I know exactly how you feel, Kwie2011. When I stumbled up to that website, I think I suffered from sleep deprivation shortly thereafter, lol. I combed over as much of it as I could, trying to soak it all in. I was devastated when the original site stopped functioning. I thought all of Steve's knowledgeable information was lost to those of us online. You can't imagine how thrilled I was when I learned that the IAS had archived it. I'm always going back to read up on different sections whenever I get the chance. Seeing as how I live here in Arkansas, not too far from his "Exotic Rainforest," I plan on some day heading on up there to check it out for myself. As beautiful as the pictures are, I'm certain that they don't entirely do this place any justice. :)

Hi All, I bought a beautiful plant at Home Depot that I think is a philodendrum from the pretty leaf shape, which has smooth indentations on both sides and one-third wide as long. But the leaves are on "stalks" which come out of two lumpy bases at the soil line. When I upended the pot to check the roots, there was one long thick root (one-half inch) in a 8 inch pot. Is this plant a philodrendron? How would I propagate it? There is only one leaf on a stalk, and the stalk does not have nodes on it. Guess who's a newbie here! I had a really nice philodendron that did the vining, but I don't think it survived my move. thanks, Tinkerpixie

Agreed. When the bits of organic matter in the potting soil decompose, they become smaller bits, with less air between them. This causes things to stay moist longer, and the reduced air can suffocate the roots. Roots need oxygen & moisture at the same time to function. Removing the old soil & replacing with new helps restore things to a functional situation. Not packing soil tightly around the roots can also help preserve those tiny air spaces, as well as watering very gently the first few times, so the force of the gushing water doesn't compact the soil. If the soil is airy and not packed tight, it can stay more moist without causing issues for your plant. No need to add water if still moist, but no need to let it get wilty dry to avoid "overwatering," root rot. As seasons change, a plants' moisture needs can change, so trying to prescribe a schedule can be frustrating and doesn't usually work well.

I am no expert, but I do have a question. When you water it, do you water it in the sink? Is the water coming out the bottom okay? I've had times in the past when my mix was okay, but something went wrong in the pot and blocked the drainhole. So I would stick a finger up the drain hole and try to dislodge what was blocking. (Once, this happened just from me using 2 layers of that drywall net stuff, instead of one. Also, newspaper has caused problems for me. There are lots of ways to be wrong, ime. ; ) I always seem to find new ones!) Because your mix sounded fine to me. If you stick around here, you will probably start putting everything in what we call 5-1-1... but I would hope that something that is sold as cactus mix shouldn't be too heavy. And you're obviously trying not to over-water, which is what most people do wrong. So, if it's not a drainage issue, I'm stumped. Plus, frankly, your plant looks pretty wonderful!