Alberto wrote: "A few comments. Do give your clumps-to-be-divided a drenching with a systemic insecticide one week before the actual dividing. Second, do not touch the main clump: dig a sideward hole and remove the offsets as the roots become visible. Third and so obvious: repot the fans individually and move to a place with very good light and no direct sun. I have used pure Perlite (no other ingredient) and rooting has been amazingly fast." Alberto, Many thanks for your comments. Do you mean an insecticide drench, or systemic fungicide? You don't say whether best in fall or spring - my divisions that didn't do well were taken in late spring. I'll increase the perlite in the pots I pot the fans up in. They do come fairly easily from seed (if you catch it) and hopefully next year I'll start to see any variation in the seedlings. The neighbors got a treat today - they got to watch me vacuuming the greenhouses. With the forced ventilation, even with mesh over the intakes, a good number of leaves got sucked in over the years, and the dead foliage that drops off various dormant bulbs, corms and even rhizomes (but not cormous rhizomes) can build up. I don't generally get much in the way of fungal problems but figured it was time to clean up. The shop vac did the job, although I'd have preferred the house cleaner but my wife was in. I then washed down the glazing and sprayed the whole structure with ZeroTol, including benches and newly repotted plants. I'm going to try the latter as a foliar spray through the winter to keep botrytis at bay during any damp, dull cold spells, particularly on the cyclamen and western US frits that emerge early. I've heard many good things about it and finally put out the considerable amount of money that 2.5 gallons of concentrate cost. I think it will be worth it. It works as a peroxide but at a tenth the strength of hydrogen peroxide and without phytotoxicity. The bulb and cyclamen repot was finally finished today and the first of the Cyclamen graecum are already in flower, as are more hederifolium in the garden. I just have 30 new snowdrops to plant in the garden tomorrow, as well as about 30 different South African bulbs/corms that Rachel Saunders sent me as seeds in 2002 that were likely hardy here in SE PA. They are flowering size or close enough now so we shall see! I also have 4 new Crinums to plant out, after last year's experiments with Cecil Houdyshel and Mrs. James Hendry proved successful. The former was beautiful about 3 weeks ago and adds a touch of something I never knew I was missing. Colchicum macrophyllum showed up yesterday in the onco bed but not the front of the house, the hot and dry weather has pushed the early bulbs back a bit, which I prefer. Merendera (Colchicum) montanum is also just popping through and Leucojum (Acis?) valentinum is undoubtedly hardy, coming back for a third year outside with 9 strong scapes. The flowers are over 1" across, crystalline white and almost flat when fully open, and lovely. Enough rambling. Best, J. John T Lonsdale PhD 407 Edgewood Drive, Exton, Pennsylvania 19341, USA Home: 610 594 9232 Cell: 484 678 9856 Fax: 801 327 1266 Visit "Edgewood" - The Lonsdale Garden at http://www.edgewoodgardens.net/ USDA Zone 6b