Now i am really confused. I had been convinced on an earlier thread not to water but at this stage i dont have much to lose. I have cranked up the heat since i started having problems so it may be i was using too much water relative to the growth rate. I will start to water half to keep damp and see how that goes. Next winter for sure any bananas are going to sleep for a few months. I just put on the predator mites today, man can they move, i was covered in them before i realized what was going on. Also just received my new seeds so 3rd times a charm right?? I have been to Texas and to Norway and one thing in common was really nice people, so thanks to you guys and to all that have spent time helping me. I will make you a very nice cup of tea if you ever come to ireland! Ronaldo,

Dear BettyLu.. Just a quick note. I'm a member (since 1978) of the American Begonia Society living in Saint Charles, Missouri. There is a small group of us locally just now starting a branch here in Saint Louis. i thought you might be interested. i will be sending out an e-mail newsletter shortly, if you are interested. Or you can ask specific questions, if I can be of any help, Doug Hahn 3156 Flatboat Station Saint Charles, Missouri 63301-4699 doughahn@aol.com Cell (636) 233-1772

I'm in zone 6 and usually wait until frost, then dig them and store them in peat moss in the garage. I have dug them early (to send them for a trade) and they seem to do fine either way. I've also just brought them in and planted them indoors under lights in the basement and kept them going the entire year round, then put them back outside in the same pot for the summer. Still going for two years now. I think they are pretty hard to kill unless you freeze them and let them turn to mush!

I'm in zone 8-Texas. Our winters are very unpredictable here....we may have 80 degree temps one day and drop to 30 degrees overnight with freezing rain. It's usually mild and sunny here mostly until January or February, during which we usually get lots of wet, cold weather. When we do get snow, the ground is usually too wet from rain/sleet for it to stick or accumulate. I've only been growing Plumeria for a couple of years,but I've been growing other tropicals for many years.... I bring my Plumies indoors for winter, along with my other tropicals( I keep them in pots all year). I don't have much indoor space, so I group them together in any empty corners I can find. Those I place in the bathroom seem to do best because of the high, warm humidity. If the area has little light, I place a grow light on the wall just above the tallest plant and lightly water every two weeks and mist them occassionally (the indoor heat dries them out quickly). I don't fertilize until I place them back outdoors in Spring after all chance of frost is over. So far, I haven't had one go totally dormant and have even had some grow during winter, although slowly. They seem to enjoy the constant room temperatures (75 -80 degrees). I planted about ten cuttings and kept them indoors last February (our coldest month). They all rooted within four weeks! I had placed them in a corner of our living room....they had no grow light and only minimal indirect sunlight throughout the day, but they were near a heat vent. Two of them even produced blooms this summer. This could be considered a stroke of luck, but I think that the warmth and low-but constant light contributed to their growth. I also started Plumeria from seed indoors during winter and by spring they were established enough to place outdoors..... Just be sure to place them away from outer doors to prevent exposure to sudden cold drafts, and not too close to a window (even a sunny window can get very cold at night). I'm thinking about experimenting with leaving a Plumie outdoors inground this winter to see if it can survive with the trunk wrapped and by covering it when the temps drop low, but I'll need more information from those with more experience before I decide to try it. I have met people here who have had them survive winter outdoors though, but I think their plumies were older, more established trees. I hope this helps!