I received mine when it was approximately 8" as well. I keep it in full sun since I live up North in zone 7B. The plant has not stopped flowering and sprouting leaves. I also have 6 babies growing. Whenever I see a pod that's about to burst, I keeo an eye out for the seeds, I then just tuck them in the soil about 1/2"down and about 1 -2 weeks later my babies sprout. I have also heard of people putting a mesh bad around the pods to catch the seeds since they do tend to "fly" rather far from the tree. I winter it indoors and still have beautiful leaves and some flowering, but I have never not had a flower. Good luck.

I tried some of the manual tools suggested, but my best result was with a diamond studded hacksaw blade. Naturally, I wore my rhinestone safety goggles while working.

Have his doctor take a blood sample at any time during one of those attacks. It is important to take a sample at that time of attack. The doctor will have the uric acid content and I believe the sedimentation rate performed......those test results will then determine with 100% surety whether or not he has gout. In severe gout attacks.....patients may not be able to walk. I've been there before.....had to use crutches. There is a medication (don't recall the name) that will will dissolve those uric acid crystals from bone joints real fast. In a matter of "hours" all pain will be gone. Should those gout attacks continue, one can usually take allopurinol to PREVENT it from occurring again. This has worked well for me for many years. It is important to keep in mind.....if you have frequent gout attacks (uric acid crystals forming in joints), you may well be building up kidney stones too. Yours truly passed three kidney stones which were tested to be composed of uric acid. Gout is bad enough...passing a kidney stone is even worst. My gout suffering dad had a large stone (the size of a white bean) that formed at the entrance to his bladder. It had to be removed by going up his penis with a special retrieving tool. Not too many men are up for that kind of surgery......allopurinol can keep that from happening. Also, allopurinol ONLY PREVENTS gout. It does no good to take allopurinol DURING a gout attack. In fact, if you take allopurinol during an attack, you will make the attack worst. The other medication I mentioned earlier MUST be taken to remove the uric acid crystals. After the crystals (and pain) is gone, then one can go back taking allopurinol to prevent gout. Usually this is enough to teach one not to forget to take a daily allopurinol pill. Dan .......gout free and kidney stone free for 25+ years.

It doesn't have to be the night before. The crystals build up which is what causes the pain. I don't drink either, for me it is the veggies I eat. I had 5 shrimp the week before, ate pureed cauliflower, ate a bunch of asparagus during the same week and a package of mushrooms. My Doctor told me I just have chronic high uric acid in my blood as does my sister. Before I was diagnosed years ago I went to the Doctor because I thought I had skin cancer. I had these black crusty round spots on the top of my left thigh. I think my Doctor called it tophi or something like that. They finally went away after I started taking the medication. My uric acid level at that time was so high I had 2 Doctors call me after I had the blood test to come back in right away.