purpleinpop - The jade is fairly new .. I got it in a trade last month.. the person wasn't sure if it was gullom or hobbit (I think that was the other option) and I don't know a thing about jades so I'm just letting it hang out and see what happens. Yes, that's a Prince of Orange. I've been wanting a Pink Princess but no luck so far. That particular callisia is from my grandmother's house. They didn't know what it was. They have it planted in a plastic dollar store bucket and just take it in and out throughout the years. I cut off those pieces to bring home (without knowing what it was) so I just stuck it in water til I figured it out lol ... Then, I was told it was a callisia. It doesn't look like my other one :) (my other callisia is growing beautifully outside under a tree btw) - Then it was pointed out in a post that it's the same plant so it will get potted up soon. The Begonia -- That came from my grandmother's house. She has it planted outside under the hostas. Never touches it. Leaves it out year round. It comes back and spreads year after year. I got a few pieces when I was there a couple weeks ago. My aunt who is still living there had no idea what it is, just that it spreads. So I don't know much about it other than it is old lol. I brought it in to see if I could grow it indoors and I still have some in a pot outside. I haven't planted it yet to see what it will do. Here's a picture of it As for the pictures - I took them with my iphone, transferred them to my computer, then uploaded to photobucket .. so I don't know

Hi everyone. I just joined this great forum and have gotten some very good tips from you guys by reading a lot of the posts about certain houseplants that I have. So thanks a lot for the great tips and advice provided! As far as my favorite houseplants, it's really hard to pick one or two since I've got quite a few. But, the ones that mean the most to me are : 1) Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen) 'Crete' - I picked this one up at a local garden center fairly recently and it's supposedly new cultivar. It may be one of the most beautiful foliage plants I've seen. It's green leaves are bordered in a beautiful bright red and splashed with the red color also. Just exquisite! I keep it by my fireplace in the den and it loves it's shady spot. My Polyscias plants are also among my most favorites. I have a 3 foot tall Parsley Aralia that is amazing. It's in a beautiful oriental-looking pot in my game room/Japanese garden. I also have 2 medium sized Ming Aralias that I love, one of which I found at Home Depot a few weeks ago, the other I got from a really nice houseplant store in a town nearby. The one I found at HD was the last one and a bit scraggly looking but is putting on some nice new growth. It has four main trunks so I'm sure with proper care, next spring it will explode with foliage *fingers crossed*. I also have a small, variegated Balfour that is very beautiful. It may be in my top 3 or 4 plants. Surprisingly, I found that one at a grocery store (again the last one!) Then I have 2 small variegated Parsley Aralias that are very nice and bushy. I absolutely love Aralias, even if they are a little temperamental. 3) Another favorite of mine is a large 7 foot tall Amate Schefflera in my den. It fills one corner with it's huge umbrella leaves and looks awesome. I've always loved Scheffs. I have 2 Amates and about 4 Arboricolas! 4) My last favorite plant (out of 4) would have to be this Jade that I've had for quite some time but it's shape is what I love so much about it. It has one trunk that splits into two that drape down on each side and curve back up. It's very Bonsai-like. I love it. I'll try to include some pics if anyone is interested. Glad to be able to join this forum! Cheers! -Chris

Now comes some tidbits from a Floridian! First, Rexes do not thrive in FL. They are grown in temp controlled greenhouses with swamp coolers, which is why you see them for sale. Although it may feel muggy if you are in one, the temp is lowered during the day and cooled at night - relatively. There are newer rex/rhizo hybrids I am growing with success, but pure rexes never make it in our hot, wet summers. It is truly the hot nights that kill them. 80F lows are not uncommon. In habitat, rexes see 68-70F at night. Secondly, whomever started this thread is growing in soil that is way too heavy. I use Fafard #2 with additional perlite and pine bark added. I also keep my begonias barely potted up - like a few inches larger when they need it. That ensures the soil does not stay wet, which kills begonias. If you struggle to pick up a bag of soil, it is too heavy. I have five foot canes in 3 gallon pots. I can easily pick up a 3 gallon cane with one hand - that is what they prefer. Keeping that in mind should help you grow great begonias! Picture is my bench of 'River Nile'! Greg Sytch, ABS Horticultural Corresondent

GG, thanks for the pictures and for the rooting illustrations! I am intrigued by communal rooting. I've only done it in individual little plastic cups, so that roots can be seen growing. How do you (and you, Denise) know when it's time to repot to individual pots? I am assuming it's hard to tell which cutting(s) have rooted reliably enough for that? Is your sign resistance to light tugging? What if some cuttings are ready and others are not? This shared hormones thing is interesting. By the way, I've read recently about the rooting hormones that are sold as gel or powder. I thought they are chemicals that encourage plants to form roots in that area - and that is true. But what I did not know is that they are the same chemicals (only synthetically produced) that plants develop themselves. Do you use rooting hormones? I wonder if sharing the hormones is important if every stem is dipped into the hormone of its own. I've placed my little cups into a container for humidity, but a vessel like this will take less space and also create humidity. There's no drainage, I assume, right? Which is fine because it's hydroton and some water needs to be at the bottom anyway, and because it's a relatively short term home for the plants. Sunny, I agree your cuttings look fine. The thinner leaf varieties tend to lose moisture when cut faster than those with thicker leaves, but then most do regain it slowly once they are in the mix and kept moist and humid. One of the cuttings I am rooting now (GG, your heuschkeliana) did arrive a bit dehydrated, but for a month now very slowly it's been regaining moisture. It's pretty cool to watch. I've never seen an established plant, but all leaves except for the lowest one look very much turgid now and have lost all of their wrinkles. I foolishly thought when I got the plant the wrinkles were part of the deal of how this plant looks - I thought that was charming and unusual. hehe One thing I personally would change, Sunny, is I suggest taking larger cuttings. It does depend on the plant's growth habit, leaf size, distance between nodes etc., but a 2-3 node cutting is likely to root better and be stronger than a one-node one. It's no biggie though - they all should root, especially no problem at this time of year. How is humidity now in San Antonio? I covered them up in the winter, and even these days 30% humidity here is normal, but too low for optimal rooting. Big Box stores may not have hydroton indeed, but your local hydroponics store is almost guaranteed to have at least one type of hydro medium. It does not have to be hydroton - it could be called LECA, PrimeAgra, Growstone, Grow Rock, Hydrocorn and many others. They all look slightly or even significantly different, but they work essentially the same. Having open options means you may get the medium sooner and won't have to pay shipping, which is expensive for these bulky bags.