Plants don't age in the same way we think of people aging. Age in people is a described on a chronological basis, where plants age ontogenetically. This might be framed as, the parts that have taken the most cell divisions to produce are the plant's oldest parts; so strangely, the most recent part of the plant (say, a new branch high on the plant) to grow is the oldest part of the plant. The youngest part of the plant will be found in the root to shoot transition zone. This juvenile part of the plant is also nearly always the most vigorous part of the plant. Plants pass through life stages until they end up at the sexually mature stage. At that point they are capable of blooming/fruiting. Whether they DO or not is complicated and not entirely understood. Blooming and other environmental reactions of most healthy plants are primarily influenced by day length (technically it's night length), but more than a few plants are triggered by other factors, like moisture availability, temperature, predation. Some plants even seem to have an internal 'alarm clock' that acts as a trigger to bloom. There are species of bamboo that bloom as infrequently as every 130 years and when the bloom occurs, all plants of a given genetic origin bloom simultaneously, en masse (all at once), and this occurs regardless of environmental influences. Now, that a plant is capable of blooms/fruit doesn't mean it will produce same, no matter how much we hope. The factors that limit a plant's ability to bloom are as complicated as those that trigger blooming. The plant's internal chemical messengers that limit blooming is first influenced by the plants ontogenetic age, but then by health, stress, stored energy reserves, a significant number of environmental factors, and sometimes seemingly no more than a built-in piqued obstinacy that can be more irritating than Justin Bieber or the Kardashians, if that's even possible. How do I get it to bloom? Keep it healthy and let it do its thing. You can search online - there might be some simple ways to coax it to bloom exactly whenever it feels like it. How old does it have to be? The only age important to plants is what growth phase they're in. They have to be old enough chronologically to have reached sexual maturity. This is also complicated because the (ontogenetic) age of the parent plant from which the propagule (that is now your plant) was taken has to be a part of the equation. Example - a hawthorn tree from seed needs to survive around 20-25 growth cycles to bloom; whereas, a cutting from a blooming hawthorn tree can be counted on blooming within a few years if its state of vitality has been generally good. Al

Ok....these are soil mites, like it or not. :-) All of the appendages ARE legs, but aren't used exactly like you seem to think all legs on all creatures work. The longest pair are used sort of like antennae in that they check out the pathway in front of the mite. There are many species of soil mites, each behave in different ways. This one resembles the images of the predatory mites I've seen images of....feeding on springtails, fungus gnat larvae, etc. They don't feed on plants. Other soil mites are decomposers, feeding on the smaller bits of organic matter in our potting soils. They don't feed on plants. There are others, but those two groups are the most likely to be found in a houseplant container. There is no need to use a systemic pesticide on these critters. Imidicloprid pesticides can actually cause an increase of the pest (phytophagous) mites. The DE that I mentioned earlier would be a good product to use. Controlling arthropods is what horticultural grade DE is used for and has been for many years. Don't use the type of DE used for filtering. The next time you repot, you might (pun!) treat the mix in advance by pouring several pots of boiling water through the pot, or placing a pile of the moistened mix in a clear garbage bag, close it tightly and let the hot summer sun pasturize it for a few days. I don't like to recommend oven or microwave baking. You are just one of lots of people in these forums who have fretted over what had turned out to be harmless (beneficial) soil mites. No need to worry.

I hope you're right, Mare! When I was trying to figure it out the other day, I was hoping to have both publicalyx and lacunasa, because I know the vine has to be a carnosa....so I was hoping for a selection of blooms. And both of those particular hoyas are gorgeous. Ok, so I guess this will be my "experiment." I've just decided to keep all of the leaves for at least 3 years and if nothing happens by then I decide there's no hope. I figure by then the roots will have more than filled up each one of the cups and that there will be only one way to go, and that's up...so if they don't sprout by then I'll give up. I'll keep posting updates to that webshots page for anyone who's interested... Hopefully I'll be able to keep track of what's going on with the roots through the cups...they're slightly opaque. We'll see who was right, start hedging your bets! Maria

It does sound like the soil does not have a chance to become fully saturated again. I would never try to water a hanging plant in place because I put at least a gallon of water each time, and most of it runs out. Peat seems to be the primary culprit of hydrophobic soils, IME. And silicone moisture crystals, when present. If the idea of taking your plant to your shower/tub to water sounds like too much of a PITA, try giving it a reasonable drink, then repeating an hour later. Add water as slowly as possible. Maybe put a bucket under at first, then the towel. Think of a wet sponge that sheds water at first, then accepts much more. Then realize that if the soil hadn't really been getting moistened before but now is from an altered method and that you are able to much more fully saturate the soil, it will take longer to dry out. Monitoring how heavy a pot is is an excellent gauge of whether or not the soil has dried. But, understandably, not practical for all of them. I recommend it if possible/practical, whether watering in place or in shower/tub.