SOIL -- I'm using a combination of Miracle Gro with some of our clay and a good helping of composted dead tree. My growth wasn't quite what I expected within the first three weeks, and we're away from home in Micronesia so I haven't seen the hatchlings for about a week.

FERTILIZER -- I'm going for as organic as possible. To that end I have blood meal (mmm... pork blood) which I've made into a tea, I have a good orchid food the nutrient ratios of which I cannot remember (but it's a no urea food and mixes up fast, whereas the blood meal tea needs to sit for at least a week), and I've given them two good feedings of diluted urine after which I started to see some really good growth, probably should have started the feeding much earlier. Probably should have started up with that immediately, but I didn't want to risk burning in case the MG's nutrients were too much for them.

WATERING -- I let the plants tell me when they're ready. Soil is almost dry, but not waiting for wilting. I water from the bottom (they're in a tray you can see if you click on my gallery), I do about a half inch at a time then check the soil's moisture, which I eyeball. I lost one hatchling about two weeks ago, it was out of the blue, it just wilted and never came back. That's ok, though, I've got more plants than I'll know what to do with once they're big. As they mature they'll likely require less and less water, however, they're potted and outdoors and when summer really hits it will be very hot and very dry, thusly increasing their watering needs.

As for when to plant.. I think you're there unless you're in a very northern area, then I wouldn't know. I started mine at the beginning of April and we were still getting frosts. They prefer being outdoors over being in a sunny location inside.

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Ron Paul doesn't deliver babies.
He reads them the Bill of Rights until they crawl their way to freedom!