Winter 2010-2011: Growing plants under lights indoors!

What a concept!!!!

We came from here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1049036/ Time to start a new thread as the previous one from last year is over 130 posts.

Well, guess what? I decided I was just going to ignore my MG vines growing under lights in the spare room. I water and feed them and mist them a couple times a day. I turn the lights off at night and back on again in the morning. I have 29 vines growing on two shelves under grow lights. They have lots of healthy looking foliage and are all about 30" tall wrapped around the 18" tall mini-trellises that I made for each vine. They were germinated and planted on Sept. 6, 2010. So lets see ... that's exactly 10 weeks to the day! If they were growing outdoors during the spring or summer here, they would have already been blooming and possibly even producing seed pods. But indoors under lights is a whole different ballgame ... as I am discovering!

I noticed that several were looking a tad wilted so checked and sure enough! the soil in all the cups was pretty dry. I had just watered them on Friday. Usually I can go an entire week between waterings. Not this time ...

So I started inspecting them and low and behold I saw them ... bloom buds!!! (There are developing buds on 19 of the vines. Yay!) Some vines just had one bloom bud, but most had at least 3 or 4 if not more buds developing on these different vines. FINALLY! They sure took their sweet time getting with the program! Sheesh!

Here is a photo of one tiny bud.

This message was edited Nov 15, 2010 10:20 PM

awsome to watch them. I always get so excited, I can imagine your anticipation.

Here is mine..( anticipation)

More buds on another vine! ::: I'm doing the Snoopy Dance!!!:::

close up of my two year old stictocardia breavenous ( spelling not right)

I just love the little hairs on I. Nils, don't you>? They look so healthy for you.


Now I know what the mina citronella lobata looks like.. I grew three kinds this past summer, but this one didn't show up in time outside..It was a small cot with two sets of leaves when it came inside.

Debra - Your Stictocardia is HUGE!!! Mine has a bunch of leaves. I am going to have to move it from the shelf to the floor, along with the Albivenia. They both have monster leaves and are just too big for a shelf at this point. I have some of those clip on spot lights with grow light bulbs in them. That should do the trick for those bad boys! I can't believe yours hasn't bloomed yet. Looks like it will very soon! Can't wait to see those flowers on yours!

Here is what I call a perfect bloom bud photo!!! lol Normally it would be a bloom within a week, but everything is taking much longer indoors, so I am guessing two weeks before my vines actually have flowers! I can't wait! I have a feeling that I am going to have flowers on 2/3 of the vines all at the same time! :-) :-) :-)

That is beautiful, Becky. can't wait to see your flowers. It will brighten my cold days.


This is the vine clipping I made from the big wandering i. hederafolia var. lutea out back. it rooted and is now a nice size plant. The one outside went over our entire patio and gardens out back. It never bloomed, and even after the three freezes here, it is still showing signs of life. It grows roots in the air. I want to see it's yellow bloom. Here is hoping.

That cracks me up, Debra! Those delicate and small blooming vines are the hardiest of all. They looks so sweet and fragile ... who knew they were monster growers in disguise?! LOL! That's really neat you got a cutting to root! I hope you get yellow blooms! :-)

Do you use a special kind of light to grow these indoors or regular daylight?

I use one of each per light fixture ... daylight and grow light. Works darn good! :-)

Anxious to see your blooms Becky, and Debra's too. The winter
blooms help keep us going until spring arrives.
We are supposed to have a milder than usual winter. Bring it on is what I say after that horrible, long and cold winter last yr.

Thank you Becky, I think I am getting the nerve up to try it again. ^_^

Oh! You DEFINATELY need to try growing them under lights again!

Look at mine .... kinda ridiculous, huh? LOL!

A dwarf MG jungle under lights (side view)! Where's the woodland faeries when you need them?!! I guess my trusty little artist's brush will have to suffice... ;-)

Oh My!! You have a great set up there, taking notes here....

I need to figure out a way to pinch them back. Probably do it low on the vine. It seems every time one vine branch breaks, two more sprout in it's place. However, I do wrap them around themselves and the mini trellises numerous times, which makes them look nice and bushy! If these were growing outside in the sunlight in the 5 gallon self-watering buckets ... they'd be huge by now. Interesting how these are more dwarf like. I wonder what size the blooms will be? Likely smaller than normal due to the smaller container (32 oz. styrofoam cups). Thanks to Antoinette for the cups!

Final photo of the top shelf of vines. I am thinking they are a little too crowded. I am seriously thinking of setting up another grow light shelving unit in this spare room. I need to move all the middle rows of vines off the top and bottom shelves and put them on another shelving unit. They need room to breathe and receive more of the full spectrum lights. Too much shaded areas with them all so close together. But they still seem to be thriving in spite of their crowded quarters.

Pixie - These shelving units were in my garage for storing junk. This is what you call a fine example of re-purposing something to become more useful! LOL! Though my dh thinks having a greenhouse in our spare room is a little over the top! Me thinks ... he doesn't know what he is talking about. I also figured if I put another shelving unit in the spare room, I could use the top shelf for veggie starts and then move them outside. Everyone here in Florida is telling me this is the time to grow veggies such as lettuce, tomatoes, snow peas, etc. I think they might be right. Look at my mangled tomato plant growing outside. It's been there since early summer and did nothing. Now look at all the tomatoes it has growing on it! LOL!

This message was edited Nov 16, 2010 8:05 PM

I bought this one for the spare room.....I have lights on it and start my veggie seeds in March. This year I think it will have MG on it until March. LOL
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11541206&search=storage+shelving&Mo=27&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=storage+shelving&Ntt=storage+shelving&No=24&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1

That's really nice! And portable, too! I like it! Adjustable shelves are a must! Sounds like the perfect set-up to me! Go for it, Pixie!

Never told Hubby I had ordered it, he got excited when it came... until I told him to back off, it's mine! LOL
Think i'll try one or two MG at least.....very curious to see the 'Gray Morning Mist' blooms. Have you ever grown that one?

LOL about your dh's disappointment of not getting the cart! LOL!

No, but I have grown Gray Fog and Silver Shadows. Both looked similar, though one had a blizzard pattern on the blooms. Definitely gray in color. Very pretty and unusual!

Debra, I want to see your stricto also, very nice buds...

Becky, be sure to have your paint brush ready, looks like you will have several open at one time and you will have your choice of crosses this year... you can't see my jaw on the floor can you? lol.. Great Job there.. talk to you later, school is calling my name...

A.

A - Absolutely! I am growing several of your crosses that I want to use to cross some of the others. Some of my favorites all have buds!

Update on my Blue Speckles grow-outs: The one Blue Speckles F1 vine that came true made 1 single seed. Just one! I was sweating it thinking I wouldn't get any seeds. But I got that one. Hopefully it will germinate for me. I am interested to see if the F2 will grow true as well. Fingers crossed. I also got a variegated leaf Blue Speckles and I see two seed pods ripening on it. Hopefully no bugs got into the pods and they will ripen with at least one seed per pod. The variegated was really pretty. The cactus form didn't make any seeds unfortunately. I was hoping it would because it was the most interesting and I would have liked to grow an F2 from that one as well to see what it might produce. Out of 4 vines, 2 produced seed pods. The fourth vine never did well at all. It had very pale yellow blooms with just a small amount of blue speckles. So that is the latest on that neat cross you shared with me, Antoinette. Thanks again for some really amazing vines/blooms this year! Loved them all! ♥♥♥

Becky will any and all MG grow indoors?
I think I have seeds from this group and was going to try them in case I kill em! Won't be as upset if I loose MG's i've already grown before. LOL

Ta daaa!!! LOL I am so happy!

I had to do some acrobatics to get this shot. *sigh* why the heck did I put it in the closet?

pixie - The vines you show in that collage photo are mostly I. purpureas. I am not sure about the top left-hand bloom. It looks like an I. nil. You could probably grow just about any vines (MGs) under lights. The problem might be that I. purpureas get tall ... quick! Maybe growing in a smaller container, they might stay shorter and smaller, but I don't know for sure. Give it a try and see what happens!!! I am growing most all I. nils. Which also can get quite tall/lengthy.

Debra - Oh my! How beautiful those blooms are! Worth the wait for sure! How many years did you say it took to bloom? My baby is about 11 weeks old now. Do ya think I will get blooms on it this year? Probably not, huh? I wonder if mine will have flowers that look like yours or could they be different? All I know is that the seeds came from Reunion Island from Gordon Hawk! Hope you'll be able to get it "out" of the closet come Spring time! :-)

Debra, Your stictocardia blooms are to die for, absolutely wonderful.

pixie, I am growing i purps and i nils, u can too. last year i had jaimie lynn blooming so pretty..


thanks for the comments about "ole sticto". it has been a longggg 2 years.I can't imagine what I would have done had I not cut it. It was all across the front of the house up into the gutter. I am rooting those cuttings. I promised Jackie one for sure. You will get it, too. just gotta see some leaves and then we will be good to go. This vine is now crawling back out into the main room. I strung a wire up and out for it to climb. Last year it was in the south west corner window downstairs, and it was drafty and got the crystals and soot. there are a few leaves with crystals, the older ones, as it was exposed to a chill before it was brought in. There are buds are on all the vines. I am going to use Beck'ys paintbrush to see if I can get seeds. Mittsys mail box mix in the door pockets all bloomed and have set seed pods. I think I had a couple lady bugs pollinating down there for awhile, as I have found them in the pot soil.
Coco chocolate from Ronnie is still vining and blooming. Moon vines are crawling everywhere and so is baby woodrose, who I am hoping will bloom for me this winter, since it is also two years old. argyia wallachi lost its leaves when I brought it in. it is now forming new ones. This is going to be a fun winter for me.

Thanks Becky...I don't know the difference between I. purpureas and I. nil.
I am as green about the different variteties and charistics of MG's as the plants are!! LOL
To be honest I started growing them for my 87 yearold Aunt who loves Glads and MG's. I knew nothing about either but thought I would attempt them to bring a smile to her face. It's 20 years later and im still digging up Glads every fall and collecting seeds from the MG's. I have had good luck growing them, just don't have a clue to what I am actually growing.

Joeswife, that is one beautiful flower!!!

Thanks, pixie.
You know, I was just like you, not knowing what I had been growing since the early 80's. But I sure did have fun and loved them! I have learned a lot since coming to DG, but really, since no one in this area really cares, it is kind of just a personal gain for me.

Your morning glorys are beautiful, no matter what they are.

Joe, you mentioned baby woodrose, I have some seeds they were given to me last year, are they still good? You also said 2 years?? and no blooms?? You are waaaaay more patient than i'll ever be!! LOL

plant those seeds.. I started all mine in plastic water bottles with vermiculite mix and sat them in the window sills. Winter fun!

Debra - Neat bloom photo with that striped background! :-) Nice to see others have some I. nils blooming, too! It's warm here, but I imagine it is pretty cool/cold elsewhere in the country. Keep those babies warm and cozy in your green basement! I think that is so neat that your stictocardia is blooming like crazy for you! Indoors, no less! Way to go!!

Pixie - If you go to the sticky thread on this forum, scroll down to a title called "IDENTIFICATION" and there are several links there to help you learn the difference between the more common MG species. Did you plants some seeds?

Well, gotta chuckle at this photo. It was even funnier in real life. I added another grow station in the spare room and had to remove all the cups of vines from the first shelving unit to move it. I piled them together and this is what they look like! It really makes me laugh to see all these little I. nil vines! I have my own private indoor nursery apparently. They don't look like that many when they are crowded on a shelf. But like this ... it's pretty radical! :-) What a hoot to grow so many indoors! Who'd a thought it could be done ... lol lol lol

The plants and their leaves are much smaller ... as will be the blooms, too. Apparently, you can control the plant size (leaves, height, blooms, etc.) depending on how much room you give the roots. Does that make these Bonsai MGs? LOL!

This message was edited Nov 24, 2010 10:41 PM

Diluted Fuji no Muraski was the first to bloom. This is actually the 3rd bloom on it. The first bloom I messed with and it wasn't too pretty. The second one I somehow missed until it was wilting. But I saw this one today ... LOVE IT!!!!♥♥♥

Here's the entire plant. Mini-sized! :-)

Looks like I am going to have some blooms on Antoinette's Chocolate Picotee x Ten Ten tomorrow! Yay!

The diluted is striking, really special