Hi, I have a few pothos in transparent glass and acrylic "pots." I think transparency is not good for when you attempting to root a pothos in water. Amber colored glass works best. Also, transparent isn't great for pothos in water because of algae buildup. if you MUST have it in a Mason jar or in transparent container, get yourself some of those acrylic major jars or glasses from Walmart and drill holes in them. No one can tell the difference. edit: "mason " jars, not "major"

Susanka, From the looks of your orchid you aren't doing too shabby :) Most people here will admit to having killed their first orchid very quickly, so getting yours to bloom is an achievement. It's leaves are a little too dark green so I would give it a little more light, but not too much as that may burn it. Slowly (over the course of a few weeks) move it over to a brighter spot and monitor to make sure that leaves aren't getting warm to the touch. Since the orchid has been in the same pot for the 5 years is is certainly due for a repot. Here is a website that describes how to repot. You should be able to get a new orchid mix from your local Home Depot or Lowes store. They usually have an "Orchid Mix" or "Phalaenopsis Mix" consisting of Bark, Charcoal and Perlite. Either one of these mixes would work. If you say that you've been overwatering, it's possible that all the roots inside the pot have rotted away, in which case when you repot you should tuck the aerial roots into the medium. Don't move to a larger pot unless there are lots of roots in the medium, orchids generally like to be a little underpotted (you want to fit the roots not the plant). As to fertilizer, most HD and Lowes stores have an Orchid fertilizer. However any balanced fertilizer around 10-10-10 will do. Make sure you do not over fertilize as orchids can only take in minute amounts of nutrients. Many people fertilize with 1/2 or 1/4 the recommended dose with every watering, aka "fertilizing weakly weekly". Once you start fertilizing you want to make sure to flush the pot at least monthly with clean water from the faucet to make sure that there is no salt buildup. I know that this is a lot of information, and you certainly have more questions, so I'm also going to refer you to our FAQ. However, please don't hesitate to ask further questions if they're still not answered. Also, many people here will recommend that you buy a beginner book on orchids such as Ortho's Orchids. These are also usually available at HD and Lowes as well as Amazon, etc. I hope I've helped and welcome to the forum! Best, Jem

I plan on doing this next week. My life-long friend and I are going to be digging up a baby smoke tree from her mom's yard. We grew up next door to each other and her mom still lives in her house. My house had numerous lilac bushes and I'm going to see how nimble I still am to reach over the fence into my old back-yard and snip a few branches. I've already purchased the root hormone powder. I've found good information at this link... http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/2003/6-6-2003/softwood.html I'd also checked a plant propagation book from the local library and it basically says the same thing. Good luck to both of us! I just hope I'm agile enough still to get some good cuttings without "trespassing" on my old property. As a young girl I remember climbing the wooden fence and scaling the roof over our garage...those were the days!! ;-)

jejvtr, tell your friend that house is just adorable!!!! we have a 1926 house (plainer but similar). our kitchen remains separate from the dining room (no door, but a doorway separates them). i understand where she is coming from. some things that i can add (having redone our old kitchen) are: 1) that by living there only part time, she seems in a good position to do this kitchen in slow fashion which is best for a lower budget and an older kitchen (our DIY budget was around 10K. and our kitchen is actually larger than hers--includes the old porch they had). if possible, can she put a temp kitchen in place in the dining room, remove old grandma hutch to storage, and rip out the present kitchen to the studs? then she will know very quickly whether it's best to remove or keep walls, etc. that pocket wall could hide a beam or something, who knows. 2) i have learned that walls that seem illogical in 1920's houses have their own logic that is not visible at first (must remove plaster). Even though we wanted to change them at first, after looking inside, we have often chosen to leave things right where they are and NOT for historical reasons! ;-) 3) if she opens the room to other spaces, she loses her wall cabinet space, so i understand that. 4) at least she still has a radiator, our kitchen rad was removed by the POs and replaced with.....no heater at all. good luck, it is challenging. kren