1)Bayer's Tree and Shrub Insect Control. Mix 1 oz to one gal of water and drench the soil. May sure you keep your plants out of the sun for 24-48hrs. Either move it into shade or throw a couple of sheets of cheese cloth over it. Yes, it is expensive stuff but you will only need to do this once per year so it is not as expensive as it first appears. 2)The rosette that is blooming will die when it is finished flowering. Cut it off at that time, now if you don't like its look. The remaining rosettes will continue to grow. You may wish to remove all the heads and set them in fast draining soil. Your established plant will grow new heads and the heads will set roots and become new plants. **Remember: these are winter growing plants** If you choose to behead them, do so in early spring or fall when temps are cooler. They go dormant in the heat of summer and will not root. Hope this helps. Jo

Gardenlady: Thank you for your compliment. I'm not an expert of succulents, but from my own experience, these plants do need very bright light and some direct morning sun to bring out their colors. Currently, I leave this "fountain" on my porch which gets morning sun until 10am and bright light rest of the day. I made this arrangement out of two separate pieces of ceremic - an "urn" as top and a flat dish as the base. Each has a drainage hole. Also, I use very porous soiless mix with added perlite and vermiculite. So far I water thoroughly once a week and mist in between (when I'm around). But I guess once a week deep watering would be enough. (The vermiculite is to help retain some moisture during the week I'm not here.) To make this "fountain", I turned a little plastic pot (4") upside down and placed it in the middle of the flat bowl, covering the drainage hole. But I have made a few cuts on the side of the plastic pot already so as to make sure excess water can get through it down into the drainage hole of the flat bowl. I also placed many gravels around the plastic pot before filling the flat bowl with potting mix so that the mix wouldn't clog the drainage cuttage. Then I placed the "urn" on top of that plastic pot. The "urn" was filled with many gravels in the bottom to ensure stability as well as to reduce the volume of potting mix. Next I filled the flat bowl with the soiless potting mix I made, making the soil sloping toward the rim of the bowl. I watered the mix well. After that I planted the echeverias and sempervivium and sedums. I tried to make sure they looked naturally. Finally I mulched with pine barks, accented with a few pebbles. My intention was to remove the barks once the sedums spread and cover the surface. It took me about more than an hour to finish. I hope my explanation can help you if you want something similar. greenman: oh ah... that little fella looks so cute! I want one! Xuan

Many Kalanchoe varieties grow more upright. I recommend Kalanchoe tubiflora which can get up to 4 or 5 feet! The one to the far left is a panda plant, Kalanchoe tomentosa, which will also grow taller faster than Jade plants. The one on the far right is great for hanging plants or if you want it to hang over the edges of your pot. It will grow upright at first and then depending on the direction of the sun will grow over the sides. Finally, Echeveria pulvinata can grow similar to a tree and is a personal favorite of mine that blooms beautiful flowers.

I think this FAQ is a great start, and I hope the project doesn't get scrapped - I've just started poking around in this specific forum and I wish it were already fleshed out. (Especially sections that give basics about the different families/genera/whatever make sense.) I only discovered the GardenWeb forums in late November or early December, and I've now read through dozens and dozens of threads (primarily in House Plants, but in some of the more specific forums, too), but this is the first thread I've seen anyone mention there even is a "FAQs" link in any forum. I hadn't noticed it myself because the FAQs link blended in with other things on the page :\ Having one place to refer to basics would be fantastic, especially if the "basics" provide links to discussions/other websites that go into greater detail. They don't compete with each other, they complement each other. It could make finding the details so much easier! I saw mention of a 5-1-1 (or 7-1-1?) mix recently, and tried to search the forums to get the details and found pages and pages referring to it before finally finding a recipe. I'm sure people looking for details on the gritty mix have the same frustration, unless someone links them to one of the threads where Al has described it. I've been bookmarking lots and lots and LOTS of threads related to various plants I keep, but most of what I need right now is pretty basic info, and I'd rather refer to one FAQ section than have to either ask basic questions people have probably answered a dozen times, or spend lots and lots of time reading lots of threads (or other websites) to find the one that actually provides the info I'm looking for. (This is not to say it replaces actual conversation, because there's benefit in asking for help/answering newcomer questions: having people provide reassurance, or deal with the exceptions to basics is something an FAQ or old thread can't do. I also do not regret having read so much here in search of basics - there is an incredible wealth of information in older discussions - but FAQs can be fantastic additional resources.)