I think there's a place where you can post your "multi-plant" photos as long as you name everything in them. I'll see if I'm up to that!

yes.. if you don't name them all.. it's ok too

After this warm spell I'll get to it! MR

I have plain green spider plants and variegated ones, but nothing fancy. The hoya is easy, but, until I put it in a south window, it didn't bloom for 10 years! I thought it was a foliage only plant. I got it from a cutting in 1984.

If you want something, tree mail me with your address.

My hoya was in a west window and usually bloomed 3 X's a year, and filled the room with a sweet cinnamon-y scent at night, for weeks. They prefer to dry out between waterings, encourages buds to set. Reluctant to bloom if kept too well watered. Wish I could remember which variety it was-fairly common, plain green leaves. I must have given it away when I moved 5 years ago. I remember it had grown quite large.

My hoya's flowers smell like chocolate, but only close up.

Oh my, I would have to eat them.

I tried growing a hoya once and the only thing I remember was that it was the biggest bug magnet I ever met... Of course I have better ways of dealing with bugs now, but it left me with a bad taste... (NOT chocolate! )

I used Bonide Systemic Granules on my plants before I brought them in. Should've done it sooner. All kinds of critters are roaming around in the house now!!

I rarely get bugs on my indoor plants, however, just last week found a massive mealy bug infestation on an Anrithum (sp) that was given to me when I was in hospital in July. Luckily, and just by chance, the plant was never near my other house plants. As it is a particular plant that is special, I like, and have not seen around here in my limited travels, rather than discard, I used Bonide Systemic Granules. I also, treated the visible bugs with a Q tip dipped in alcohol. Checked all my other plants...so far, no more bugs.

Had to spray a LOT of listerine around yesterday, and another go-round this morning to be sure I got rid of a gnat hatch-out... I didn't expect them to move in under some chicken-grit mulch, but they did... I'm finding drowned gnats in the saucers of water I keep under my pinguiculums -- pick them out with toothpicks to augment the ones that get caught on the leaves. I'm not sure why it's so satisfying to have live fly-paper, but it is!

All of the houseplants look very happy today -- really perked up. I checked the humidity: 70% with no humidifier going! No wonder they are happy and all of us are wilting!

Just added listerine to my shopping list.

Hope it works for you -- it's the best suggestion I've ever picked up on from a friend. I didn't like using chemicals to keep the bug population down and Listerine is a lot cheaper so I don't mind that occasionally I need to give the surface of the dirt in my pots some good sprays!

Found mealy bugs on one amaryllis plant....time for the Listerine here also!

RobinD said:Found mealy bugs on one amaryllis plant....time for the Listerine here also!

Hi Robin: How do you know you have mealy bugs? Can you take a picture?

RobinD said:Found mealy bugs on one amaryllis plant....time for the Listerine here also!

Marilyn, please let me know if the Listerine works. I use what I have left of Bonide, and only on indoor plants, never outdoors, but would prefer less lethal alternatives.

Another friend uses a Hydrogen Peroxide solution, but I didn't have as good luck with it as with Listerine and I don't remember what the percentage of solution was. Everyone has to figure out what works for them... But the chemicals are deadly and I couldn't see they did as good a job!

And I don't know if this is better or worse: A friend just sent me the "thinnings" from a couple of his Carnivorous Plants, so I now have a pot of Sundews and 2 of Fly Traps in addition to my Butterwort. I don't have a whole lot of faith that these are going to survive... At least I didn't pay for them! MR

Carnivorous plants are hard to keep......my art teacher potted up sundews & some other bog plants she needed to paint.....she wanted them to stay alive so she could replant them, but most died ..... Glenn, here are the mealy bugs....

Thanks for the picture Robin. I brought in my brugmansia last week and the other day I found small white things under some leaves. I put it back outside for a day or two and the rain and weather got rid of them. I'm bringing it back in today. If it happens again I'll take pictures and maybe you and others on this forum can advise me. Maybe it's listerine time...