My H. mutabilis cutting, nursed in the greenhouse since January, planted out too early in spring (dropped all its pretty leaves but grew new ones after I gave it a plastic bottle cloche to protect it from the cool nights) has had its single shoot broken off. There is a tiny bud near the base of the cutting just barely peeking, but I worry it won't grow much to speak of with all the delays this season already in terms of warm weather, and I sort of planned my garden around it this year. What do you think? Should I search out new cuttings? Where would you recommend I buy a plant if it comes to that?

Now that it's warmed up it should start growing fast since you see a leaf bud at the base. Since your night time temperatures are still in the 50's & 60's I'd put the bottle back on it at night so it will hold in the heat and warm up the soil a bit faster. Feed it at least once a week.

Wow, feed it once a week? Well no wonder it only had one shoot! Okay, baby, Mama's coming to save you... tomorrow, lol...

Thanks much, Anne.

Once a week, but only stuff like miracle grow - the 1 tbs per gallon stuff - no time release for now.

Okay--I have some Superthrive, will try that.

No .. personally I don't know what the big deal is about that stuff .. I've done tests with it on numerous plant genus and families and find that just plain water does a better job in a lot of cases - especially plants with fuzzy leaves. It's definitely not suppose to replace fertilizer - it's suppose to be (best description I've seen ... ) Flintstone vitamins for plants.

Real food would be best.

Oh, okay. I used it last year and the year before but also noticed I didn't see much results--which is why I still have some left. I just remembered I did recently buy some blue stuff--from Jack's/JR Peter's. Any experience with that?

If it's the 1 tbs per gallon that should do it.

Just to correct myself: it's Algoflash--not Superthrive--that I have. I didn't like it all that much, though. I'm doing the Jack's.

Never heard of that one.

It's a liquid fertilizer--supposed to have grown a record-breaking carrot or some such. I didn't expect to break records, but I didn't get much more than I figure a cheaper fertilizer would give me, so stopped buying and using it halfway through last year.