Hi Shmuel,

Uli gave you most of the info on these plants. S. tubiflora is blooming
here in Phoenix
where we have had temperatures well above 104 F / 40C for over a week (and
this will
continue until October.) Judging by newspaper weather reports, our
temperatures are a
lot like those in Cairo or Baghdad, which is warmer than Jerusalem. In the
past the
plant has been undamaged in full sun with temperatures above 114 F / 46C.
This year I
put it where it gets about 8 hours of sun morning to early afternoon. The
foliage is
much thicker, with shorter internodes, than it would be in more shade. I
am convinced
the reason people don't bloom this plant is because they don't give it
enough sun.

I don't let it dry out when in active growth. I suspect if I had a
full-sun greenhouse
it would grow and bloom all winter. I keep it completely dry in winter
outside in my
carport to protect it from our cold winter rain. Some winters the tops
never die, even
after months of dry soil. My plant in its 10" / 25cm diameter container
tolerated
overnight freezes to the mid teens F / -6C dry in my carport last winter
without
problems.

Stem cuttings will root in water and produce tubers when planted in soil,
so there's no
need to dig up tubers for propagation. I think this is normal for
Sinningia with longer
stems.

The bigger the pot the better the show. So far every sprout has produced an
inflorescence. It is a matter of how much space you have and how much you
want to lift
when moving for the winter.

One year a caterpillar ate all the shoots and the plant struggled after
that. I don't
know which butterfly or moth it was, but no trouble so far this year.

Leo Martin
Phoenix Arizona USA

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