Pugh Bear's Propagation Thread

Somehow we're miscommunicating. I froze one thread, not dozens of them.

When I did, I encouraged all of you to continue the banter, but in a forum set up for chat-type threads and let the propagation forum be used for propagation questions.

OFF TOPIC

My God, I go to bed and when I get up we are still beating this dead horse.

I am still annoyed at the way the shutdown was handled by the Administration and I feel it could have been stopped on day one had we known why and what was said about those of us who just hang out here and help others propagate.

I do not need this time consuming back and forth baloney. I am sure Terry has other things to do and the rest of us are also busy people under normal weather conditions and growing seasons. If we want to make a federal case out of this, o.k. Then let's do it. Otherwise, can we please just get on with our normal peaceful lives of plants and people we like and stop this. I am going to continue to post on Dave's Propagation list and when I am OFF TOPIC I will note it at the top of my post. If that is not acceptable to Terry or anyone else, please advise me of the same and I will be gone. I am 82 nearly 83 and if this keeps up I will not live to see how it ends. Now let us all get our lives back to normal and let Terry go hunt the bad guys and let us get on with our fun and propagation.

This family can not be torn apart by two individuals we did not even know, who we welcomed into our house and then they really gave us the shaft. Not sure which one was the problem and at this point I do not care. I just want it over with NOW. As far as I am concerned we do not need to move to any chatter group in any silly back porch or pig pen or whatever they are called, I will say what I have to say here on Daves list but as I said before, I will notify people as Amanda did Off Topic. I have plants to care for and other business to conduct.

If I have committed a DG sin, I ask for forgiveness and if that is not possible, so be it. It was not done on purpose.

You all know what a witch I am but I am a loyal witch with nothing in my heart but love and kindness until someone makes me angry. I adore you all and no one, not even the administration will break up these friendships we have made over the years. They are good and solid and it is so sad some people just love to make others unhappy.

Maybe some day someone will explain to me how we left this all happen. Had to be the weather. Later people. Love you all. JB

Since you know I am a witch, I will show you my little helper when I cast my spells.

Howdy:
I see Terry's point and I do plan to open 2 threads when I am able to. One in the chat room style and then one in propagation. Its a bit tough to keep up with 2 threads but it will clerify a few things. I went through a while back and did a short (several pages) on a basic how to word doc which i offer to anyone who asks for it. It was a tough thing to do because it took some time to fish out the information relavent to the subject.
I like the rest of you have enjoyed our little thread and people have come and gone lurked and some even posted a few things. and I think it was 39 and I was going to have to look up the next move past 49 so dont feel bad about the counting. I apreciate the fact that we were allowed to go as far as we did. I did try to keep on topic most of the time. I think haveing the 2 seperate threads will satisfy the request to change the way it run.

Terry: my question being the starter of the thread can I ask someone to leave if I feel its gotten out of hand?? I guess the question is a bit general but if asked and they refuse what recorse do I have within my thread? I really don't like the nasty stuff but its painfully obvious that it must be addressed.

take care everyone. I will get the new threads up asap
Dave

Dave, thank you and I hope you are better soon.

As to your question, it's probably best if you let us know when a situation arises, and we can do the asking-to-leave/removing when it needs to be done. That keeps you from being in an awkward position :-)

Not sure who posted it but what was the chat name suggested? so I can get that one set up. I am sure if I do not do it today it will be monday maybe later to set up. I need the brain help.

Off topic (i guess)
As they are cutting in the back and its no easy recovery unless I get lucky and its small incission. it is out patient so its a bit easier
off to pre op
Dave

Thank you so much for the help in this matter
Dave

Ok Terry, what do you mean by your response to Dave? Does it have to be Dave that asks you to take a look at someone? Because I asked, early on when I saw we were going to have a problem, and I did not get any response, not even a "howdy do" as Dave would say, from you.

I read the rules and do not recall seeing this issue addressed. If it was and I missed it, does it specify WHO gets some action from admin?

Jeanette

No, Jeanette, anyone can report a problem :-)

I'm afraid I'm not sure what message you sent that didn't get a reply, The most recent messages from you at our helpdesk were both sent on Sunday and I replied to them both the same day. Was it something prior to that? If you can locate it and reply to it, that should bump it up and I'll address it via a response.

OFF TOPIC ~

Oh, my! It seems to me that we are to look everywhere else for the answers to our questions, unless it has it has not been specifically been covered elsewhere on DG. Hmmm. Yes, we can answer a question or refer to the specific plant in another thread as well.

Does that mean that we are not to discuss anything else unless it is in a separate "chat room" forum?

Are we to break this up? Is that is what is occurring? We know who we can trust here by the years in which we communicate with each other. Is it better to ask these questions and then get anyone who is a member to answer them? I think that we all learn from each other and that is the purpose of these forums. If I do not know the answer to a question, I will find the info in a book or refer others to a link which does contain the answer. In the mean while, we are also learning about each other in ways that in a strictly question and answer forum does not fulfill. true, in the beginning, I felt that I was put off and ignored, even if I posed a question more than once, as it seemed as those were strictly talking to each other. Then when I announced I was leaving this thread, so many of you said, "No, please stay! Don't be so sensitive.", which I admit that I am. So I said I would lurk until I felt I had some pressing question or had some information that would contribute to the conversation. I really do not know how long ago that was. In any case, this is usually the first thing I go to when I turn on (boot up) my computer, even though the purpose of of which was to do other tasks.

Also in the beginning, I was curious why there were so many personal comments about family, friends and neighbors, instead of keeping on topic. Later, as I got used to the group, I realized that I was actually making friends, asked to listen and care about others as well as their ongoing problems concerning their plants, which of course includes the weather in all seasons, and also their own health issues and concerns...LOL!! Then I realized what big hearts the members of this group have and not just a place to go for answers to questions about propagation. Of course, we do share what experience we have with our plants, and what kinds of plants we like...etc, as we all have a unique perspective on the topic

So where does this go from there? Is it all going to change, just because two people had a disagreement? HMMM??? I think that it has all been blown out of proportion, akin to the old saying, "Making a mountain out of a molehill".

Let's continue on until there is a problem, and then deal with it from there, OK? Does anyone disagree with that idea?

Sorry Terry, I can't find it 'cause I have no idea how far back to go in D-mails. It was quite some time ago, when I felt we were going to have this problem. Unfortunately, it may have been added onto maybe another D-mail. I have been back to last year, I don't know when they showed up.

Doesn't matter now anyway I guess.

I apologize if we failed to address it, but we do try to respond to everything that comes to the helpdesk (i.e., where your questions go when you click on the "Contact us")

At the time I just assumed you would not discuss other members with me and that is why I didn't get a response. Like I said, doesn't matter now, it is too late. Things went downhill from there. Jeanette

Whoops! Cross post!

OFF TOPIC

I just checked in to make sure everyone is o.k. We are all feeling very frustrated and hurt by how things worked out without our input.

Evelyn, Hi there, it is good to hear your thoughts. We all seem to be on the same page now if only the Administration would agree. Unfortunately Dave has agreed to start another thread and also one for Chatter. I do not want to be negative but I do not have time to check into two different sites. It takes enough time when I go here with my coffee each morning to be sure you guys are all o.k. and see what the weather is like out west if I have plants to go there. Also South, because we have Linda and I forget is Lee up North. Anyhow, we have the states pretty well covered and it is such a big help to check the weather here.

I have all the night posts because I am in bed before most of you are just getting started when I am asleep.....I do not mind. I make up for it when you can't talk back and I am out here with the few East Coast people who are not working.

Today was an example of how much time we waste going from one thread to another. I have been talking to Corey about lilacs and have had to flip back and forth and I just can not waste time like that. Not when I am trying to run a business do my other volunteer work and still help friends on DG. I am cutting down on places to sell. As of today I am only going to sell on eBay. I have made several changes due to the situation here. It broke my heart but that is the way it has to be if we are so restricted. There is just not enough time to be everywhere since we must have these new threads.

Take care and keep in touch. Maybe things will work out. No, this group will not be separated, no matter what. We will find a home that welcomes us the way we are.

God Bless and Good Night to all my friends wherever you are.

Thank you, JB. I was feeling ignored again. But this time I will persist. I do not think that this thread can be re-structured. "It is what it is..." as the saying goes.

Perhaps it would meet eveyone's needs if the most chatty thread included
"MOSTLY OFF TOPIC" or
"Socializing"
in the title.

Maybe "Pughbear's Propagation Chat Thread # 24".

Corey


P.S. If you have too many active threads for convenience, "watch" them from the "Home" tab. There's a list of "watched" threads with posts not yet read. Jump to them by clicking on the title. That way is fast and handy even if 10-20 threads all 'hit' at once.


This message was edited Aug 3, 2011 4:45 PM

OK ~ Then we can ALL agree to do what we want to do? Like before? Yeah!!

(Maybe) we don't need two threads. Just have people keep their (serious) disagreements to dmails instead of in the threads. That was the cause of the whole brew-haha!

ON TOPIC

JB ~ The Golden Vicary Privets should be in their own pots by now. I checked, as I thought they were already in gallon cans, but they are in 4" pots. They look ready to be cut again, as they are getting tall. I will check their roots and maybe they are ready for the gallon cans after all. I will take some cuttings tomorrow and start the process all over again.

To any this may concern. I do not know if I need to also start a thread concerning this plant, as I doubt there is little interest in it. (It would be a waste of space to do so, IMHO.)

Still Off Topic

I apologize for using the term "Thread Police". I'm sure I would not be at all ruffled if this had not happened so many times on other websites, newsgroups and other online forums. DG is very well-run, gently and fairly moderated by comparison with many sites.

I've been using the term "Thread Police" for decades, going back to 300 baud modems and bulletin boards. Whenever a sociable community enjoying an Internet site or bulletin board was told to "go away to a back room if you just want to chat", because they were interferring with the stated purpose of the group.

But invariably, the purposes of those who want to be sociable includes being sociable with the group of people attracted somewhat by the name of the website, but mainly attracted by the sociable people themselves.

But what about the purposes of the owners of the website, and the moderators of the forum, and those who only use the forum to provide themsleves with conveneint information? Even if subscribers pay, the owners and workers should control how it works and what is or isn't welcome.

I think the resolution comes from the fact that the chatterers also usually turn out to be the most-frequent contributers of answers. I submit that it is "in-group chat" that attracts an "in-group", who then also serve the purpose of contrbuting answers and suggestions that make the forum attractive to anyone else.

Chat is the nectar that attracts the pollinators.

So the forum needs both chat and also on-topic threads (or a very effective search engine, preferably one like "grep" where the original search displays your search term in context, and also lets you jump directly to the post that had the hit).

Sure, DG has forums for "go away if you want to chat, don't clutter this forum".
There are many Internet sites where gardeners can do that with other gardeners.

Back Porch Discussion Forum
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/backporch/all/
most recent post July 1

General Discussion & Chat Discussion Forum
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/general/all/

But doesn't each interest group (forum) want a nucleus of nerds who are interested in that topic and will come to the forum for more than just "answer this question, I don't wnat to have to look it up"?

Those wanting to use a forum only to TAKE information may possibly find it uncomfortable to have to ask a question, but they certainly have the example of dozens or hundreds of threads where questions are asked or answered (5-10 posts, 20-30 views, no new posts in months or years identifies those threads).

I've noticed that the same questions tend to get asked and answered repeatedly - more people seem to ask than search. That's fine, but at least, with the presence of this thread, it is obvious that there is enough activity that it's worth asking a question.

Again, I'm not knocking the moderation in DG. It's above average.

But I'll always expresss my disagreement with the notion that any online forum is long sustained by anything other than the sociability of its frequent contributors.

What I've noticed over many years and many online groups is that when sociable interaction is discouraged by anything, traffic drops off, then drops off more, then it becomes a ghost town with a big archive but little current activity. Even those who might once have contributed answers only drop in to ask something, and then they notice that no one's left to answer.

Hence my theory that each forum needs some chat and some question-answering.

P.S. Some people seem to confuse threads with forums, as if they never look at the forum itself (the list of thread titles). I have no solution to suggest for that!

And, furthermore, when trying to root softwood cuttings, you need to get roots to establish themselves before excessive wilt or rot sets in. Both oxygen and humidity are required!

Corey

Sorry, Corey! It was not my intention to either chop up your comment, or quote the whole thing. What I wanted to to say is that we are probably the only two here that even were online when "bulletin boards" were on at 300 baud modems. Yes there was an internet before Windows! That had to be over 20 years ago! That is why all the abbreviations as there was a fee per minute then, I think. Now the teenagers use the abbreviations for texting on their cell phones. LOL!! Yes, that is where that came from! LOL, ROFLOL...etc

>> 300 baud modems. ... fee per minute ... texting

OMG! ROTFLMAO! smiley smiley emoticon

Corey

(Embarassed to admit that I gave up on the DG 'quote' feature long ago. I hope it was late at night or after too many beers that I couldn't figure it out!)

I don't mind.

Corey


This message was edited Aug 4, 2011 5:48 PM

LOL, Corey you are fast. You read it before it got deleted.

Jeanette

I guess we will need the other thread kept in our mouse so we can just copy it into the thread we are on, when it is time to continue the conversation, mid conversation on the banter thread or the propagation thread. lol Sounds complicated but it could feel like naughty fun.

OFF TOPIC

I am so confused! I went away for a little while to entertain a child and then when I finally get to come "home" again, a storm has come thru and really messed things up.
I don't know what happened, but I miss everyone.
Dave I am keeping you in my prayers.

I love to talk about propagation, but I also enjoy catching up with friends that I would never have "met" had it not been for this particular thread.

Whoever asked about hydrangea propagation, Now is the best time to cut and root. They root very easily. It is incredibly humid here, so I don't do anything but stick them in a pot in the shade and keep them moist until I see new growth. If you live in a dryer climate, then I would suggest placing the pot on some pebbles, or making a tent out of a 2 litre bottle or plastic.
You can use roottone or something like it if you want, but it doesn't matter either way for me.

Gardenias, I root in water. My great Aunt Cora used to cut them and put them in a bucket by her back step. Even when there was ice on the bucket in the winter, the cuttings had roots by the spring. I have never tried rooting gardenias in soil so I cannot help with that method.

Bamboo, I have found it is best to have root cuttings. I have had no success whatsoever with any other method.
I have discovered that lions tail will root in water, but candy corn vine will not.
Also epi cuttings root a lot faster if they are allowed to touch the water, but not necessarily submerged.

Now is also a great time for camellia and sasanqua cuttings too. I posted a tutorial for those on my blog and if any of you want cuttings, let me know.
It has been so unmercifully hot and we have had a killer mosquito infestation, so I haven't been outside much. I am at the point of bringing my potting soil in, just so I can start things. Anything left alive at this point is a true survivor!
Have a great day everyone.
Linda

Hi Linda, this is just too much for me to process. I am devastated and am working on a new home for us. I want to wait to see what Dave has in mind when he comes back.

Please tell me the following:

I have two camellias ready to be cut and I was waiting to figure out what to cut, new growth or old growth or what. I am so glad you are back.

On the hydrangea, that was me, I have a blue one and same thing, what kind of cuttings do I take.

We just broke more rules, we are to start new threads for each flower/plant we discuss to help others . I refuse to do that. I used to when I first started and no one responded so I gave up and joined Dave. BTW, where is your blog so I can read what you said about cuttings. Is it on DG?

Stick with us Linda, this heat can not last forever. I am sitting on orders because I will not ship due to the heat. I hope you are well. JB

OFF TOPIC

WAKE UP YOU GUYS..................DAVE IS BACK HOME AND WANTS ME TO TELL YOU HE IS DOING GOOD. HE SAID HE IS A BIT FUZZY WUZZY THEN HE WENT ON TO SAY FUZZY WUZZY WAS A BEER...............SO I GUESS HE IS A BIT FUZZY. HE CAN NOT SPELL BEAR. LOL. I WILL KEEP YOU POSTED.

HE NEEDS REST NOW AND I FEEL SURE HE WILL CHECK IN LATER. I AM HERE FOR AWHILE IF ANYONE WANTS ME. YOU CAN ALWAYS EMAIL ME IF THAT MAKES YOU FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE. SINCE WE ARE OFF TOPIC. JBerger431@aol.com

OFF TOPIC


HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHARON. MAY YOUR DAY BE FULL OF FUN, LOVE AND HAPPINESS. HUGS FROM THE ENTIRE EAST COAST JUST IN CASE THE OTHERS HAVE NOT FOUND US YET. LOL I AM SURE YOUR WEST COAST GANG WILL BE HERE LATER TO WISH YOU A HAPPY DAY.

Well Sharon, what are you doing on your big big day today? Who are you spending this very special day with? Did Vern buy you a new sports car for your birthday? No??? Well, I'll bet maybe his daughter did.

That must be why you have so much company this month. For your birthday!!! I cannot imagine any other reason for people going to Las Vegas in August. So, congratulations on your birthday and imagine a big long cruise on your favorite boat and maybe pointed towards Alaska!!! That is what I would give you for your birthday if I had a whole truckload of Thousand Dollar bills.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHARON!!!

JEANETTE, LEE, DAWN, AND EVELYN. I THINK THOSE ARE ALL THE WEST COAST PEOPLE OTHER THAN YOURSELF. IF I HAVE LEFT ANYONE OUT THEN YOU WILL HAVE TO WRITE YOUR OWN BIRTHDAY GREETINGS.

WHOOPS, I GUESS I WAS SUPPOSE TO POST SOMETHING ABOUT AN OFF TOPIC POST OR SOMETHING. SO HERE IT IS.

Happy Birthday Sharon! Nancy

OFF TOPIC
Nancy did you change your screen name?

Sharon happy happy birthday. Enjoy it. Today is my dd's too. 26.

We are going to Tahoe on a road trip with my almost 3 year old Grand daughter so that will be interesting.

On topic
I wondered why my Hydrangia is barely kicking, it is in a half hot and half the day shaded spot but the roots were getting hot. I started drowning it with water and put straw over the roots and it did better. I did not know that it likes humidity.

Happy Birthday Sharon! Hope you are having a wonderful day.

I am happy Dave is back home. I can't imagine having to go thru all that and then deal with stuff here too. He is a brave man.

Dawn, do you have movies she can watch in the car? I always read to shawn when we traveled. I have found that little baggies of toys ( like happy meals) she hasn't seen for a long time, books and movies are the best solutions to road trips.

Dawn, I plant my hydrangeas in lots of shade with very dappled light. They seem to thrive here. I had a variegated one, but I think it lost the struggle with the heat.

If you want to take cuttings, take cuttings from the hydrangea's now. Especially if they have finished blooming. I usually take a couple of cuttings from each plant I want. Right now the spring growth has hardened a little and the fall bud set hasn't started yet.

Same thing on the camellias. Take cuttings 6-8 inches long. With a camellia japonica, the growth buds are on the end and with a sasanqua, they are all along the sides of the stems. Make sure the cuttings you take have a growth bud.

Hope all is well.
Linda

I am generally just a dedicated lurker, but I am going to comment. I have no loyalty to either side of the conflict that is going on and really it isn't any of my business.......but what Terry described is actually how I felt when I came upon some of the threads on the propagation forum. I am a newer gardener and just within the past year became a paying member. I am hungry for knowledge and check out all of the forums that interest me, which is why I am even looking at this. I was hoping for some new propagation info. The thread title makes it sound that way at least. When I first started poking around the propagation forum I came upon several threads that seemed like a private group discussion that really didn't seem to have anything to do with propagation. Now I am sure if I had asked a question someone would having glady helped me, but I wasn't sure if that was appropriate or not due to the fact that the discussion didn't seem to be about propagation. Now some of those discussions did initially start about propagation but I had to go way way back to find the part that was. Now in all honesty I don't even bother to peek in on those threads or the ones that resemble them. I am probably getting the short end of the stick (doing it to myself) because I am sure there are tons of things that I can learn from the group when the discussion is about propagation. I see those names in other forums and am sure these folks know their gardening. I kind of feel like I am eavesdropping though when I lurk "those" threads in the propagation forum that I am sure the conflicts are about. Now I am in no way suggesting that anybody change the way they do things. The way it is now is fine for me; if I have a question I will start a new thread and hope that one of you more experienced gardeners will help me out. I do want to say though that I have experienced what Terry described. Chances are ya'll are a great group of folks that welcome others to join in, but sometimes us newbies are a little nervous, you know it is kinda like walking into a room full of people you don't know.

OFF TOPIC

A very Happy Birthday, Sharon! I hope that you are doing something fun to celebrate.

What would you like for your birthday?

Dave ~ As always, we are sending prayers and good wishes for your speedy recovery. You are too young to have to go through this.

Linda ~ So glad that you are still with us. What do you recommend for gophers? I will take some cuttings of my hydrangea, per your instructions.

Jeanette ~ I cannot stay too long, as my eyes are hurting already, but glad that everyone is hanging in here.

Dawn ~ I am on the laptop as my destop keeled over, so no mouse. (But I know what you mean by that, now...) Eventually I will call HP, it is just that I do not like to waste a whole day on the phone with them in another country. Aren't any computers made in this country anymore?

Corey ~ A women's fight? >> Just like most men they hide their heads in the sand where women's fights are concerned.

Anyone have pictures of their propagation efforts or their gardens??

clyoung ~ You said a mouthful! That is exactly how I felt when I first came upon these threads as well. Please feel free to speak your mind any time, as we are all happy to help.

When I first lurked, they were all talking about cloning and what kind of equipment they were using, and I was quite interested, since I never did any hydroponic experimenting before. Then they just kept talking to each other until I kept on asking the same question. Then I told Dave that I was leaving and then everyone rallied around and then talked to me. A bit odd, but as I mentioned before, I am the sensitive type. Eventually I listened and learned. It was not just about propagation, but as Sharon has said, it is about life. We all have our challenges, maybe Dave even more than most, as he is way too young to have those health issues. (Most of us) are old ladies, except Corey, rj and Dave. Well, Amanda is young and smart. Truly an interesting mix of people that all love gardening and propagating plants.

Evelyn

So please, if you have any questions we will try and help, and if not we can post some links for you to follow. Really, everyone is helpful here. It did take some time for me to get used to all the personal and family stuff, but we are human, and we all have problems. This is really a caring, loving bunch, mostly, even if some do go overboard on their teasing each other.

So, welcome, clyoung! Please tell us more about yourself and what kind of gardening interests you.

clyoung1 said

>> if I have a question I will start a new thread
>> I am sure if I had asked a question someone would having glady helped me, but I wasn't sure if that was appropriate or not due to the fact that the discussion didn't seem to be about propagation.

I think that is the only method that CAN work. Asking elicits answers. Probably the “chat” thread should have a “chat” title, helping visitors to decide to create another thread.

If I recall, Dave's first post on each new thread spells out that the first thread has the most concentrated 'progagtion' info and invites people to chime in with questions and opinions.

Suppressing a “chat” thread won't cause the same number of words to be typed into some new informational thread. It's not like pinching back one thread will cause other threads to arise with spontaneous topics, or become bushier or put out more blooms.

People have to ask to get new information. If searching for old threads were ten times easier, that would be an option, but if one is motivated enough to do that with the DG forum Search feature, one can do it through Google.

Asking is better than searching. (And a regular may be able to find a link.)

>> what Terry described is actually how I felt when I came upon some of the threads on the propagation forum.
...
>> Chances are ya'll are a great group of folks that welcome others to join in, but sometimes us newbies are a little nervous, you know it is kinda like walking into a room full of people you don't know.
...
>> several threads that seemed like a private group discussion

Peple do drift in and out. It's open, just not to everyone's taste. The tone or style of banter on this thread is unusual in how ... umm ... rowdy it gets. That, I understand, can be off-putting. But it seemed clear to me after very little reading that folks were just fooling around.

And the first post spells it out that "Propagation" is also on-topic.

Corey

clyoung1 - that's true - I am a newbee too, but this was the most active thread I could find and figured there was much to be learned. I have learned, I read back thru the pages of threads and found much useful information, and what was not ON TOPIC I maybe skimmed, not read.

Other forums have threads where the same people post over and over and over again. It's not unlike that anywhere else on DG.

I tend to agree with Corey's characterization of the thread because that's what drew me in to begin with - the activity, the sharing, the "living document" that is, or was, Pughbear's propagation thread from his experience XXXXXIIIIVIIIIMM."

In any event, I was offline for several days and did not have the time to read the propagation thread. I was not aware of "what happened" though I'm not sure, after all this, if I will follow the propagation forum at all once Dave's thread disappears or moves.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts. Are you really putting the onus on Dave to decide what to "do" when he thinks Fuzzy Wuzzy was a Beer?! Poor guy. Stress is not good for healing. Sounded like he was willing to accept separate threads on his last post(s). It's just a matter of where.

Have a goodnight.
A.

I have been a member of DG for many years. Don't remember how many. Just checked and it was 2004. So, that is around 7 years. In that time I have received a lot of information about the plants I have been interested in. I do not think there is just one thread that you can learn about any plant. i.e. if you ask a question about a plant you will get some information or advice as to where to look.

I have found that almost all threads run their course quite fast if the topic is strictly adhered to. During the winter when there are not too many parts of the country/or world (users) that are growing plants. There are other things people are involved in during those times. Therefore, those threads are gone.

However, even the chatty threads do slow down during those times, but they normally do pick up again when growing season nears. So you see, it is the friends we have formed here that have kept that thread open for you to ask your questions. If you don't like a thread there are plenty more to look at. I move on quite often still. As terry stated, there are hundreds of threads under propagation. So, why would you lurk for any length of time on any one thread that you did not feel comfortable with? I am trying to understand. None of us likes all threads. That is asking the impossible. All threads are not alike. thankfully.

So, I think even Terry would suggest that you keep looking, asking questions, and you will find the information that you seek.

Evelyn thanks for being so kind!
Rick watch out you said asking is better than searching, I am gonna take you up on that! Rowdy is not a problem for me, I have 4 teenage boys. They sometimes say and ask me things just to try to get me worked up! I refuse to let it work though.
Amanda wow no kidding this is an active thread! LOL! This is not somewhere where your questions will be left unanswered.
Jeanette maybe I wasn't clear enough in the way I explained it. I came upon on the thread tonight while doing my usual poking around. When I read it, Terry was talking about something that I had experienced. I was just simply offering how I had felt, no judgement meant what so ever. I actually don't lurk threads that make me uncomfortable. I suggested that I probably have missed out on some good info because I wasn't lurking those threads though. I am so easy going that there probably aren't really any threads or styles of conversation on Daves Garden forums I would dislike, they may not match my interests though. I think I have found a place where I can ask questions about gardening or almost anything else and expect an answer..........right here! Wow I have graduated from lurker to an actual participant tonight! :)