October Gessie Blooms II

Lynn, I didn't meant to imply that all Bristol's Streps are fussy, and I was going to say that it may be that they're only fussy for me. But then Susan said they're that way for her, too, so I don't know. They're very popular, so maybe it's something about the environment that Susan and I provide.

I am glad to hear, Susan, that someone besides me has trouble with them. Those two scented Bristol's are the only Bristol's I have left. An interesting puzzle...

I think I kill more Bristol's then any other... Well I have trouble sometimes with Neils... I more then likely killed my scented one... LOL
Hugs,
Susan

Gail, as usual, your streps are georgeous. I don't seem to have any luck with them. They all look wilted all the time. I've re-potted into lighter mix and it's still no go. I can't seem to keep them alive. I'll just have to look at your pictures and drool. :)

Gran,
That's a beauty!!

OK everybody....I need some virtual hugs.....bigtime!! In the last 3 days,I have lost at least a dozen baby Streps.........and more will tank soon,some baby AVs, and my Episcias,which were absolutely gorgeous 3 days ago (like everything else was) are looking ratty.Not all,just some.

I have not changed ONE thing and I am at my wits end....LOL.We have had to have the furnace on lately,but the warmest it ever is is 70 and down to mid-low sixties at night.What is so strange is one plant is beautiful and the one right next to it is dying!!....even though they are in the same mix,etc.Some seem too wet and others too dry.There are no signs of bugs.I am totally baffled.

I pulled all dead leaves off the Episcia and stuck them in domes with the lids partially open...they had been wicked.When I get home from work tomorrow I will try to rescue more baby Streps. that even have a few tiny leaves left and baby AVS.

Even my Kohleria,Sinns. and Chiritas look like they are sad.Don't get me wrong,I still have a lot of healthy,beautiful plants,but it is so depressing to have this happen to all of these plants I have grown from leaves and stolons and babied for so long.

OK....LOL.....I am done whining!!

Lynn ^_^

Lynn,
Let me give you your first hug {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Lynn}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} Now let me tell you welcome to my world... LOLOL Since we turned off the air I to have lost so many streps... mostly babies but I normally don't have a hard time with young ones but I hate to say the word but DEAD they go.... One problem is I have over watered them... One day they need water then the next also... now its like one try wilts because it is to dry and the other is still wet... BUT HEY I do still have babies alive and you always know they have your name on any you want ^_^ that's what friends are for... So we can both kill the baby streps....LOLOL You will get it right with the heat on... just take your time and all will go good real soon.... I don't have heat on yet so I will keep you posted when I do.... I was going to post leaves for sale tonight on the market place but I was to lazy to put all the names up...LOL Now the big plants are growing like weeds...LOLOL
BIG HUGS,
Susan

What beautiful plants! What is the rule on pot sizes for streps? I know AVs like to be underpotted but what about streps?

Pat

So sorry to hear that Lynn! You don't have them close to a window or door for drafts do you? Last year I had all of my windows closed and my episcias started looking real bad. I finally figured out that one of the windows was still up and there was a draft coming through the one closed on the inside of the house. (Does that make any sense???) I have the older storm windows where you raise one then raise the other that is over the screen. ANYWAY...I lost Cleo, Witches Kiss and a few others over that one.

This message was edited Oct 14, 2009 10:32 PM

Scratch that last post. I wasn't thinking, Lynn. You aren't cold enough for that to happen. Sorry.

Here's another (((((hug))))) Lynn!

I had to trash a few plants, too, and some of my rooted leaves even look like they have totally rotted, so I can empathize.

Guess what- even experienced growers sometimes lose a plant for no particular reason- "plant heaven" may have decided your plants' time on Earth was up!? I hope that helps- good luck with the rest of the plants:)

Ellen

sorry lynn,i can send more leaves when you need them


JIM

Lynn,

((((( Hugs ))))) coming from way down south too! I didn't grow Gessies to the extent that many of y'all do but I had a similar experience happen a year ago ... lost all my AV's (about 75) and @ 25 Episcia's, three or four Sinningia's and a couple of Chirita's!

I don't know for sure what happened with all of mine but I think the problem was NOT isolating new plants and I probably introduced insects or disease to the group. I never saw any sign of insects but who knows. I had a lot of family stuff going on at the time and was in and out of town and didn't pay a lot of attention to plants so their demise could have been a combination of things. I had been told by a few folks to ALWAYS isolate any new plant, be it from purchase, trade etc. and I didn't listen ... always bragged that I had never, ever isolated anything new. I hope I've learned my lesson now!

Until a few days ago I thought all I had left in the Gesneriad family was a few Chirita's but I happened to be looking for something in my junky Florida Room (enclosed porch, no heat or air conditioning) and I found a few things I thought were totally dead. I have a few regular house plants in there and when I water them I always watered what I thought would eventually get thrown out because they were almost lifeless. I have a little oscillating fan out there but it is extremely hot and I'm surprised any plant will live in there! Well ... I found an AV 'Irish Kiss' and a couple of noid Episcia's and what looks to be a couple of little Sinningia's. I will go take a few pic's and come back in a bit to upload them.

Hugs Lynn!!!----I have walked in your shoes too. I lost a lot of plants this summer--but on the bright side-- the ones I have left thrive in my growing conditions. I know I lost most of mine when I started dividing my attention between gessies and the rest of my plants. I do know that episcias don't like it below 70° at all. Good luck with those you have left--I am sure that this group can fill up your shelves again when you're ready--I still have several things to send ya !

Thanks for the hugs everybody!! I have been sick all day and stayed home from work so I am heading back to bed.Will write more later.

Hugs,Lynn

Get better soon Lynn! It's no fun feeling under the weather so I hope you are feeling better real soon.

Lynn,sorry to hear about your plants.Big hugs to you,I know the feeling of lossing your plants.I hope you can figure out the problem.Feel better soon!

Lynn, Sorry your not feeling well... Our family is also coming down with the crud as we call a chest cold....LOL Take it easy and rest up so we can see your smiling face here sooon...
Love ya,
Susan

Just a quick update.I am feeling better ^_^.

Thank you to all my friends,both for letting me know some of have you have also been through this.and your offers of leaves etc.

I think the upsetting thing is I did it myself!!I would not have lost the plants if the root systems had been stronger.It looks like most of the Episcias and AVS will make it.Even though I have lost more plants than than that it looks like about 15-20 different named Streps. are gone.....several favorites of course.Many of them were blooming size.Oh well,live and learn LOL.

When I am ready I will be buying,trading,and trying to replace them.

Thanks for letting me whine,
Lynn

send me a list of what you lost lynn,ill send what i have of them


JIM

Lynn,
I have to repot allot of my streps and there are many that have double plants in them so give me some time (after the wedding) and what I have doubles of I can ship to you my dear. I am sorry you lost so many.... BIG HUGS
Susan

Turtle and Jim,
Thank you my friends. I will get a list together,but I'm still grieving LOLOL.Most of them were Bristols,a few Fernwoods,and some oldies.

I'll let you know!!

TTYL,
Gotta go to bed.Have to work tomorrow,but only 3-4 hours and 5 Sunday.

do you all know that,if you start seeing a strep dying that you can cut off the old roots and root the crown,even if its willted,even take leaves
that are completed wilted and rehyrdrate them and over half the time a new plant will be born,ive done that a lot,did that with a few that i have right now,out of 4,3 made it,and maybe the 4th )no babies from the leaves YET........

Now you tell me Jim!! LOL!!

Jim's completely right! Never give up on a plant that has some green left to it!

You have to understand, it is a plant's nature to WANT to survive. Think of all the things plants do when they're under stress - lean toward the light, reach their leaves up toward light, put off aerial rhizomes, throw off pups, some plants (I'm thinking of non-Gessies here, but they're still plants) don't even bloom until they're under stress. You're not working with an object of plastic here, these are living things, and they possess the will to survive. Given half a chance, most of the plants most people throw away would recover.

You'd be amazed at the healing properties of a ziploc bag! LOL Make sure there's no rot or insects causing the problem. If so, solve that, and then lightly water and put the plant in a ziploc bag. The vast majority of the time they perk up within a day or two and within a month or so they're back out of the bag and on the shelf. You may even have to do a lot of cutting back of leaves and roots and remove rotten places (cinnamon is a nice anti-fungal that most of us always have on hand - a light layer on the raw spots where you cut away the rot is fine), but still, most will survive.

Most leaves will rehydrate as Jim also said. Soak them in water for a few hours, or even overnight.

Next time you have a plant that's destined for the trash, stop and think for a minute what you might could do to save it. It may be that you don't really care if you lose that particular plant or not, but practice with it. That way, if ever your most favorite plant of all is declining at record speeds, you'll know what worked (or didn't work!) on the last one, and that improves your chances of saving the current one! ^_^

yuppers,Rain is right,post on here if youve got a sick plant,a lot are savable,i saw of pic of one and I think it was dehydrated,
a little water would have saved it,but it got trashed,gallon size plastic bags are great hospitals for lots of violets and strep


JIM

Amy thanks for the tip about the cinnamon! I had forgotten all about that!

Oh Amy , thank you for the cinnamon tip , I had never heard of that , you all are so knowledgeable and so willing to take the time to share the things you know will help people , so kind thank you :)

Hugs ,
Connie

Thanks all!!
Rain,
I never give up on plants until I am pretty sure it is hopeless.If there is still green left or even if there isn't as long as the roots still have some resistance there is hope.I have 3 Episcias I received from a grower that never did really do anything and there was no sign of green left.I let them get a little drier than usual,then lightly watered and partially domed.I am seeing new growth......YAAAY!!

Lynn

Oh, I can't wait until the state show in 2 weeks!

I have made a decision . . . I have WAY too many leaves, baby plants, etc. I have decided that what I cannot sell on the Marketplace or ebay before the show, I will take to the show and put it on the club table, and be done with them! I want to concentrate on my more mature plants . . . at least during the winter! (I'll still keep some of my leaf cups, but not nearly so many!)

I mean, how pretty is Frozen In Time? Imagine how much better she could be if I were able to concentrate on grooming more . . .

This message was edited Oct 21, 2009 1:38 PM

Then there is Rebel's Splatter Kake . . . who is reaching a little, so I wonder if the bulbs need replacing . . .

I am also impressed with Bob Serbin . . . I got him in a trade with someone on another forum early this year . . .

Those are all so pretty, but I especially like Frozen in Time.

My new favorite is a white flower (Rhapsody in White) that has started blooming for me. The lady I got it from told me it was the largest flower she had ever seen. I thought it was pretty when it bloomed but I didn't think it was all that big until the fourth bloom opened up and it showed it's true size. I guess it was such a small plant that it was not blooming up to size yet. I measured it and it is a full 2-1/2 across which is certainly the biggest I have. It looks like it should be on a chocolate birthday cake!

Pat

Great pics, Nichole and how pretty!!! 'Frozen in Time' looks like a show plant right now.
Zozzle, I love that 'Rhapsody in White'.......wow......

She'd be perfect, Gail, if she were a semi-mini . . . I don't think she'd pass the size test . .

zozzle - I had a Lyon's Spectacular early this year that had a huge bloom on it - big enough to topple the whole stem over on it's side! That one didn't survive the incident. Maybe I should put that back on my list . . .

They look like show plants, Nichole. Very pretty! Are you going to enter any of those?

I'm thinking I'll enter Bob Serbin for sure. Rebel's Splatter Kake is a little lopsided, but I'm thinking that it will still do good, even with point deductions . . . Frozen in Time I think will wait until the club show/sale in May. I've got a few others that are up for consideration, if they start blooming, that is!

I would put ribbons on them all. So nice healthy and beautiful blooms.

Hey all! I know several of you are thinking I fell off the face of the earth, but not so! :o) I had a family issue come up last week that threw me for a loop. I'm getting back on track from that and I'll be returning dmails throughout the day, so if you're expecting to hear from me personally, you will soon, but I knew this would be a quicker way of getting with everyone. I apologize sincerely for the delay.

I have a couple boxes that I'll be mailing today - you know who you are that is expecting one from me - so I'll get delivery confirmation numbers to you later today.

Again, I'm really sorry and I hope everyone understands.

Hugs to all!

Nichole, your violets are beautiful. I have one little flower on a leaf baby of Irish Maiden that I received in April. I still haven't separated from mama yet, but I think it's time.
I have to groom some others before I can take pictures. :)

Nichole: Your Frozen In Time is wonderful! Great growing girl ... really beautiful! I had that one for a couple of years and it was a favorite with the white leaf edges and the white blooms! I don't know a thing about grooming or showing any type of plant but I agree with Gail, it already looks like a show plant!

Zozzle: Love that large bloom on Rhapsody in White! Really pretty!

Eileen: I adore that bloom on Irish Maiden! I had a couple of AV's with Irish names at one time and had always wished I had been growing them when my Mom was still alive. She was so proud of her Irish heritage and even though she was not a gardener or plant person, she would have loved the Irish ones!

Hi Amy,

Glad your are okay. I was thinking maybe you had the flu. I have been hearing some terrible stories about H1N1.

Just when I think I should go to miniatures because of lack of space some standards bloom and then I change my mind completely, LOL!

Here is a photo of a smithiantha that I don't have the name of yet. The photo is not very good but it is the prettiest yellow color.

Pat