Hi blutayle, First I wanted to say Congrats on getting some very nice hoyas! Great varieties you got. I'm sure you are on your way to become a Hoya addict like most of us here,lol. I'm not an expert on Fungus...maybe others has more advise. I do grow some of my Hoyas outside under Palm trees or Oak trees. They get some dappled sun but mostly indirect bright light. Hoyas love rain and humidity, but too much rain along with the high humidity can cause some problems unfortunately. This rainy season, I've actually not had as much rain as you've had...I would say we're still below average for our normal rainfall. I do agree that too much rain mixed with very high humidity is probably what's causing your fungus/bacterial rot problems on some of your hoyas...my guess is the potting mix is most likely staying wet or too moist all the time which is not good for the plants. You've done the right thing by giving them some shelter under an overhang. This is what I've had to do myself when we get more than two days in a row of heavy rain. Hoyas prefer to slightly dry out between watering and don't usually like to stay constantly wet, especially if the potting mix has a lot of Peat. There is a product that I've used on one of my hoyas that it had some brown spots on it...I attached a link below. I would test a small area, maybe one of the lower leaves to see how it reacts, but this stuff has neem oil so I'm guessing its safe for most plants. but,some hoyas might be more sensitive than others. I do know that when I used it..it had a bloom spur and the buds fell off...so its not good to use when its blooming or has buds on it. Hopefully, the cinnamon will do the trick for you and you won't have to use anything else. Just let it dry out "slightly"...Imperialis loves water but just don't let it stay too wet... Good luck with your hoyas! Nancy Here is a link that might be useful: Garden-Safe 3 in1 Fungicide

Calliope - Exempted from what? Sanitary produce processing and storage practices? Of course not. There are certain practices all producers should be held to. I think there are already regulations in place to cover a good deal of food entering the system if they are adhered to, and the most news-worthy outbreaks of food born illnesses lately have been because of infractions of already existing inspections and regulations. If we spent the dollars we will be spending on a new program enforcing the ones we already have, we will have gone a long way toward insuring a safe food supply. I am talking about exemptions for small quantities of food, not taken into the mainstream of central processors where products from other sources can be co-mingled for redistribution over large geographical areas. Your own words lazygardens were "you may be small enough they aren't going to worry about you. The chances for you to start a 10-state epidemic are slim, and if you were to sell some salmonella-contaminated produce in a local farmer's market, it's easy to trace." You are validating what I have been trying to express. Small, local producers are the people who do not need to be sucked into a general category of closely-regulated food producers because the risk of them contributing to any large scale problems are quite slim. They, as a source, are extremely traceable. If for any reason a small producer's goods were to go to a large distribution system, it should be the responsibility of the distributor or processor to keep the data of where and from whom such foods were obtained. If a product were not intended to ship out of county, or if it were available directly from producer to consumer, it doesn't need the added expense of complying to regulations intended to make it traceable. If a government has X dollars to spend on a problem, those monies are best spent where it will do the most good. And lately it sounds like most of the morbity has occurred in the large processing and distribution sectors and their failure to document sources. I am certainly not opposed to sane and fair food safety legislation. But I did go through enough classes when I studied agriculture in college to know that for decades the cards have been stacked toward large operations. I also know that our country is now referred to being a post-agricultural society. The 'right to farm' written into and understood by so many state governments is slowly being removed from our collective vocabulary and the small farm is being seen as redundant and could soon be regulated out of existence entirely.

Good healthy skin starts inside and trying to solve skin problems by applying toxic creams and lotions isn't the answer. Almost all prepared skin care creams that do not claim to be natural (and some that do) contain harmful chemicals that are known to lead to disease. Your skin is the largest organ of your body and absorbs whatever you put on it directly into your blood stream. The link that flyingflower posted tells about some of those chemicals. Read the labels on your products to see which poisons are in them. I use organic coconut oil of a high grade (that can also be used in cooking) after a bath or shower as a protective layer for my skin and it's also good to remove makeup. I also use essential oils for skin care. Pay attention to what you eat, especially the oils. Your skin is a reflection of the general state of your health. EVOO, coconut oil, and butter are the healthiest oils to eat. Also lots of fresh vegetables are necessary for good health. I use only organic as I don't want all the noxious chemicals. I take Omega 3 supplements and occasionally flax oil altho I hate the taste. I also take a good multivitamin/mineral supplement to provide what my diet might miss.

The injections such as Juvederm and Botox are done with very fine needles. I'm talking extremely fine. Usually they will administer numbing cream to the area, especially for first-timers. I can take or leave it now that I know what to expect, but I will say that some areas, such as near the corners of the eyes or mouth, are more sensitive than others. And I can tolerate any mild pain well. The needle prick feels like a short, mild prick. I don't think it's bad at all. As to any recovery, there really is none, except usually there should be no physical exercise the remainder of the day of treatment. I ice the area, but sometimes some bruising does occur, so be prepared for that and using concealer for several days. This mostly happens for me with areas around my mouth with Juvederm, not with Botox around my eyes. I had some bad marionette lines too, especially on one side, and have had wonderful results with Juvederm (it's the most current form of it). For me it lasted almost 2 years the first time before I needed a refresh. It's been about 18 months since the refresh and I'm just now talking about when to have the next one. YMMV. I get the Botox about twice a year around my eyes and the 'elevens' in my forehead(those wrinkles caused from squinting). Hope this helps.