Dear Lee and other members, On Mon, 4 Nov 2002 17:29:15 -0800, Lee Poulsen wrote >First off, I am amazed that you grew the Hieronymiella inside to such >a large size in such a short time. It's only been about 6-7 months >since we got seeds for it. The 3 or 4 seedlings I managed to keep >growing through the summer are still small, spindly, single-leaved >things, nothing like the strap-leaved giant you show in the photos. >How did you grow it? What were the daily temperature extremes? What >kind of soil mix did you use? Any fertilizers? No one was more surprised with the difference growing indoors made than me! In fact, the seeds weren't floated until a couple weeks after receipt, meaning they started a bit later than most people's. I don't remember exactly when I received them, but my notes show they were floated on 3 April and potted on 8 April. They were from the 3/22 IBS BX. I remember that other people reported germination before it happened here. The description you give of your seedlings matches the one I had outside in heat and drought. Both should be good for a dessert plant, I thought. However, now that the same spindly plant is inside and potted up, it's already pushing up a second leaf without losing the first one. That never happened during the summer. After achieving germination back in April, I simply put one sprouted seed into a 4-inch pot of Schultz's Professional Potting Soil Plus, which seems to be a lighter mixture than they sold in the 1990s. In the basement I'd guess that summer temps average mid- to high 70s. That falls to low 70s and high 60s in cool to cold weather. It's under a grow light (two 40 watt fluorescent bulbs) that's on a timer to provide 16 hours of light per day. As for fertilizer, I use 1/4 teaspoon of MiracleGro for Roses (18-24-16) to one gallon of water for most waterings, normally watering from the bottom. So, under moderate temperatures, plentiful moderate light, in light soil that was allowed to dry out between waterings, and using a small amount of fertilizer consistently, the plant grew as you saw on the images list. Would someone else care to pot one up, put it into similar conditions, and see what happens? The fact that the second one here has responded to its changed conditions in just a couple of weeks should mean that others could see similar results relatively quickly. If the idea is to get the plants to blooming size as quickly as possible, this seems to be the way to go. >Secondly, Steve Putnam managed to get hold of the Kurtziana articles >that were referenced by Alan Meerow back in March. They are in >Spanish, and I started a quick attempt at translating them, but don't >know how good it is (and have had to pause for the last 2-3 months >because of a new baby and no spare time). I'm sure Alberto Castillo >could do a superb job if he had the time. I corresponded a little with Steve after he made a post on the IBS list about H. aurea earlier this year. At least, I think it was him. The person was in Delaware. I told him something about the difference in how the plants were growing then, but things were at an earlier, less dramatic stage at that point. Lee, very good on your massive translation, though I'm not familiar with all the botanical terms involved. I've done some translation work as well, but from French to English. As an idea, even though it's less of a direct equivalent, you might want to consider the word "fused" in most places where you have "welded." Thanks very much for taking the time to write. Mark Wilcox Washington, DC