HI Mike; Thanks. Are you talking about Turface MVP or one of the finer Turface products? I've starting using turface with a lot container trees that I am growing outside and it has seemed to work very well, in hot weather, most pots are pretty dried out in a day. I just watered a bonsai outside that was watered yesterday that is in turface, and it was pretty dry. It was a pretty small pot though. I can't remember what day I had watered the jade last, I will watch it with your week guideline in mind, but I am pretty confident that it will be fairly dried out a week after being watered. The folks over on the bonsai form were the ones that suggested I put in about 10% compost with the turface for the Jade -- Not saying that I'm sure that is correct, that's just where I came up with the mix. I have some mixed that I used turface, perlite, compost & or vermiculite. With any amount of compost (more then 10-20%) or with any amount of fine vermiculite, my mixed got too heavy. Also got too heavy with sand in them, though I think the sand may be too fine. I have tons of grit & perlite here, so I can add it in if necessary, I'm hoping not to have to re-pot it again, but will modify it if necessary of course. What would have been your idea growing medium mix for a large Jade? Do you have a preferred soil mix that you use for house plants in general? I have most major soil / and soil-less mix ingredients here, with the exception of bark mulch - I've not found a good source for bark mulch that is ground to a proper size. Thanks Jamie

Kimya, 'Plants do for us not because of what we do for them but in spite of what we do for them' (source unknown). There are a few things about growing plants in the office/mall or other commercial location that are different. It is true that plants require light but I have seen a healthy Chamaedorea seifrizii in an office where the only light is from a fluorescent desk lamp. Dark offices, lit by the computer screen(s) only are very much in vogue and they often have plants. Plants in these situations are treated as design features rather than horticultural specimens. The plants are carefully selected for size and shape and after installation they are maintained to the specs. of the interior designer. The technicians who maintain these plants must be some of the best horticulturists anywhere. Back to the plants in your office. Watering is the challenge. If the containers are free draining, be very careful of water spills; Murphy's first and second laws apply. If the containers do not drain, devise some way to determine if water is collecting in the bottom; Murphy's fifth law. Put a yellow sticky insect monitor into each plant to trap any bugs that find their way into the plants. If you are not into popularity contests, the presence of fungus gnats in your plants will guarantee that you are a non starter. Clean the plants regularly; the ubiquity of dust in what-are-supposed-to-be-dust-free environments will one day earn someone a PhD. Grow your plants out to the extent that they complement the rest of your office decor and maintain them to that standard ever after. Because if it does work out others will be encouraged to discard artificial plants in favor of the real thing. Now, that I believe, is a worthwhile endeavor.

Paul and Christina I like your thinking! :-) Paul, the common/shared balcony does get some weather but not with the same force or as much rain as mine. I've never noticed a power outlet on the shared balcony, but I wouldn't use it anyway because we have a lot of people here that have absolutely no idea of safety. We have another balcony directly above ours the same size as ours, so there is better shelter from the elements. My balcony also has a small balcony above, the same size as mine. Oh my goodness! I have the same sort of shelving in my room, of the first image from your link lol. I bought expensive ones so they can hold more weight than I could ever manage. I did put the small one outside for a short while but it started developing surface rust pretty quickly. But I've noticed recently much cheaper ones of the same design. What type of store is the BBS? I wouldn't like to tie or even chain anything from the balcony fence above and we have asked permission to get hooks for hanging plants, I even offered to pay to get them to get professionally done, a firm no :-( By the way, I have often used zip ties with far greater success than even strong wire, and cheap enough to replace often if needed. Christina, I love the lockable wheels thought! Then I could even take them from the shared balcony to mine and vice versa. And even inside if needed. Just had a thought! We have a walkway across to the next building/wing of the complex, that I've noticed gets full sun for quite a few hours in the middle of the day. I also have a few trusted friends on my floor who's balconys face north so should get the hottest sun for many hours. So...... cheap shelving with wheels, maybe 2 if needed. Roll the plants all over the place to get the best conditions available for any season lol. Equals - I may be able to keep and add to my Succulents after all!!! Woooo hooooooo :-D Also very spoilt plants lol. Also equals a very long post. Sorry guys. But thank you so much!!!!

Treat it like any other tropical, light regular feeding. Do keep bumping it up in pot size and make sure it has plenty of water in warm weather (but not staying wet). Likes bright light but full sun will burn the leaves. Takes about 5 years to reach blooming and fruiting size. By then you'll want them in at least 30 gallon bins or pots. Blooms are white and fragrant like Jasmine. ;) Mine go outside from spring to autumn on my back deck. They /can/ reach as much as 8 to 12 feet tall but I keep mine trimmed easily at around 5 to 6 foot tall which is typical to keep the beans easy to reach. They tend to flower around June i the hot rainy season, then produce fruit which ripens in late winter through spring. Each coffee 'cherry' holds 2 to 3 beans. Here's a shot of mine growing on my back deck, near right side. I should start some new seedlings for our hoped for greenhouse later. You can get about 1 to 1.5 lbs of beans per mature tree depending on which variety you have. Hmm, I seem to have hijacked the thread. Pardon.