Okay, I know some of you Solanaceae lovers out there have these. I got a small one last fall, and over the winter it's grown one LOOONG shoot. Now it's putting on a new, tiny one, but---should I cut back the long one, to encourage branching? And if so, how can I root what I cut off? Reckon I could do the horizontal thingie and get several new plants? And come fall and back-in-the-house time, how hard can I cut it back? I wouldn't want to kill it, but---I need all the furniture I have left!
Solandra maxima question
Glory
May 06, 2002
Judith,
I just cut my V. Solandra Maxima down so it will bush out(I cut this thing way back...left about 5 inches on each stalk) ....since I root most everything in sand I just stuck them in the sand box....they root very easy. I haven't cut back my solid green one since there is a nice fat seed pod on it for Brugcrazy but as soon as the pod matures I'm going to trim it back too.
Glory, How long does it take a bare, but rooted piece to send out a shoot? Mine is just sitting here and I don't know what to expect from it.
Glory
May 06, 2002
S,
I'm not sure but these are not the fastest plants at first. I have some in the sand box that have been there since Dec and Jan....some of the cuttings have leaves and some are just starting to get leaves.
Cool! So if I have a piece about18" long I need to cut off, how many cuttings can/should I get out of it? And do you have it in the ground, or do you take it inside for the winter?
Glory
May 07, 2002
Let's see 18inch cutting...I'd cut them about 6-8in long. I put mine in the Greenhouse for the winter...they don't like cold weather at all. I checked the ones in the sand box and they are ready to come out of the sand and into pots....it took from the first of Jan until now to be ready for potting...5 months.
I looked at mine today and at the bottom of it, the color is changing from green to dark tan. Almost like it is going to harden somewhat. I hope this is what they are supposed to do. The very top is starting to shrivel a little. This one was air layered, cut off, and sent to me. I'm assuming that the top is doing that like it was healing.
Glory
May 07, 2002
S,
Not sure about the shriveling....just hang in there and maybe it will be fine. Let me know if it dies...I can give you one of these babies I have.
Thanks Glory, but if it takes that long to go from sand box to planter, I've still got some time to wait. It is firm in the pot, so I'm thinking it will do something. It just looks so strange. Just a stick.