For me they like to be potted up. I recently divided one that was in a six inch pot and had gotten really pot bound, and then put the two sections into four inch pots each. Streps grow really rapidly. I have found that when they need to be potted up they are totally pot bound and its hard to keep them watered when they are like that. They also seem to like their crowns slightly higher than the level of the mix. I use the same mix as I use for my AVs.

Judy,
How big do they get overall? My maximum AVs in 6" pots are about 12". However, they drape down and are round
so they don't take up to much space. Do the streps grow sticking out straight? When you say 5" do you refer to the pot size or the diameter of the strep? (Clueless about streps but trying to learn more!) I am planning on ordering from the same place I order my AVs, so I hope that the culture and the size is about the same. Joanne

Hi Joanne,
They range in size like AVs, though none so tiny as the real minis.
I've got one, a hybrid from Dave Thomson, called "Elfin Etchings" that's not supposed to get more than 7 inches fully grown. Others can get large-you can see some on the web.
However, I'll try to post some pictures for you tomorrow to show you the size variations (types and ages) so you get a better idea.

The thing with the leaves though-unlike AVs, you can trim them down, without causing any distress. For example, I had one that had a couple 12-inch leaves, which I cut down to about 1/3 of that size. This was a pretty young one and I didn't have room for those leaves in our mini greenhouse (usually once they're in 3 inch pots or so, they're blooming nicely and come out to somewhere else in the house).

As for sticking up, some do, but most of mine curve gently down outside the pot. You'll see in the pix I post tomorrow.

By the way, I did end up repotting three or four of them into four inch pots, and they're quite happy. I've just ordered some 5 inch pots off eBay for later on. That's about the max pot size they'll need I'm guessing. After that they'll probably need to be divided. Also-for your info-I pot them exactly the way I pot AVs- including the same soil mix.

Best,
Judy

Thanks for the update!

Thanks for the update!