"Sure wish I could go outside!!!"
Continuing chat about your potted indoor plants, from...
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1293406/
announcer voice..." last we saw our heroes, they were propagating Alsobia..."
This message was edited Feb 21, 2013 10:20 AM
My Oncidium Nia Rose "Sweet Sixteen" is putting out buds. I also tossed in a pic of the corner of my GH this area has several large plants and is looking a bit like a jungle. LOL
Holly, your greenhouse is beautiful. Mine looks empty just now because I am beginning to take cuttings again. Mine is 8 x 12 and I wish I had gotten the 10 x 12, those extra feet are so helpful. Too much of mine is taken up with supplies I need to work with. I just love your jungle.
JB
Wow Holly! Those look great!
I can't wait for that orchid to bloom.I purchased it last year at the Md. Orchid Show. I need to check the date on that as I want to go back again this year.
JB, They say that GH's and ponds are never big enough. LOL
is that third generation baby hardy banana I spy in grey planter while mama shivers by the compost in the cold outside? What is the other banana? Isn't it about the third year they bloom? Have you been getting much condensation in the greenhouse, or what are the drops on plants in pic one above?
I've been following your greenhouse adventures over here http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1291535/
I've accidentally come up with a new "combination planting" pair. When I potted up amaryllis bulbs a few weeks ago, I re-used the mix from last year's morning glory seed starting efforts. I had a lot of germination, never even occurred to me that other seeds which hadn't germinated would go to town a year later when conditions were again conducive. What do you think, can I market the next great container combo LOL?
Coleup, Yes it is. The Banana in the back came from friends of Josh not sure what variety it is so I planted the Momma of it at the edge of the compost pile with yours. There is some condensation but not enough that you get dripped on. Those are sticky spots either from bug residue or from the bomb that Ric set off to take care of the bug issue. I have another pot with another baby and smaller pup that also came from your Momma Banana. I also have a Truly Tiny and Red Abyssinian Banana
LOL Terri, I have seen those same combs at my house too. The one that was the most surprising was teeny tiny caladium leafs coming up in a pot once. LOL
Terri- not half bad LOL. You can put sticks/ stakes in for the Amaryllis stems and the MG will climb them!
Don't be Lion about, get on the Lamb and see a show in March. Ric
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1061079/
Har har, cute Ric!
I have several bright limey green COleus that are getting brown stems from the bottom. Pretty sure it is some creeping crud. Yesterday I cut off several longer nice looking stems and potted them in totally fresh soil and new pots. I also have some dark coleus, not looking very happy. I suspect they have the crud but I just can't see it due to the dark stem pigment.
Two Brug cuttings got their first taste of dilute blue water fertilizer and are responding as you expect- seem to double overnight!
I think after DD has been home for spring break in March- that I might co opt her bright bedroom, put the big potted Brugs there and start them growing. Two at least will go on the bedroom side of my house. My neighbors go in and out daily there and have admired certain things growing there, and its kind of nice to think I'm giving them something nice, as well as feeling it will be a happy location for these plants. I'm imagining them amazed at the brig flowers!!
sadly I think I have rotted my Desert Rose. getting really soft around the base. well the darn thing still had not bloomed for me. I'll try cuttings to root, from the hard long stems that I had planned to cut and root this spring anyway.
Sally it almost sounds as though your coleus are too wet.
Judy, the water on the orchid is from being spritzed while watering, I try and keep them happy. Ric
Terp -- thanks for the rooting suggestions for rhodies and azaleas. I can't even get azalea cuttings to root (you said they were considered "easy"). Since my "stone" method works so well, I may abandon cuttings. Though I'd really like to get more plants than I can with "stones." I recall the best time for cuttings is around the 4th of July (do you agree?). I may re-focus on this then.
Separate question: What daffodils do you find perennialize the best here? I am interested in sturdy bulbs that live forever, rather than anything fancy or delicate. For me it is Carlton, but I have so many of them that I'd really like a little variety. Avalanche doesn't grow well for me at all.
Air-layering is very effective. I'd be all for putting this topic off until early summer.
I don't know the names to any of my daffs so I can't say which are better at naturalizing.
The problem with air-layering is I always worry that the little packets will eventually need watering. With stones, I don't have to worry about that. But I might try air-layering this season.
I broke a few AV leaves yesterday while feeding and treating my plants so Ric took them to the GH and is going to see if he can get them to start new plants from them.
Devon- I just meant air-layering as in your rock method. I have never attempted the "soil wrap in midair" method. Rock-layering or using dirt is very simple and effective.
Terp -- "dirt layering", as Gita calls it, is infallible, albeit a tad slow. And I've also learned that it requires an intermediate step -- a bit of babying between when the plant is cut off from the mother plant and when it is planted on its own.
It's getting downright balmy here, mid 40s. I think I'll mix up some Bonide systemic and drag all the house plants out on the patio as soon as the sun gets around the corner. Ric
Ric,
How often do you treat your plants?
Paul, usually not more than 2-3 times a year. Since we ended up rushing them and their uninvited guest into the house last fall, I think Holly has treated them once with Neem oil and once around Thanksgiving with systemic. There is still a little activity on a few so hopefully this will do it for the spring.
Usually we like to have them "clean" when being brought in and only treat as needed. We also use systemic granules on an as needed basis. I now have another alternative now, I can move infected plants to the greenhouse when I fog it. Ric
Hmm. That is really interesting, considering I have never done anything to mine. But there is one or two every few years that are lost for unknown reasons, maybe I could have prevented it. I don't have near the number of plants too.
When we "naturalize" our house plants through out the yard due summer they may pickup anything. Many times I suspect from other plants brought from other GHs and nurseries. White fly, mealies, aphids, thrip, and spider mites. We keep a lot less in the house since we have the GH. Ric
I don't treat the plants I bring in either, Paul. I try to keep a vague eye out for signs of mites, etc., and wash the leaves if I see something suspect. Mine die more often from lack of watering than insects.... though years ago I did have a scale problem that required systemics.
Maybe a repeat comment---but I treat every pot--as best i can--with Systemic granules 2-3 weeks
before I bring them in the house.
It is hard to sprinkle the granules on some plants that are just so tight on top of the soil,
that i cannot get the granules on in any even way. Just hope some of them are absorbed-
Plants like all my HB of mature Spider--My 2 Epis--and solid green Swedish Ivies.
Will be starting a new HB of Swedish ivy this spring. The 2 I have are too old and root bound.
Starting fresh with cuttings from the old ones, as I have done now for 25 years or so.
Same with endless propagation of my Angel Wing begonia, Also--my big pot of Arboricola.
No cuttings there--just cutting the whole plant back to nubs. I have had this one since 1989.
G.
Still 45*F out, but I must go get the house plants back inside. Ric
An indoor citrus grower on another forum uses rosemary oil to treat his plants. He mixes it with an emulsifier like Dynagro Protekt (a silicon supplement) and sprays it on the leaves. As soon as the plants are outside for the summer, he uses fish emulsion as a preventative from insects.
I'm going to purchase some rosemary oil and Protekt to use on my lemon tree. Mine's looking ok, but it certainly doesn't look as magazine-perfect as the pictures he posted. I didn't want to use a systemic on an edible, so this treatment sounded interesting. I'll let you all know how it goes!
Oh, and here's a link to his citrus tree pics.
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/citrus/msg0213021530496.html?21
Good to hear ssg- I bought some spray with rosemary oil, now where did I put it...
ss--
SO? Fish Emulsion keeps insects out of pots???? Never heard of it....
I know if I have used it--it keeps ME out of that room....:o) Phew!
G.
He says fish emulsion is specifically for sucking insects, and he only uses it after taking the pots outside for the season. I have no idea if that works, though!
SSG, Do you mean in he uses the fish emulsion in the soil? He doesn't spray it on the plants, does he?
This message was edited Feb 25, 2013 9:25 PM
When I was at the Garden Expo yesterday, I talked to one of the vendors. They are a local nursery where I got my last AV's the ones with the pretty speckled leaves. I asked them if they could get more variety of AV and she said not really but there is someone in Columbia that has quite a lot of different ones. She said they are pricey and although she couldn't give me a name or any contact info she said that the AV grower would be at the York Flower Show where we will be going next weekend. Can't wait to see what they might have.
Holly, there are a lot of AV societies, including a few in PA. They have gatherings and plant sales. They may also provide plants to local nurseries.
Never thought of that I will have to look them up.
Fish emulsion for sucking bugs???I use it and I still have sucking bugs at times on the plants I use it on. Is there some literature we can see on this subject? Very interesting. I hate the stuff but maybe I am not using enough of it to help the mealy bugs. I think mine love fish. JB
Ok, I just checked his post, and it seems he sprays the entire plant (including the leaves) with fish emulsion once a month while it's outside. I'm going to try it this year (with nose plugs)!
The barn cats will all invade the yard. When I use it in the greenhouse you should see them hanging around to see what they can find to eat. It is really funny but I bet frustrating for them. LOL
Spray on the leaves. UGH.
I have a bottle of fish emulsion for fertilizing AVs. Will try it on plants in the garden this year. It might keep deer away. You just never know. I am willing to try anything to keep deer away :-0
