June Flowers III

Sinningia 'Aurora Borealis' I absolutely LOVE it! It has buds, but with foliage this gorgeous, who cares if it blooms!

Wonderful blooms and photographs.

Sure is a great time to be inside here. So hot. Nice to have my AV's, terrarium etc to have fun with. Less time outside.

Amy, your Sinns are awesome looking! Do you find them easier to grow than Streps?
My streps are looking awful right about now. It's sad, because during the winter t hey all looked great. Must be too warm in here or maybe the wicking is finally taking a toll on them. Gail told me last week that D. Thompson doesn't rec. wicking streps. Maybe I'll try the capillary matting thingie b/c I need some method that will save me time. I'm afraid they'll die if I don't give 'em some constant watering method.

All of you have beautiful plants. So nice see these little pieces of heaven!

Shanika

Shanika,
Mine are doing so much better without being wicked and I don't have matting in the trays either........I just water with a turkey baster when one pot needs it............they like to dry out first........(not to where they are wilting)

When the heat comes on in the summer is a good time to divide them, give them some fresh soil, etc. Mine are never as happy in the summer as the winter and I live in south Texas.......so I know they like it cool.

that is good to know Gail. I think many of mine need to be potted up, with the fresh soil like you said. I've lost a lot of my streps, sadly. I wasn't prepared for such a time as this! I know I can grow streps better, almost as good as AVs, but time will tell. I'll have to take some before and after shots for ya'll to see my progress.:)

Gail, meant to ask you....are you growing your streps in soiless mix? I bought 1 bag each of peat moss, verm. and perl. yesterday. If I use this, I know I'll have to be dilligent about fertilizing, right?
That peat feels so good against my hands! It was the first time I'd ever used it. It's fun mixing your own medium.

The biggest thing you have to worry about in mixing you own mix with peat, vermiculite and perlite is that you won't have enough trace elements in your fertilizer.................but you can order from Cape Cod the Peat-lite fertilizer with extra doses of trace fertilizer............that would work...........

I had my streps in Volkmann's wicking mix even though I wasn't wicking...........but am in the process of changing all of them for the summer to either Miracle Gro African Violet mix and only perlite...............or the Volkmann's regular mix which is pretty heavy. Volkmann's is kinda expensive but does come with all the necessary trace elements............

I am like you............love the feel of the peat moss.............smells and feels so light..........it is pretty acidic...........all you can do is try different soil less mixes..............or make your own like you are talking about.........I ordered STEM from Houston (trace elements) but don't know how much to use (LOL)

GL says she just grabs whatever she has around and uses it for potting streps............she does add perlite though..............I don't think she ever adds vermiculite for streps..........what do I know???????? nothing!!!!!

Do you have to worry about soil mealies using the peat, perl. and verm? Or just if you use potting soil? I was really contemplating microwaving this mix before I use it on my gessies. LOL H ave you ever done that?

I have to be very careful about soil mealies regardless of what I use (LOL)..........I know most people say don't use chemicals but I do!!! I rotate chemicals..........in about 3 weeks, I need to water from the bottom with Admire Pro. I leave my plants in the chemical and water for at least 4 hours before I use the turkey baster to get out all that the plants did not absorb......sometimes even 6-12 hours.

I have used the microwave before but be sure you get it wet enough or you will have an explosion (smiling)......someone said it only takes about 6 minutes in microwave?????? Don't know if that is right or not................

Hi Shanika! My Sinns are really small because I have ignored them since last fall. I'm babying them now and they're starting to respond favorably to that, thank goodness! I do prefer the Sinns to Streps. They do better for me (read that to mean they tolerate my neglect better! LOL). I find it's nice to have the tuber as a "back up" if I let them go too long without proper care. Streps just die, but Sinns go dormant and will usually come back when I take care of them again. Overall the Sinns do better anyway. My house is old and difficult to heat and cool. It's hot in the summer, which Streps don't like, and cold in winter, which keeps them from blooming like they potentially could. I still have to have a certain number of Streps though, because when they bloom, they bloom like crazy and I do love the flowers!

I don't wick anything. Tried that and failed miserably. I use my own form of the "Texas potting method". I fill the bottom third of the pot with pure perlite and the rest of the way with my soilless mix. That way I can just pour water in the tray and they absorb what they need. I don't have to worry too much about rotted roots that way. The perlite allows air for the roots.

My mix is Miracle-Gro potting mix, perlite, and vermiculite. It varies on how I mix it, but it's roughly 2 parts Miracle-Gro, 1 part perlite, 1 part vermiculite. I usually put in a little extra perlite and vermiculite, though. I mix that well in a large plastic bowl, spray in some water and stir it around to thoroughly moisten the whole mix, loosely cover the bowl (I use a lid for a larger plastic bowl and just lay it over the top leaving just a sliver uncovered for ventilation), and microwave for 9 minutes. I usually let it sit covered for a while after the microwave stops, but if I'm in a hurry, I dump it out into a baking pan and spread it out so it can cool quickly.

I also got pictures of that Orchid you sent me, but my external hard drive crashed and I think they were lost in that crash. It had white blooms with fuchsia dots. Gorgeous! I love it! If I find the pics, I'll post them.

I would love to see that pic! Hope you can find it:)

So do you find that heating the soil kills mealies? Do you use any kind of chemicals?
I use BATS once a year on some plants, mostly Hoyas and christmas cactus. You have to be vigilant about mealies because they can be inconspicious for a year and them wham! they come out. I don't trust store bought plants soil anymore- been burned too many times with those dreaded soil mealies-especially the christmas cactus. Maybe it's because the growers use cheap soil or just the lay of the land in commercial biz.

I don't have a problem with soil mealies. In fact, rarely do I have a problem with mealies at all. Thrips are my huge nemesis. They are on everything outside, which isn't a huge problem for most of the outside plants, but they wreak havoc inside. I am so careful when I come in from working outside, or even sitting outside on the swing. I won't work with my indoor plants until I have had a shower, but just walking outside seems to bring them in, in addition to having several house dogs that have to be walked several times each per day. It's a constant battle for me, but I persist. I think I'm going to try RID lice shampoo/treatment next time I have a problem with thrips. It seems to happen the worst in fall or early winter, after I've brought in the Hoyas and such. I do treat the Hoyas and plants that stay outside all summer with BATS, and it helps tremendously with scale, which I used to have a horrible problem with. It was suggested to me once to try flea and tick shampoo for dogs as a drench for houseplants. It's obviously safe and the kind we bought the other day for our puppy contains pyrethrins. You might try that for soil mealies.

Here's a pic of the aforementioned newest addition to our family. She's a blue heeler. If you have need for everything you own to be chewed up and destroyed, definitely get one of these! LOL

Awww....How can you deny that face?!?

if you bake your store bought soil,you can get rid of the mealies and all the bad lurking critters in there.dont know how long ,you can microwave it too
your dog is cute,but i perfer cats,(dont tell the other guys out there ,they will kick me out of the man club,lol

Buck, It seems to me that MANY men love cats. My grown son sure does. I hear on TV too. I love them. I had two for years, but when they passed on, I couldn't get another. I am allergic to them.

I do adore little doggies though. I have a Shih Tzu.

Jay Leno has a cat, and lots of guys. I think the cats being for women is just a myth.

we got a pug named lucy

cats, dogs, fish, birds....I got em all!

Raingazer - I heard that when bringing outside plants in, first put them inside a big plastic trash bag with a flea and tick collar. Seal the bag, think you are supposed to leave the plants in for 24 hrs.

RainGazer,
I love your Sinns.!! That 'Aurora Borealis' is really different.
Everybody's dogs are so cute.I miss having a pet.Jim my nephew's best friend is his cat ^_^.She's adorable,but I am allergic to her.

We used to have a Shih Tzu named Bernie when I was in school. It was so hot in the high desert, my mother kept him with a schnauzer cut!

It's too soon for me to consider getting another pet . . .


although I'm sure it will happen eventually.

I just 'collect' stray cats and dogs (LOL)...........right now I just have a cat who stays out at night hunting and then sleeps all day in the house.........real sweet. The last two dogs I got all fat, happy and fixed.........then found them one good home for both.........

Gail, I seem to attract all the homeless pets in my vicinity too. Some I find homes for, a few I keep. Sad to think of all the ones who wind up in shelters or worse.

I know this sounds cruel but if I kept every animal that someone dropped off on the highway near here, they would kick me out of my house. People would be doing the kind thing if they would go to the trouble to take them to a shelter.............

This kitten was 3 months old when I found her and she weighed 2 lbs. The vet said she was literally starving..........I just don't understand how people could do something as cruel as taking them out in the country and dropping them off to fiend for themselves.

Hi Amy! Thanks about the photo... yes, it's one of my favorites... reminds my of a "Country Time Summer"... and I did have it matted and framed, and it graces our living room.

I love your pup! I am an all-animal person too! Used to breed, train and show German Shepherds... even trained some PD dogs in the past. But over the past few years we've been a cats only family!

This is the "baby"!

What a gorgeous kitty! What is his or her name?

ive got a siamiese mix,shes got most of the markings but it looks like her paws were diped in white paint,and she is so soft
we also have a persian and a six toed ,all girls and all fixed,

JIM

around here quite a few stays wind up as "bait" animals for dog fighting rings, or are sold to medical labs. Though shelters are preferable to that, it is just too bad that people feel no commitment towards the animals that they decide to get, and then don't bother to spay or neuter. A shelter is not always the kinder alternative, not all of them treat the animals well, quite a few in the south still use gas chambers and use them in a highly inhumane manner. Is being on the street better? I don't know. None of it is better. People treating animals with love and respect would be better, training them instead of expecting them to train themselves - and thinking about the extent of the commitment before getting a pet would be better. If you can't care for it for it's entire life, if there is any possible reason that you can forsee that you might not be able to, like not wanting to bother to look for rentals that accept pets, then don't get the animal. If there is a situation where you become too ill to care for it, or have a baby with allergies, then you take a few weeks to find someone to adopt it. But, sadly that is too much work for most people. Dumping it somewhere is acceptable in their minds. I volunteer at a shelter. Somedays I think I can't take another second of it, all the fear and sadness in these animals. Makes me really hate people sometimes.

This message was edited Jun 24, 2009 1:59 AM

I can tell we have gotten off on a 'hot' topic....................animals are God's creatures but animals are not humans.

I love dogs, love talking about them, and love seeing pictures of other people's dogs.
We have four house dogs, one for each person in the family! LOL We just recently lost our 21 year old cat. I don't care for cats at all, but he was different. He was awesome! I don't think I'll ever have another cat, though.

But, we can't start a war on the boards about animals, so let's change the subject completely. ^_^

I don't have any new Gessie pics to share today, so I'll just share a pic of a Hoya cinnamomifolia Gail sent me cuttings of last year. I love the colors in the leaves!

That is just beautiful!! Really love it.

You not only got the cuttings going, Rain, but she looks awesome!

Raingazer, I think that one is Hoya obscura. Cinnamomfolia has huge leaves that are spaced out our very far on the vines...it is actually not a very attractive plant, though the flowers are gorgeous, lime green with burgundy centers. I have a picture of the main part of my plant, what I do is keep wrapping the vines around the original stems, just to keep it from sprawling all over the place, but you can see how different the leaves are.

Obscura could be the one you have there - I have that one too, but it is hard for me to remember all the names, I have alot of hoyas but am not actively collecting them anymore, I am out of room for big plants, maybe I pick up a few cuttings a year now. I know that my obscura, if that is what it is, gets very bronze in the sun too.

Obscura is the right name but we just call it cinnamonfolia because of the color of cinnamon in the leaves..........

A few pics of gessies this morning (refrigerator is now clean........and I have 4 full kitchen bags of food) for the dumpster.........

Batik

Azure Giant........both by D. Thompson

Small blooms from Bristol's Popsicle but the color is devine!!

Butter Blues by DT

The marker says Calico but I thought Calico was darker than this.............by DT

I can't capture the color of Dracula's Shadow by DT with my camera............she is too dark........

First bloom on Essents........and she is a large bloom

Fire and Ice by DT

Franken Carolyn