This is a closeup of Whiskers in the gh on Nov. 8-04. It seemed happy to be moved into the gh, has been in there about 3 weeks now, several more buds to open. Donna
Whiskers
What a pretty shot Donna! I guess it is time for GH pictures over the long cold winter!
Very pretty. My poor Whiskers only bloomed one flush for me this year. Made me wonder if she likes warmer weather or something.......... We didn't get hot enough here this summer to work up a good sweat.
She's a beauty!
Shirley, I don't think Whiskers wanted warmer weather, she surely had that here and i got one single bloom and then her leaves puckered and fell off. I will do lots of things differently next year. Shirley, Species and Butterfly and Isabella and Dr. S, also didn't do great, they bloomed once, then their leaves puckered and fell off too. They are still alive, but I'm wondering if I should cull them??? Waddayathink?????
This is my Whiskers...the most blooms he has had open at one time....versi peach 2 blossoms on the right. I kept him in morning only sun and he seemed to like it.
I think if your leaves puckered, you may have had cyclamen mites. The leaves will get thick and wrinkled. All of the brugs you mentioned have done well here in full sun during a hot summer. I wouldn't get rid of them, at least not until you take some good cuttings for yourself. Soak those cuttings in 110 degree water for 10 minutes, or maybe it is 15. Monika can tell us. My memory isn't very good these days. Anyway, that will get rid of the mites, no matter what kind they are. I had them this year, especially on my versicolor brugs. I used Avid and got rid of them.
Thank you all for the kind comments. Whiskers was outside all summer in full sun and we had some pretty hot day. It was in a 12" pot sunk in the ground watered along with pots on the deck with tiny drippers on a time. I know I couldn't have remembered to have watered it enough without the timer. However it didn't get much fertilizer, just forgot about it as it was sort of off by itself.
I did have a plant of Pink Beauty planted in one of my new raised beds with other brugs that had a problem with cupped leaves, quite curled inward. I don't know what the problem was, couldn't see any mites, It finally recovered from whatever the problem was and had a few blooms near the end of summer. I left it out in the ground along with lots of others and all are now on the compost pile. I took cuttings of PB from another plant as I really liked the blooms. Donna
I forgot to say that you can't see cyclamen or broad mites with the naked eye.
Margie, your blossoms and LEAVES are absolutely beautiful, oh so healthy!! I can grow blossoms but I've had a terrible time with leaves, wind, rain, hail, limb and stick damage and some bugs. I will do lots of stuff differently next year and I'm going to be working on it all winter!!
Your Whiskers is very pretty and healthy too, Donna! Pink Beauty LOVES it here as does Rosemond, EP, V. Peach, Tiara, Rafaelle, Rosabelle, sp, Pink Favorite, not huge, but is happy, three small flushes, but zero bugs, CDW just bloomed today, the first double I've ever seen, and even Culebra is about 10 times as big as she was when she arrived, and if I'm lucky, she might Y by the middle of this century and not telling when she will ever have a bud - and last, but not least, I have four beautiful unknowns that are unusually healthy and bloom their little hearts out. Whatever, I'm just sick that Whiskers and the others don't like it here.
Brugie, 110 degrees in the water??? I assume that means leaves will either shrivel or should be removed?? The brugs I mentioned are not close to dead, they are just naked and it appears that the new leaves want to pucker too. What do you put your brugs in to treat them with the 110 degree water??? Also, why did only those brugs end up with those mites?? TIA!!!!
I had a couple of others that had them too, but they hit the versi's first. Maybe because they have more tender leaves on them. I have no idea. Since I've only done cuttings and not whole plants, I've used two different things. I used my turkey roaster pan once and a 5 gallon bucket after that because the bucket of water will hold the temp longer. It won't ruin the leaves, but when you take cuttings, you want all the big leaves removed anyway so the energy can go to making the lenticils and then roots. Most of my cuttings will be one foot or shorter.
Shoot, Shirley, I have two V. Peach, they have huge blossoms, my hubby's favorites, and neither one of them has had a problem with bugs or puckering - but I can tell that they don't like being chilly. I have a 5 gal plastic bucket that I will use. How long do you leave them in the water???? What kind of thermometer do you use???? Only one I have is in the cement pond..........did you boil the water in your kitchen?? If Monika hasn't settled down for a long winter's nap, maybe she will see this and tell us more, ya think??!!
The water from my faucet is over 110 degrees. If I remember right, I grabbed either the meat or candy thermometer from the drawer to check the temp. I think, the candy thermometer. Ten minutes is enough I believe. I have heard of people leaving them up to thirty minutes, but I won't do that long. I'd be afraid I'd have mush. Tonny wrote an article for the ABADS newsletter with all of this information in it. Maybe he will come along also. I found the article and it says 15 minutes in 110 degree water.
I fought those mites all summer. When I brought these cuttings in I wanted to be sure I wasn't bringing the mites in too. If the water feels hot to my hand, it is about 110 degrees. I run the water deep enough to cover all the leaves. I usually go about my business and when I bring in more cuttings (an hour or so later) the water has gotten cold, I take them out and run new water for the next batch.
LindaSC, I knew you did that but I missed the part re the temp of the water, THANKS!!
My son has 'on demand' hot water and i can set the temp. Does something about this make you want to spray your garden with 110 temp hot water???
Here is what my Whiskers was like last week..after some cooler temps and rain..
Goodness me, earthing, she is beautiful!!!!! Congrats!!!!!
Earthling...your Whiskers is beautiful! About how old a tree is it? That is some flush!
What a great Whiskers!!
Linda, let us know how your mite treatment works. I hate mites!! I tried the hot water treatment on cuttings but I could not keep the water that hot for 10 minutes.
This was her first year in the ground, last year she stayed in a container, so this was her second year.
This is the same plant that started blooming right after Christmas last year while it was still in the patio..it has bloomed off and on since but never like this.
Kell, I'm not sure the water stayed hot for 10 minutes, you know how fast a tub cools off and I did not stand there to keep running hot water. When they came out, they were nice and clean, although the larger leaves looked a bit limp. So far, they look great and are putting on new leaves (inside, in water, under lights).
Is there any way to treat the ground over winter to kill any that would be there next year? There was one area in my yard where they were a BIG problem, other areas had no problem at all.
earthling, beautiful Whiskers. Mine in the gh is about 36" and that is all the room it is allowed!!!!!! Donna
Beautiful Whiskers plant Kris. Mine didn't bloom anything like that. Gorgeous.
Linda, if you hear any thing about something that can be done over the winter about the bugs, please let me know, I'm having the same problem and like you, they were a big problem in one area, and none at all in other areas. In case i haven't mentioned it, I HATE mites!!!