parid09

Just chiming in a bit late here, but here goes my 2 cents worth. What I have found regarding the thinning of leaves and stems is a normal result of bringing the plants inside, behind glass (which reduces the amount of solar energy more than you would think) and just the difference of having moving ait around the leaves. I set up a greenhouse every winter using my three season porch (exposed to outside light on three sides) and using clear plastic on the inside and outside of the windows as a heat buffer. Last year, I did not have a fan blowing on the plants and between the stagnant air and the spider mite issues, ended up toward spring with little more than pseudostems. After moving them all outside, everything rapidly came back to life, as usual and grew well thruout the summer. This year, when I moved them back to the porch, I added a small fan in the same space, providing a gentle breeze over the leaves, and this made all of the difference in the world. I have to water the plants now at a rate that would have killed them last year, with no evidence of molds growing. This also distributes the heat evenly in the space, without the cold spots that form in recessed areas. I let the humidity get down to 45 per cent before misting, to get it back into the mid 60s. Even with all of the natural light coming in from outside, I still added flourescent lights to brighten things up. The leaves are as thick this year inside as they are outside during the summer, and the results from adding the fan are dramatic, so give a fan a thought. I have tried everything for spider mites, with the frustration of just seeing them return, but this year, I just tried spraying / misting with water and wiping the leaves down afterwards with a terrycloth towel ( both sides, especially near the leaf midrib, and outer margins ). Some of the leaves got a bit tattered because of this, but better tattered than gone. This removes the eggs, webbing and seems to disrupt their cycle, as I have seen no evidence for about a month and a half. I had a horrible infestation back in Nov. As a result of these changes this year, the plants are growing at a faster than normal outside rate, and the leaves have a slightly more bayonet shape, but are thick and healthy. Just keep in mind that we in the north are growing these things in a very hostile environment, and keep "fine tuning" until they smile. it can be done. NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!