General Discussion & Chat: Best/Worse/What did I learn today? Pt.41 Visit with Friends, 1 by Gitagal

Gitagal wrote:
Ruby! You are too kind.....

OK! The Nandina is an outdoor, hardy plant--NOT a Houseplant!. It is a form of baboo. Very indestructible! Please plant it outside asap. You could take it outside in the pot it is in and find a partial sun spot (full sun is also OK--eventually--just need to acclimatize it since you had it inside). It grows fairly slowly NS WILL SUCHER AND SPREAD WAY OFF INTO MATURITY. It has beautiful horizontal stems, and looks very "airy" witht he fine foliage. It makes a spike at he top in early summer with little white blooms--which turn into bright red berries that stay on the plant all winter. They are still there at this time. It grows in any type of soil, drought does not bother it, NO diseases!

Pregnant Onion--
Did you get a decent-sized bulb or one of the marble-sized ones? You say it is doing "nothing"...Could you post a picture? You can also put this plant outside now. Treat it as any other plant--just give it a well-draining soil-maybe a bit on the coarse side.
I keep mine in a very heavy, clay window box. I also keep it practically dormant all winter in my tiny Laundry Room window. It does yellow a lot of leaves while inside and dormant, but I just trim them off. Seems it does most of it's multiplying during the winter months--then just takes off when you put it outside. If you started with an itsy-bitsy baby onion--it will probably be a while before it gets big and "pregnant"....

The Angel Wing Begonia-----This time of year--you will want to cut all the tall tips back. Be brave! You are doing the plant a favor! Cut way down--maybe to 4"-5". Keep about 8" sections of the top growth--put them in a glass of water and let them root. This is easy as pie! Then cut away and discard any of the bare stems in between--OR--they would probably also root in soil.
The stubs left on the original plant will grow into a new, bushy plant, but may bloom only sparsly. The tip cuttings, when rooted and potted up, will bloom very well--because the blooms come on the tips of the canes.
By now--I also have this plant outside in shade and it is doing very well. Once it hardens off a bit--it can take some sun. The leaves will "burn" if you do not do this at a slow pace.... If you never cut it back, it will bloom nicely--but also be all gangly and tall--all "canes"---hence the name--"Cane Begonia"....
During the Winter--I bring it in and keep it on the dry side near a sunny window. It will drop all the leaves, except the ones att he growing tips. That is all you want to have anyway...
This is how I have kept it propagated for about 25 years! About every 2-3 years, I take the old plant out of it's 12" pot, knock all the soil off, pull all the rooted canes apart and see what is alive and "producing" and what is not. The "nots" are dead stems and get canned! The good roots get re-potted in fresh soil--and you should see how tha plant groes THAT year!!!!!
The potted starts you got were the Spring tip-cuttings.

End of "class"......:o)

Look here! The front pot is that Spring's new cuttings all potted up and blooming. The re-growing Mama is in the back.