Hey! Thanks for the info! You're right...Don't Mist! It only increases humidity for a couple seconds, really.... and, as you note, increases the chances of fungus/pests/unsightly leaves. Also, I'm glad that the plants have plenty of light. That's good to hear, as it allows us to eliminate one more variable. How long does it take for the potting soil to dry out (deep in the container)? I assume that the problem lies with the potting soil, which sounds water retentive. If the primary ingredient is peat moss, it's almost assuredly staying too moist. As you know, this can interfere with nutrient delivery and uptake. This is why I hesitate to recommend fertilization...it could be that there are nutrients in the soil, but nutrients that are simply unavailable to the plant. I will tell you that I fertilize my plant with Foliage Pro 9-3-6, which has higher Nitrogen in relation to the other major nutrients. It also includes all the minor nutrients. When I fertilize, I also add white vinegar (a capful) to the watering solution - but I can only recommend this for the potting mix that I'm using. I don't know how it will affect a soil with different drainage characteristics. My sister grew a couple Avocados in peat-based soils and the plants declined eventually. I actually decided to grow an Avocado to see if I could find a way to keep these plants happy both indoor and out, so that my sister would be able to grow them successfully, too. I've found that the potting mix makes all the difference - if light and fertilizer are equal. The taller the plant grows, the more likely it is to discard its lower leaves.... and that's why I prune the main stem and pluck any unsightly leaves. A bare Avocado stem will resprout leaves as long as the roots are healthy. Josh

HA! During WWI, for the war effort, my great great great grandmother would get permission to cordon off short sections of paved streets, on which she scattered rubber bands of varying diameter. Under her miraculous care, within days the rubber bands grew into trees so laden with tires for various types of military vehicles that often she and the neighbors couldn't harvest them all before they became larger than intended; this, necessitating that they be trimmed back to a usable size. She would then have the trimmings ground into powder, which she mixed with white milk. When the slurry of rubber and milk was heated under pressure in small molds (like sinker molds or toy soldier molds, if you've ever made either from lead), the result was Ficus elastica seeds which were sold to tree farmers all over the world and served as the propagules for essentially every rubber tree plantation currently in existence. I sure do miss that lovely and determined old gal. ....... at her 100th in 1966: She sure was something. Sad that we have to wait until next summer to see her again. Michelin has kept her so busy at headquarters in Clermont-Ferrand, France for the last 49 years, she hasn't been able to get back to the states to see ANY of her great, great, great, great grandchildren. Fortunately for us, her employer is picking up all expenses and footing the bill for her bash back in the states. Keep your eyes peeled for pictures. Al

Hi evaglades:0) It's just me jumping on the pH issue at this time. I am not syaing I am sure, but that it is a most common cause and along with other cultural issues, but not the fertilizers fault which stresses has those nutrients. It rather seems to me that some will blame the actual shortage of a certain element/ nutrient and suggest using it as applications when it is already provided, instead of understanding and or getting to know the actual root of the problem. It is called bandaiding and overloading. To illustrate: My Lilacs were producing no blooms for years. I was told by many, even nusery professionals that all I needed to do was add Super Phosphate and that would solve my problems. I did and that did not work. I then asked a certain friend of mine who is a horticultural expert/teacher and he asked me if I had checked the pH and I never did. Liliacs are known to love high pH soils, above 7.0 and the pH in my soil was only 5.6. I added lime as suggested and the next flowering season my lilacs blloms more than you could know for the first time and ever since. HUGE blossom all over my trees. But also, because of such a boost in the phosphate once it became available, the lilac leaves turned very light green and stunted while focusing on bud formation. Being a landscaper, I should of known this, but needed a reminder. Now all is ok. Same can be had for Fragrans Osmanthis and Hoya: They love sweet soil, and I was feeding them water and vinegar thinking it was good for them too. No blooms for years. I talked to the same friend and he said to add lime to my soil and I stopped the vinegar treatment, and boy did they take off and with blooms. It is true. In order for our plants to perform to their best potential, many keys have to come into play. I am not going to mention a great soilless mix at this time, but I will say that pH plays a major role before your fertilizer does in many instances and we should all know what our plants require in this respect as a very important factor. I got to the root of the problem with my citrus trees, many of which are described here and did not bandaid it with adding more of a certain nutrient that most likey would of been overkill. I first have to know what the pH of the water I am providing them is. I can show you green plants because of this, but I think many have already seen them, and the lack of issues many have by just adding a nutrient here and there. I no longer have to add any one particluar nutrient as long as the fertilizer is well balanced, required pH is met, and watering practices are under control. Yes, pH does play a crucial, important, and vital role to our citrus, and that is something all should check before any type of one particular nutrient is recommended/added, especially when the fertilizers being used by many here already have more than enough of the major and minor nutrients that these beautiful trees require for optimal health that many are saying their trees are deficient in. Checking pH can save a lot of time and possible undue stress on our plants with over loading with certain nutrients already available in the soil if we make teh conditions right for teh roots to have access to them. Did you kow that when our container plants sit in temps of below 50 on a continual basis, NO nutrients are taking up by our trees, especially Nitrogen and Iron/ Is someone going to suggest one spray their leaves with Iron or feed their plants with more when COLD is the limiting factor? It is very beneficial to know this, and since have a good relationship with a grower who specializes in growing Four Winds Growers trees which come to everyone very healthy and deep green, and it took a lot for me to understand this and the importance of using vinegar, lime, gypsum, acidifying products which is something I easily find enjoyable to share with many here and yet can be very detremental to our plants or make all the difference in the world. these products are not ones to be taken lightly along with our fertilizer use. It took years for me to get it right, to keep my trees from having the issues many here describe, and I feel it unfair to not address what has helped mine, or what I have learned from many knowledgable members here who took the time to help me understand this:-) Hope your trees are doing ok too. Please excuse any spelling errors, since I have no time to go back and proof read them. Have a fantastic Friday;-) Thank you Mike

Overwatering. The top layer of the soil should dry since it is directly exposed to the air. The underneath soil is likely still soaked. Take a toothpick, stick it into the soil and let it set for several minutes at least. Then carefully pull it out. If it comes out wet, with soil particles stuck to it, then the soil is still wet underneath. After a while you will get a good feel for how wet the soil is. Yellowing is a common sign of overwatering. Also, make sure your lights are within about one inch of the top of the seedlings and that you are using "daylight" or 6500K bulbs. When you do all that, I think your seedlings will take off. If everything is going correctly, at one month, you should definitely have at least one set of true leaves on most of your plants...even two or three sets. If your soil didn't have any nutrients to start, you could add a very little right now. Add about half of what the directions call for. Over fertilizing is another common problem though. Bruce