Dangit. Pic here.
your Mid At and Friends indoor gardens 2013
SAVE they ain't nearly dead!!!
Great idea Gita!! Hadn't thought of that. I just keep stalking the walmarts till
I see them Clearanced. Scored 4-5 ladybug ones for $2.50 each!!!
Sally, the AVs look fine. Remove the bottom leaves and re-pot them. Removing the bottom leaves will leave a 'neck' on the plant. That's ok. Pot the 'neck' in the soil all the way to just below the first leaves. If you do it now and put them in a warm and sunny place, they should bloom around March/April.
There are quite a few small AV's that don't get bigger than 6 inches. Ric always shops the Thrift Stores all kinds of good containers there. Don't just look at things that are plant containers either. Cute coffee mugs and other things that can be planted I picked up a really cute small glass container that makes a great little terrarium
And--Sally--if you do remove the bottom leaves--root them!
I was all ready to throw them out. Now you have me saving them ....AND TEN NEW BABIES?????????
Darn I just threw out a salad container that would have made a great rooting mini greenhouse for those leaves.
Do I remove the probably horrible roots and any of the now bare stem? Each AV has a "trunk" over an inch long.
Sally--
Do you have any clear, or almost clear, plastic glasses? Like--the 10oz kind?
Use a small pot--like a 5oz bath cup size--~2" diam. Fill with mix--moisten it in--and plant your AV leaves.
Do not let the bottom of the leaves touch the soil! Firm gently around the stem--about 1 1/2" long stem is good.
Then. push the plastic glass onto the pot as far as needed to create a tight seal.
Voila! A mini Greenhouse. If the seal is tight enough--you will not have to water it again
until new growth shows--maybe 3 months or so? This may depend on warmth and light.
Make sure the leaf sits upright and does ot touch the inside of the glass, which will be moist with droplets.
Label color and date.
Have fun! Gita
Sally, you can remove the yellow/brown leaves and the leaves that make the plants look off balance. If the roots are unhealthy looking you can trim part of them off. Pot the "trunk" in the soil. The soil level can go all the way up to the bottom leaves. New roots will grow out of the "trunk" eventually.
I normally repot AVs when the soil is dry so that I can shake it off the roots easily. To give the plants a better chance of survival, you can saturate them by first giving them a good soak. Sit them in room temperature water for 20 - 30 minutes, and then rinse off the soil carefully before planting them in fresh potting mix. You can use pots of about the same size as the ones they are currently in because they will be smaller plants after you remove some leaves. You can let them stay in the pots for half a year before you pot them up in slightly larger pots.
If you trim off all the roots and only pot up the leaves with the 'trunk', they will recover better if you can dome them for several weeks.
This message was edited Jan 19, 2013 8:58 AM
Sally--
I also wanted to add that if you pot the leaves in small pots--you can still put them all
under the dome of a cake container. Cakes have REALLY high domes.
That way you do not have to do the glasses on each pot thing.
donner---You ARE the Queen of beautiful AV's!!! Fat and plump--always....
What do you fertilize them with? How often?
I have some Bio Feed liquid seaweed and also some Superthrive. Would AV's need a drop of Superthrive
now and then? Would a seaweed type food be better than MG African Violet liquid food?
Gita
Gita, AVs and streps like to be fed very weekly, but constantly. I use a store-bought AV fertilizer, but I also use other indoor plant fertilizers, a practice real AV growers probably will frown on :-). People normally use 1/4 strength of recommend amount on the fertilize label. I use a couple of drops per gallon water every time I water them, but take a few weeks of break from time to time. I normally sit water out for at least 24 hours before using it to water AVs and streps, just to let some of the chlorine dissipate and the water come to the room temperature. I do the same with water for other house plants.
Thanks---I also have at least 4 gallon bottles filled with water sitting around at all times.
And--I DO have the MG AV food. I tend to be a bit heavier on the drops...OOOps!!
Well--If I sit here on the computer all day--I have!--I will never get to work on my seeds!
Then--I have NO hours next week either--just on Sunday. Kind of nice...
Hugs--how is your ankle doing? Gita
Gita, my ankle is recovering well. No pain. The cast will stay on for 10 more days, and I am counting :-)
Cast? Iissed that some where. Hope it's healing perfectly for you!!
Gita - your pony tail palm is big and beautiful!! How old is it? And do you know which kind it is?
Chantelle---
I am not sure of the age????
let me take a better picture for you. I actually have two Pony Tail palms....
1--The single one that you saw in the picture wayyy above--in my DR end picture is
about 15-17 years old....I am not sure. It is in a 6" clay/Deco pot.
I know I had it before I got the other one...
2--The multi-based one (it has 5 bulbs) started out as a 3.8" Angel plant. They were as big as marbles..
It is now in a 10" heavy ceramic pot. The "bulbs" are starting to climb on top of each other.
I either bought it when I first started working at the HD (almost 15 years ago)--
OR--I bought it at Franks Nursery and Crafts--which would make it, maybe 16+ years old.
I came to HD right from Franks....to save my sanity!!!
Sorry about the amber glow--That is how it looks when I turn off the flash.
Using a flash made everything whited out.
I do nothing special for these. I water when I think about it. They really do not need any care and
can live without water. That is what the "bulb" does. Store water.
Gita
Gorgeous!!! I have a couple - started with 'Harry' saved from a Target bonsai pot 13 years ago - I just bumped him up (poor thing was rather root bound) to a 10" pot. Ikea had tons over the holidays so I picked up a few - 1 for home and work and some to give as thank you's. The one at work has multiple tufts out of the ine base. I'll post pics when I'm bk at work
Awesome ponytails.
My MIL has one that is doing very well sitting right next to the heater, getting hot air blown at it hours a day.
I repotted those AVs today. I took off the sick looking leaves and bad soil. Their was a small tuft of roots on each. So I put that deep in new pots with fresh soil up to their " necks". Ended up with one healthy leaf in its own pot to root.
Sally, the yellow leaves on the AV on the left might be a sign of over fertilization. You may not want to fertilize the newly potted plants in the next month or so.
OK- good to know--- but since I know the history of these particular ones- they were subject to extremes of watering and drought and never saw fertilizer since they left the store. (MIL)
I potted them in Miracle Gro soil which may have some added nutrient- though some say that potting soil with fertilizer is undependable.
I use rainwater (at room temp) for all my potted plants.
I told her I would buy her a brand new AV for her pretty pot. She's always had AVs and often had leaves in water and rooted them. Sadly, now, once I put it on the windowsill she will completely forget it's there. Literally; Alzheimer's. However, whenever I go and water it and point it out, it'll be a new joy all over again.
I never have much luck with house plants, kinda ditto what happy said. Jill gave me a night blooming jasmine a while back and that seems to be doing well. I think it is getting ready to bloom for the first time for me. All the discussion about AVs makes me want to try them again - I confess I've killed a few over the years, but that web site donner posted looks mighty tempting...
aspen, surely we can find the perfect houseplant for you- IF you really want. WHat better group to prescribe the perfect plant AND likely be able to give you one !
Oh yes that web site does look pretty tempting.
Hoyas....can't go wrong with them!! They'll go forever w/o water - and not complain a bit...don't require a lot of sun...I mean seriously...if I can keep em alive anyone can. If you want a Ponytail Palm I can see if Ikea has any more when I go next weekend to do my vending.
I don't think I've ever seen a hoya - or if I have, I didn't know what I was looking at. Will have to do a quick look up in plant files. Anything that tolerates under watering abuse will be right up my alley LOL.
Jus look at how pretty Bella is http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/164987/
Oooooo nice!
Chantell, that is still one of my most favorite photos of yours! I love it!
I received a cutting of Hoya Odonata last spring, and it just sits there and does nothing!
Four little leaves, and nothing else!
Since we live in an apt, most of my "gardening" is house plants.
While I have never been a big fan of AVs, I did get back into other gessies this past Spring.
I love the streps, and I now have about 30 varieties.... I think they have the most beautiful flowers!
I will post a few pics in the morning, when I am up at the main computer.
Gita, I always love pics of your plants in the windows! Beautiful pony tail palms!
Karen
This is my plant room... (also the dining room... LOL)
Here are some of my streps that are blooming at this time...
Watermelon Wine
Geronimo
Bristol's Spectacular
Spin Art
Wow
And some more....
DS-Beloved (changes color over time)
DS-Little Furry Arctic Fox
DS-Mysticism (changes color over time)
Sa'shenka
Painted Silk
Imagine that- all those beautiful flowers in someone's home...ahh. Karen, the dining room is a place where you will see them daily, that sounds pretty nice! Along with spectrum lights that would give a great lift in winter.
Omg. Wow. Gorgeous.
Beautiful colors!!
lol. isn't that way better than a bunch of boring china and glass?!?
VA Rose is one of the most active members of the AV forum. You should all go check it out.
This message was edited Jan 20, 2013 8:39 PM
It's been quite awhile since I visited some of the other Forums. Think I might have to get out there and check out some new plants.
VA Rose -absolutely lovely. I was just on the violetbarn web site that donnersally listed, and I added streps to my cart - more as a wish list/placeholder, but now that I've seen how pretty yours are I'm going back to place the order. Your plant shelves look very similar to the one I put together with the rack from Costco and lights, etc from HD. Did you make yours? When I've got seeds going, the shelves are in my dining room too - right in front of the shelves full of the boring depression glass LOL.
Wow! Wow! Wow~!!!!! Va wild Rose!!! SOOOOOOO beautiful!!!!
Love you rlight set-up too. All I have is a 3' one and
it is in front of a window in my bedroom. But--it serves the purpose.
Gita
BEAU-TI-FUL!! I don't suppose any of these are fragrant?
Thank you all for your nice comments! Just after loading the pics on Sunday, Palmer and I went out of town to visit my Mom for a couple days.... we are just now arriving home tonight.
Donnerville... I have not always been as active as I should be on the Gessie forum, but I had all but gotten out of gessies and other plants five years ago after a nasty 'bout of mealie bugs, and having to destroy and throw out an entire collection! I only came back to them this past spring, because I love the streps so much. I am now trying to help revive the AV and Gessie forum. Just like here, there are some great people over there!
Aspenhill... Got my shelves at Lowes, and my shop lights at Wal-Mart. I see no reason to pay more for something that works so well. I did try to add a timer to the system, but it keeps throwing a breaker, so I must investigate further. For now, I have my lights on 12-14 hours a day.
Chantell.... alas, no! Many varieties are advertised as being fragrant, but I have yet to be able to detect any smell from streps. The blooms do last for days though, so they bring me much joy!
I have just recently taken the first step into hybridizing my own! I will keep you posted!
Karen
Rose, sorry to hear about your loss of plants. The streps look beautiful now!! I only started to grow AVs and streps about 3 years ago. I was doing well at first, but then my job took me out of town and my plants are just surviving :-(. Hopefully I can grow more of them one of these day, maybe after my work assignment is over.
Strep 'Blue Ice' and AV 'Shimmering Sunshine' in the photos.
Happy gardening.
