Some of my Pictures

EE's

EE Bed

Variegated EE''s and Coleus bed in back

Castor Beans

Rice Paper Plant

One more

Thanks for sharing your pictures. I just love to look at pictures of other peoples plants and yards. You have some beautiful healthy looking plants!!

Everything looks fantastic! Look at the size of your EE's!
:) Donna

2pugdogs-

What is your secret for growing EE's in zone 6 ? Do you lift them and bring inside during the winter? Start early indoors? Im an aroid nut, but I have been nervous to try these guys here in Seattle, Wa. zone 7/8.. I wanna try one of the Giant EE's

Chris

Thanks for all the comments. This is my first year with EE's. The ones you see in the EE bed I had gotten in Houston last summer. I had it in the house all winter and thought it was dead. All the leaves died off and none would grow back. Then in early spring I moved the pot to a south window and watered and low and behold they started coming back. I had enough for three pots. Then I put them outside. Everytime I would get a new leaf one would die off. So I decided to plant in the ground. That was on 7-17, and now look at them. I have three more in the back yard, I will get out there and take there pictures today and post them. I plan on digging them up this winter and placing the bulbs in the house wrapped in newspaper in a dark closet. I will have to wait until I get that information from someone here at Daves.

Linda

Way to go Linda....... I'm so glad we found Dave's to try our hand at more tropical plants....... I just love the ears, nanas and others that I've tried coming to Dave's.... Kansas will never be the same again will it .....

Love to see more pics - Don't you have some Hibiscus and Brugs going too...... ?

Potted EE's

Alocasia Plumbea, and Black Magic

Other side of Black Magic

These were some small bulbs that I thought didn't make it through the winter, so I planted them in the tire to see what they would do. They all came up.

Banana plant, Musa basjo

Musa blue java Ice Cream, they say it is hardy but not for sure if it will survive our winter

Edit because I had the wrong name listed

This message was edited Aug 21, 2005 8:58 AM

Musa basjo, I really want one of these to make it through the winter, so I have three in hopes at lease 1 will survive

Illustrious Black/Green Elephant Ear, This is the latest and newest. When I received it, it had been shipped in a trash bag, all the leaves were bend in half and dead, except for 1 new leaf that was about to open. So I dug up an area that gets a little sun early in the morning and shade the rest of the day. I didn't have high hopes for it all, so please excuse all the growth around it. I do need to weed. But now as you can see it is taking off, and I do need to get this bed cleaned up. Next year I think I will be putting my ALOCASIA Macrorrhiza Variegate there instead of in the pot. I have discovered they grow so much better in the ground. Also there are more EE's that I am wanting that prefers more shade then sun.

These two will need to be dug up. The one on the left is one that I started from seed. They are pretty pitiful looking, I just started feeding all my nanas about three weeks ago. So hopefully that will help them. To tell you the truth none of my nanas look to good. I am just feeding them Peters 20-20-20 about twice a week. Does anybody have any suggestions for me. This is my first year with nanas and EE's, as if you can't tell. I love all the tropical plants I just need to learn how to care for them. Next year I want more. If none of my nanas make it through the winter I will head to the nursery come spring and put out some big bucks to get a nice sized larger one. I really sound cheap, don't I? LOL

Linda

Linda,
You done good!!
Even more impressive is that's this is a first year effort!

That first shot of the EE's is spectacular.
I hope it's screwed together well because it looks like they are ready to blow that planter up!

The Musa take a while to get going so Patience is the key.
Once they get happy they will floor you w/ their rapid growth.

NOW posting that third shot may be a mistake.................
I've been lusting after that plant for quite a while..............
Hmmmmmmmmmm......just how big can Winfield, KS lol!

Ric

I live out in the country so come looking for me. Thanks Ric for all the encouragement, it really helps.

Linda

2pug, when I saw your first pix, my question to you was going to be "how long have you had those plants?" It is truly impressive how well they've done for you. Good tropical mommie! Proud for you and proud that you got some of these beauties in my hometown.

vossner first year for all my EE's. Next year I want to find some bulb booster to add to them when I plant. I think I read on here somewhere that by using bulb booster your E's will grow taller. Does anyone have any suggestion where I could find some booster.

I do believe I have started something, my BIL wants them for next year and he wants the Castor Beans as well. I had to dig some Castor Beans up (planted to close), so I gave them to him, they are growing but no where near the height of mine. This year I just sowed in the ground and grew them. Next year I will start in the house in Mar. so they will have a bigger start for next year. Then I won't be planting to close. I am learning from all my mistakes TG.

Linda

2pugdogs, the thing that will make your EE's go berserk is water them once a week with water that you have added 1 Tablespoon of urea per gallon of water. This is in addition to giving them Miracle Grow or some such other fertilizer weekly. I couldn't believe how big and lush they got. I have an Alocasia by my kitchen door that the leaves are at least 1 foot across and 3 feet long. I will try to get a pic of it and post it on this forum in the next couple of days.

Linda,
I used Peters, Epsom Salt and Hydrogen Peroxide in my 5 gallon bucket (fertigation)........ My EE's that are the largest get morning sun and afternoon shade and I water twice a week if it's dry a good soaking. I have a recipe for EE's that I haven't tried yet that includes beer....... I'll see if I can find it .....

My nana's get the same treatment..... but they get LOTS of sun......


editted to say - I water them almost everyday ...... and they are in cocoa shell hulls..... I don't know if that makes a difference but they've grown from a foot tall to over 6 ft...... also I put a little Osmocote (sp) around them when I first planted......




This message was edited Aug 22, 2005 7:03 AM

Ann, what's urea?

vs71099 your EE's and Nana's are lush!

:) Donna

All my EE's except for Illustrious Black is in full sun. I have to 5 gal buckets that sat beside all plants, I water the EE's twice a day with 1 bucket of water. Then I refill that bucket, so the water I am using will have sat for at lease 24 hr. before I use it. I just have to remember which bucket to use. If we have a very hot and windy day, then they may get the hose taken to them, so which the water isn't chlorine free.

VS how much h202 and ES do you put in a 5 gal. bucket? I had read that ALOCASIA Macrorrhiza Variegata doesn't like salt, so I thought maybe all EE's didn't like salt. I use Peters 20-20-20 will that be Okay. I have never fed any of my EE's except for the ALOCASIA Macrorrhiza Variegata. Your EE's and nanas do look like they are really thriving. I see that your Castors are blooming. I kept all my buds picked off up until now. They are so tall that some are very hard to reach. I am afraid of breaking one by trying to pull them down to try to remove the buds. I know now I will have lots of seeds for next year, and some to give away if anyone is interested. I had one that got away from me and bloomed and I picked it let it dry out and removed the seeds. I couldn't believe there were 3 seeds in each pod.

Now I do feed my nanas the same stuff that I feed by brugs except I leave the ES out of there diet.

Anna_Z what is urea? Please do post a picture I like pictures.

I'm the worst kind of gardener - no measuring - I put a handful of epsom salt in a five gal. bucket..... I dump about a 1/2 bottle of H202 in and 1/2 packet of Peters.... I hadn't heard that EE's didn't like Salt ....... I haven't had any causualties but maybe I should keep a better eye on it ...... I don't worry about the chlorine either ...... maybe I just got lucky this year...... My 5 gal bucket is set up on my soaker hoses with a fertigation siphon - so it is diluted to a great degree...... I don't think I'd recommend this concoction be dumped straight from the bucket especially with my measurement technique.....

I don't pick the buds off my castors - I'm to lazy but I use the excuse that I like the red balls . I like to cover the fence so 6ft is tall enough for me ....... The wind is really hard on my castors most years....... I do love them though and can't imagine my garden without them..........

The fourth picture is of my Castors and they are about 12 ft. tall.

ALOCASIA Macrorrhiza Variegata, this is the only one that I know for sure that doesn't like salt. They do like plenty of water in the growing season. I can't remember where I read it but I did some research and discovered it. But all EE's likes the water, and plenty of it.

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/shade_gardening/95670

Go down to the nearly the bottom and you will be able to read about the ALOCASIA Macrorrhiza Variegata.

Linda

You have done a great job. All your plants look wonderful.

Black Magic has a new leaf. They are getting so big.

Thanks Mystic. The black magic is my husbands favorite. He just wishes the leaf color would stay green mixed with the black.

Also he wishes they were hardys. Whenever he ask if something is a hardy, and I tell him no, he just says 'that's such a shame'.

Linda

Hi Linda,
Your doing great for the first year,what the heck you feeding those large ears!!!Elephant poop???
I overwinter my ears and cannas,in those huge clear plastic blanket boxes with peat moss,and keep in the garage covered with a old quilt blanket over the top of the boxes,keeps them just above freezing.
Compost is the key to growing great tropicals,work as much organic materials in your planting beds as you can,I'll shred all the leaves and everything this fall,and just put it right back where it all growed this summer,and compost it over the winter,right in the flower bed.
Come March cover the bed with black plastic for a few weeks,until April to help warm the soil before I plant everything,tropicals love the warm soil.Now give me directions to your house before Ric has a chance to steal your varigated alocasia!!!LOL

I agree - Linda has great Ears ....... How bout - I shoot down I-35 TropicMan pick you up on the way through Wichita and we both go raid Linda's garden

Excellent points about compost in the bed and letting it sit over winter ..... I've put all my tropicals in beds by themselves so I could try and do a better job of soil preparation...... and great advice on warming it up ..... not something I've thought about as a newbie....

Tropicman you almost hit the nail on the head. The EE's in the very first photo is planted in soil that came out of the old Emu area. A few years ago we raised Emu's, but now that they are all gone we still have the pens. When I was ready to haul dirt to fill my big new flower pot, my DH went down to the pens and got the soil there. It is very sandy, and it does have alot of emu fertilizer still in the ground. So maybe that is why they are doing so good, because I have never used any fertilizer on them at all, just plenty of water.

Thanks for all the information you listed. It will be very useful.

vs71099 head on down I would love to meet you.

I am definitely going to make a trip to Wichita to see Don and his beautiful garden.

Linda

Come on down 2 shovels are always better than one!!!!!LOL
Well bring your truck,these plants are big and have lots of things to give away!!!!

pug, what kind of castors are they? and can you tell me alittle more about them. thanks, debi

Sorry to take forever to get back on this, but urea is esentially pure nitrogen. Spouse uses it when he plants corn, only he uses the liquid form that is 28% nitrogen. I didn't want to mess with that, so I just went to our fertilizer place and asked him for 10 pounds of straight urea. He gave it to me, but I guess that was ok, since we had spent almost $30,000.00 for fertilizer and crop chemicals that year!!!! LOL