Question
Hi Greg,

I have a propeller plant - Crassula falcata that bloomed last summer and is now very ugly, How to I propogate it? Do I just cut up pieces of the stem? The leaves? I assume that will fix things up - by starting over.
    When i do, does it mess up the geometry by turning the pot or must it always face the same direction. It is on an east facing balcony. How do I get the leaves to be tighter together. Now they are about 1 inch of stem apart.

2nd Question
Yuck! I have mealy bug on my cacti and succulents. They are on the lpant and also in the soil. How do I get rid of them? Is there any way to do it without using chemical poisons? Some are nice old cactus and I don't want to scar or hurt the surface of the cactus (is that called the trunk?)

Thanks so much!

Shmuel


Answer
Dear Shmuel,

As for your first few questions, check out this web page: http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Crassulaceae/Crassula_falcata.html

As for your 2nd question. I normally just pick them off. If thats not practical, there are parasitic wasps that can be used (if you can find them). Also check out this site:
http://www.greengardener.co.uk/mealy.htm Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Greg