It was looking great when we left. Some of the plants were pretty rough when we got home but they all recovered except for the Aussie. I still have a small hope it will spark a bit of life.
OverWintering Tropicals - A Mid Atlantic Survey
You're right, Coleup. This past spring, shipping was really late on the caladiums, so I just potted them up and hung them outside... but when I've received them sooner, I've potted them in gallon containers and put them on a heat mat inside to jump-start them.
I know I have posted this before---long, long ago....But since this topic
has come up again-- (starting caladiums) --I will dwell into this one more time....
When I was working for a grower--can't tell you the year--or which Grower--
they had the regular, long tables with plants germinating in the Green Houses.
These long tables were covered in a heavy felt , which hung down to the floor.
On the table--they had African Violets growing--and the felt was kept watered--
so the AV's would get the bottom watering they needed.
Below the table--under the overhanging felt--they were germinating all their Caladiums.
The temp. down there was a damp 80*. It worked like a charm.
Bummer! I cannot remember what place this was!
The idea of putting your potted caladiums on your water heater to sprout,
no longer works...as all the water heaters are now so well insulated that not
much heat radiates through the top. Now we need to find other sources of bottom heat.
I have NO heat mats--so it will be challenge... but I will think of something..I always do!
Another thing in my "memory banks" is that caladium tubers have to be planted
at the very bottom of the pots. Then put on a some kind of warm surface to sprout.
Anyone else have any comments on this??? Gita
Tops pf refrigerators is not so cozy as it used to be either. I'm at a loss to find passive lost heat to use for bottom heat in the house. A sunny windowsill in spring WILL heat up pots nicely, as long as you don't have a cold cloudy spell in the middle of that…gr
Have you tried setting a plant directly on a floor register? It's intermittent bottom heat, coming up only when the furnace is on, but it does seem to speed things up for my amaryllises. (Having a register blocked in the morning room doesn't much affect the temperature downstairs for me, YMMV)
Also, if you have a metal bookcase (or can find one cheap), you can put a pot light on a lower shelf (one of those "uplights" that's meant to sit on the floor and shine light up into your ficus) and it'll heat up the shelf directly above it (assuming you're using an incandescent bulb). More alternatives here: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/556/
Critter, your suggestion about the metal shelf/light bulb is exactly what I do. I have used it for 2 years to geminate seeds. Works like a charm! I would say that it does have problems though. You have to be careful that the shelf doesn't get too hot. Also, the area that gets warm enough is very small, maybe 1 square foot. But it's cheap n easy so I can't complain!
Just picked up my first Cordyline today! "Red Sensation". Supposedly, it can tolerate temps in the teens? Anyone have experience with overwintering these?
Only in my GH.
Here is what Walter Reeves does with caladiums in his zone 7 garden
" Light frost kills caladium leaves outright but the best time to dig the plant is before the leaves disappear. You’ll be able to find them hidden in the soil much easier if you use the stem as a handle to gently tug the corms free as you dig.
Caladiums can also be stored in a plastic tub and covered with perlite. Separate the corms by leaf color and label the tubs carefully. You won’t be able to tell which is which next spring without a label.
Both caladiums and dahlias should be stored in a warm, rather than cool, spot for the winter. A little-used hall closet is a good place. If kept in a cool basement or unheated garage the roots deteriorate and do not sprout easily in spring. Keep the lid on the container until you retrieve it in April."
http://www.walterreeves.com/landscaping/bulbs-storing-for-winter/
Judy--
How much heat would be too much for the caladium bulbs?
My laundry room is quite warm. Not only is it close to the Furnace enclosure-
it also has a heat vent in the ceiling. VERY warm when that is on.
Anything I want to dry quickly--I just hang down there.
I could keep the bulbs in a box on my washer/dryer...Kind of out of the way.
When I do laundry--I can move them temporarily.
Matter of fact--I will put my dug up bulbs there tomorrow.
They won't dry as well in the Shop....
I don't have Dahlias--but i WILL have a pile of canna bulbs dug up.
Got any advice on these?
Usually--have air-dried them outside if the weather is still warm, and then
put them in low cardboard boxes on the floor in the Shop. It is a bit damp there--
but not too much. Sometimes I throw something over them..just a bit...
That red Canna Wind gave us all makes amazingly large root-clumps.
Insanely huge! Also Olga's orange Canna had massive roots...
They are all still in the beds....I'll get to them when I get to them.....
G.
Gita, you already have a tried and true method that works for you with cannas, so stick with that. I think between 40 and 50 degrees is recommended storage temps for them. You might enjoy this site on cannas, especially the comments by a PA new gardener who is using his huge canna stalks as part of his Halloween display! Corn stalks!
http://ahealthylifeforme.com/2012/11/08/canna-lily-winter-care/
Caladium "storage' from Classic Caladiums says above 60
" Bulb Storage:
Caladiums are tropical plants, and bulbs must be stored at temperatures above 60°F (16°C) with a relative humidity in the neighborhood of 75%. Also, there needs to be good air exchange to prevent build-up of gases. Caladiums are particularly sensitive to the presence of ethylene gas. When storing caladiums, unpack them immediately upon arrival and store them in open trays with proper air circulation. Exposing bulbs to cold temperatures will cause them to sprout slowly and erratically and cold may stunt the crop.
Stunted Growth:
Make sure that bulbs are not stored at temperatures below 60°F (16°C), or above 90° (32°C). Injury due to temperature exposure manifests itself in stunted (sometimes very slow) erratic growth even though the bulb does not show any injury at all."
http://www.classiccaladiumsllc.com/caladium_bulb_sizes.htm
Thanks, Judy!
Laundry room it will be then...tomorrow......
Since we are talking bout storing bulbs and temperatures---
How about Amaryllis????
I usually put the pots down in the Shop and let the leaves wither off.
Then I leave them be--for about 6 weeks (so Allan Summers said).
When the leaf or bloom tips start to emerge--I bring them up in my LR
and that is where they stay (blooming whenever) until they go outside.
I would say the temps in my Shop are in the high 50's. This is the lowest
of my 4 levels in my 4-level split house.
This area IS 75% underground with cinder block walls (sealed from moisture).
NO heat vent down there--and almost NO light....
BTW--The Shop is also where my Brugs snooze for the winter....and my Clivias.
I DO leave the shop light on for the Clivias during the day....IF I remember....
G.
I sore my caladiums in the room above the wood stove it is one of the warmest rooms in the house. Cannas go in Josh's basement much cooler and more damp down there.
Good to know Caladium bulbs might like to be warmer than my basement in winter... I've been leaving them in their pots, so I don't really know what the tubers look like in fall, just that they aren't quite as good when they sprout again the following spring. Maybe the problem is storing them too cool.
THe newspaper answered one of my recent questions- well, somebody else asked what I wanted to-
Red blotch is a fungal disease on amaryllis that causes red blotches on leaves and bulbs. It will weaken to the plant, though you can pot in fresh soil and give it a chance. You can use a systemic fungicide. Keep infected bulbs away from other bulbs.
I wanted to look up and see what red Blotch looks like--
This was the only link that had pictures..
http://ipswichgardenclub.blogspot.com/2012/01/amaryllis-red-blotch.html
Also some explanations.
G.
I will get rid of the one blotched bulb I have. The red blotches are just that- red spots. the other bulbs don't have red spots.
I've been told that some red color can also appear on bulbs that have been damaged (cut on the bulb, bent leaf), but that's a harmless condition and not the same as "red blotch." So don't toss a bulb in panic. Thanks for that link, Gita -- concise explanation and good photo showing a depressed area in the bulb, almost like a rotten spot on a potato or pepper. Sally, if the red spot doesn't get larger, elongate, or start looking sunken & "bad," it's probably just normal red pigment. Fortunately, I think actual Red Blotch Disease is pretty uncommon.
hm, well, I'll take a good look…thank you
Although- when you think about it, a cut or bent leaf is damage that would be susceptible to fungus. GIven that one post said you could proceed with caution, I guess it's NOT a perfect time to panic! I'll look at the overall vigor of that bulb. COurse, these things are dwarves compared to what Robin Catbird showed me from the bulb order.
Sally (and anybody else), there are a few 'Flamenco Queen' (remarkable red & white variety, bulb as big as your head!) and one or two 'Misty' (mini pink trumpet) available from the boxes that were double-sent. Chris & I have an easy arrangement about them, so I don't *need* to sell them off, but I wanted to offer them! They're $7.50. They'll "hold" dormant in my basement a good while, too.
Oh, I would love 2 more Flamenco Queen!
My cursory read up on 'red splotch' has it more common than un common Trust your gut! Why 'wait and see' for one suspect bulb? "Wait and See" has given us wide spread Late Tomato Blight, Hosta VX., Rose Rosette. and pretty much wiped out bedding Impatiens! to name a few. Fungus is amongus and highly contagious to boot. While you are at it, discard soil, disinfect pot and do not replant amaryllis in that area as spores remain in soil as well as on bulb .
Wash hands after examining suspect bulbs and don't buy a diseased 'bargain'.
This link has some photos of red blotch >
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/amaryllishippeastrum/msg081936427762.html
Coleup, good point about not keeping potential trouble makers, but in my experience amaryllises show that red pigment in response to injury very commonly, and if you mistake that for "red blotch" infection you'll toss out a lot of good bulbs. "Red blotch" is more red-brown than the naturally expressed pigment, and the red spots elongate and develop into lesions... when you see lesions, you know you have disease, just like with tomatoes, peppers, etc.
SSG, I'll be glad to put 2 FQ aside for you. Please remind me by posting on the bulb buy thread (or Dmail me)... I'm not at the computer with The Spreadsheet right now!
no thanks on the amaryllis for me,,, in fact I have to get logged into Paypal and pay you- sorry!!
Dmail sent! Thank, Jill!
I looked at my big pot of Amaryllis and the bulbs do have some red on them
This pot has 7 bulbs in it and is almost 10 years old.
I decided that Ias not taking a picture and posting it--as I would not
want anyone here jumping to conclusions with diagnosing my bulbs.
It blooms every year--albeit late--as I do not adhere to any set time frames.
G.
Two of my 3 amaryllis bulbs are partially red (darker in real life than it looks in the photo). How would I know for sure if they are healthy or not?
That's so generalized I think its just pigment.
Thanks Sally.
Cat---exactly! I think it is just a normal coloration of the bulbs...
if it ain't broke---don't go fixing it....g.
Yep, they look like healthy bulbs to me!
I'm not putting my amaryllises through dormancy this year. Because they stayed in pots on the patio instead of being planted in the ground, there weren't a lot of broken leaves when they came inside... ususally by the time I dig and move them, there aren't enough green leaves worth saving, so I let them go dormant. When I let them "stay green" (by a basement window, watering fairly regularly with 1/4 strength miracle gro in the water), they still bloom, they just do it on their own schedule, when they feel like it LOL. When I see a bloom stalk coming along, I bring the plant upstairs, and when its show is over, it goes back to the basement shelf.
thanks, I will keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best! :-)
Hi everybody! Sorry for dropping off for such a long time. Work took over life :o(. I missed you all!
My Colocasias never grew tubers by the time the season was over. They only had big lumps of roots and I never kept them over the winter. I am thinking about preserving the 'Black Stem' and the prescious 'Black Magic' this year. They really are too big to be kept as house plants. Can the roots be kept in peat over the winter? When should I dig them up? After the leaves are killed by frost?
Also, they sent out some of runners that grew into baby plants. Can theeir roots survive in peat? Or do I have to pot them up at this point?
Donner--
I have missed you--but I also know how much you work.
I have a quick question...
The clustered blue bells--if they are Campanulas--do they need shade
or part shade? I planted the biggest clump just 2 days ago in a part sun spot.
It will be next to my big Azalea but get some sun.
It is the only spot I thought they would grow nicely. Did not want to chance
the "YUK" bed again--as they really struggled there.
Still have to find the right spot for the two smaller plants.
I have been digging out the Iris and amending the soil in the long south bed
then re-planting stuff. In the process--i am digging up all kinds of bulbs.
They are mostly from the Wood Hyacinths--aka Spanish Bluebells.
More to find spaces for. I love these--they are so pretty in early spring.
Have a pot-full of Daff bulbs too.
I have to still re-pot many of the really smaller Iris sections in pots and let them grow out.
Good to pass on at Swaps.
Two big jobs remaining--cutting back the brugs and digging up about 8 big Canna roots.
This nice weather is helping...
All my houseplants are already inside...Long Live the Jungle!!!!
G.
Ee's go in the basement as do caladiums. They did fine there last year. It's pretty warm. Think I'll try the banana there also. Should I cut back the leaves and how much stem should I leave?
I haven't had good luck cutting back the stem of a banana plant, although I know people who do that and have it sprout out just fine in spring. If mine are short enough, they go into pots in the corner of the dining room for the winter. (Yes, Jim just loves that, LOL.) Otherwise, I dig them and just lay them flat in the basement with some plastic around their roots, spritz in a little water once in a while to keep the corm/roots looking, well, not crisp, but not totally withered. The leaves will die back, or you can cut them off... if you don't cut off the emerging top leaf or the tip of the central stem, they seem to re-start better.
I wrote an article on overwintering & dividing bananas some time ago... http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/299/
Donner, glad the Black Magic and Black Stem are doing well for you.!
You can dig them now or wait, I'd be tempted to pot up the Black Magic as it wakes up more slowly than Black Stem. If it was in a pot I could encourage earlier emergence than could be achieved by just planting in ground again. I'd do the same with baby Black Stems depending on how much roots they have grown. They do depend on mama for a while, so I might pot them up and let them grow on a little more indoors in coolish place before putting with others in 'dormancy dorm' By the way, we used to propagate new plants by laying 2 inch pieces of those runners on top of planting mix where each 'node' can put down roots.
Since my EEs are all grown in potsof potting soil, they are easy to bring in and stash for winter. The trickiest part for me is not 'first frost' but finding the right amount of pot dryness after weather cools. I trim the big leaves but leave stalks a foot tall and don't bother with little of newly emerging leaves. Some moisture from these will be reabsorbed into the bulbs or evaporate into the air and so far I have never had to water, mist them or had them dry out. The bulbs are meant to store moisture and I believe will absorb the proper amount to sustain life from the fleshy stems and not the roots as when in active growth.
Jan, I do pretty much the same with my bananas, cutting off those gorgeous leaves (must try cooking with them!) but I leave top leaf or two and have never cut the pseudostem because I want next season's banana to be taller than last. It is ok to chop ott stem leaving a foot or so.
HTH
Critterologist,. that's what we did to achieve the Ensete banana that towers over the roof of the house in this picture! The root ball was 3' diameter and the stem almost 20 feet tall! It laid on its side in a cool green house until replanted (in same hole) the following year. Took three of us and a Kabuto tractor to move it.
Judy, ok, thanks. I will pot up a small Black Stem and a Black Magic, and hope for the best for the rest of them :-). They really did well this year. I planted the Black Magic in the center of a huge pot of big begonias. The Black Magic was prescious! I nursed the little baby over last winter, and it becamse a very big plant this year :o). Stunning! Thank you very much!
Gita, the Clustered Bellflowers get about 5 hours of afternoon sun in my garden. Sorry to see the unhappy Monkshood in your garden. The 3 babies you gave me are doing great in my garden. They are big and still blooming now. I planted they next to the white Japanese Anemones. They now are blooming together, looking lovely.
Beautiful, Donner...
My Monkshoods have had this same issue forever. Not sure why.
David said they are, probably to wet--so I dug them up from the bed bu the shed
and potted a bunch in a pot and dug it in behind my ferns in the kitchen-side
bed.
Put some on either side of my Proteus in the very small bed by my driveway.
They all have lost their leaves--which shrivel up, just turn dark and fall off.
They ARE blooming--but just not spectacularly. I am used to this...
Your soil is more clay--maybe they like that....MIne is more typical, garden soil.
The Monkshoods can't help being watered a bit--as they share beds with annuals...
Judy--maybe you can dig up some good info on their needs???
Thanks, Gita
Thanks for the guidance.