great forum, guys and gals!

i live in a small apartment and it has been referred as "the jungle". can't live without my plants...

now, i have a few questions that i have to throw it out to the masses. Got few bulbs at the evil empire of walmart, and they bloomed daintily in 02/06 and now they have grown to unmanageable sprouts of leaves. I do use fluorescent bulbs, albeit 23w only for about 12 hr a day on a east facing window, which is probably not enough. I dug my fingers into the pots, and felt that the bulbs have grown in size. One of the bulbs even has two new plants sprouting out.

I have two pots, with four bulbs each in them, and mind you, one of the bulbs has two other offsprings now.

It is now mid october in a zone 5, My questions are...

-should i force them into dormancy? (by withdrawing water and placing them in the dark closet?)

* if forcing, is it enough to just withdraw water/light and let them dry out for 8 weeks?

* do i have to place them in cold/cool refrigerator, i.e. 4'C/36'F?

-if i don't force them into dormancy, i know i won't get timed blooms... which is ok, i guess i will just leave it to mother nature decide on the blooming time. As you can see from the picture though, they have become rather crowded.

* WHEN do i transplant? can i transplant with all the leaves flopping around, to take them out of the pot? doesn't that "damage" the plant, therefore requiring about a month or two of recovery, consuming bulb energy, and therefore one might as well force them?

* do i force them into dormancy and then transplant?

* do i bite down, endure the messy leaves and wait till they rebloom, if ever?

Any pointers would greatly be appreciated.

before the mess... double minerva and double nymph

february 2006

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current mess... october 15, 2006

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before the mess... february 2006

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current mess october 2006

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