually spider mites and white fly. I wish you the best of luck, Toni

For Turface, do an online search to see if you have any Ewing Irrigation Stores near you (Anaheim, Garden Grove, Lake Forest, San Clemente, Santa Anna) - or John Deere Landscapes dealers. The Horizon Dealer in Orange (714) 279-8154 should have it, too. Ask for Turface 'MVP' or 'Allsport'. I'll check a thread over on the container gardening forum that's dedicated to helping growers find various ingredients. If you're lucky, maybe someone in your neighborhood already using the gritty mix will pitch in and help. You can substitute coarse perlite for the granite if you have to, or if you find a suitable sized pumice, we can make that work, too. Call around, for the bark (pine/fir/redwood), but I'll look for that, too. The size of the ingredients is important. It may initially be a pain to locate what you need, but if you're willing to do the legwork (with whatever help we can be), I'm sure you'll be well-pleased with the results. I gave a presentation after a pleasant luncheon this afternoon to a local chapter (Saginaw, MI) of a national organization (Women's Farm and Garden Association). I talked about many of the things I regularly share here (the topic was caring for houseplants) - the response was very enthusiastic - great audience participation and involvement, with the most questions asked being about soils - and particularly about how to make them. Though I never got to that part (ran out of time), a promise to provide recipes and instructions was extracted. It was a really great group - very friendly. I'm still excited about the positive response, but most of all I'm thrilled as a result of getting to see 'the light go on' over and over again as the ladies (and a few gentleman guests) sort of rearranged some of the pieces of the container gardening/houseplants puzzle and gained understanding in areas where there may have been some confusion or even a void. I'll never grow weary of seeing that 'AHA moment' - it's tremendously rewarding - I'm still pumped. ;-) Al

Yes, that's why I threw the word tree out there. Mine looks more like a Dracaena after having it a couple years, whatever growth regulator has worn off. It's a couple feet tall with a hard, woody trunk and leaves at the top (of each trunk.) I've beheaded the big one (there are actually 3 in the pot) a few times to keep it more stout, and don't plan to let it get much taller, or let the other two increase in height either, proportionately. I like the 3-level effect. I think it would get as tall as you will let it, so $1.39 sounds like a great price for a plant to play with and learn how to keep a captive tree from getting too big to fit in your house for winters. Also think you happened to get an 'easy one' so also great for experimentation/learning. Starting today, you could pinch out the growth tip(s.) That would cause the tip to bifurcate. Twin tips usually grow more slowly, and definitely provide more leaf mass. Once those two are big enough to pinch out, you can turn that into 4 tips. Up to you to dictate and control how the tree grows. If there are 3 trunks, you could braid them, or espalier 2 of them sideways. For winter, a couple hours or more of direct sun from an E, W, S window should be fine. Which way to the balcony? Sliding glass door? Probably a great spot by that if your curtain/privacy situation goes along with it.

Hmm. You'll find the difficultly of repotting these to depend how intertwined the different root structures are. I just recently "moved" a china doll of similar size. I purposely shied away from "breaking up" any of the roots, and attempted to plant the root structure with all the oil soil into a new container, spreading the "roots" only enough to flatten them just a wee bit (it was uneven lol). It then tripled in size in three months :) Personally, my method always goes by "remove the pot, let the soil gently fall apart, obsess over not injuring the roots, replant with as much of the original soil as possible". I'm sure there are more precise procedures, though ::