And they are creepy. I have about 10 coming out of my pot of Colocasia esculenta fontenesii 'Black Stem'. They slink across the pot and down the side to the ground. I have one that is 4 feet long. they even kind of feel like a snake, very flexible. Is this how this one spreads? By runners?
That is very creepy Kell! Ewww, I hate snakes - even imposters!
put the ends in another pot so that they will root at both ends then after a couple of weeks cut it into 2 plants
so bury the end with the little leaf and the leaf up and out of the dirt so it will live off the mother plant after a few weeks cut the lifeline you have new plants.
if im wrong please let me know as i dont knot alot about those
yea that is how we propogate them at the nursery:)
I often cut a small notch halfway down the runner stem when layering, but on plants that slice too easily I'll sometimes skip that part. I was doing just that on some of my runner type colocasias last night and the pond wound up getting a few new residents as a result (I accidently sliced through the shoot and would up having to pot the runner and set it up in the waterfall basin to root there. Sorta like rooting in water ... except with soil ... and LOTS of rich, biologically rich water)
Congrats Kell! That's what we call free plants! I broke a bunch off moving plants out this spring and figured I had nothing to lose. I tossed them in a pot with about four inches of soil. Now I have a pot full of violet stem even after takng a bunch out!
But I do not need free plants. LOL. I am bursting at the seams. Plus this plant is busy making new pups in the pot too.
I sure have to rethink planting any of these in the ground. They would take over so fast. This plant has at least 10 of these runners already. Way to eager to multiply.
Open a nursery. LOL
Eeewww I was scared to open that image but it was OK. You can always pass one on to me, I dont think I have that one yet. Then again, maybe it may be too scary here too.
Are Black Stem different from the violet stem?
This message was edited Aug 30, 2005 8:59 AM
Here is some info on Violet Stem (which I grow in soil and in water): http://www.agristarts.com/colo_violetstem.htm
Here is info on Black Stem (which I also grow in soil and in water): http://www.agristarts.com/colo_blackstem.htm
i will gladly take one i never turn down a plant
Welcome back Sue. I was just wondering last night when you would be back. I missed you. I will save a couple of the snakes and pot them up.
Chele, I love this plant. I have the violet stem also but have not repotted it up from the gallon so it has stayed stationary. I haven't gone over to that nursey yet. I got up early today and off the computer to go but I made the mistake of running out back to check on watering. I ended up spraying for mites I did not know I had. So too late now to go. I will go this week though to look for your gunnera plant. If any place has them in 1 gallon they do. Unless Navlets does. Sue have you ever seen 1 gallon gunnera there?
This plant is in constant flower also. I haven't been able to get a good pic though.
I am way too unreliable Chele. I often send pics instead of the plants. LOL. Ask Susie.
Jerry, I will try to root them. They must be popular for I got a couple of emails also.
I saw some ratty looking Fontenesii's for sale at a pond place this weekend ... and they were asking over $16.99 a piece for them (I only have two plants that look that rough in the whole of my property, for crying out loud! Pond plants can be grotesquely over-priced sometimes!)
I'd offer to trade you some pups from some other varieties, but you sound a tad overwhlemed! :o)
Hi back Kell, I am sooo glad to be home from the COLD Mendocino coast, froze our tooshies off and I definately decided, NO MORE CAMPING FOR ME! Its throw some clothes in a bag and check into a motel/hotel with attached bathroom and shower from now on! LOL One nice thing was that hubby took me to 2 nurseries and the Mendocino Botanical Garden, took some pics, maybe I can steal your thread a bit to post some shots later if it's ok with you.
I know I saw 1 gal. gunnera somewhere recently cause it ALWAYS catches my eye, someday I will have room to grow one, but I went to so many places last week, I cant remember where.
Doh, Chele, should have checked that site first to answer my own question.
Post away Sue.
I am not the camping type either. My one big foray into that was to Big Sur years ago. My DH bought me all kinds of things to survive it all. We get there and they are having the worst fires so they have closed it. We could only get into a RV campsite that was on CEMENT!!! He expected me to sleep on the cement amongst RVs. One look and I said NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, motel city for me. LOL
I love it in Mendocino. I f we can get a bird sitter we are going for a long weekend soon.
Buck, I am always overwhelmed. I always think I can do everything and end up doing nothing well.
This message was edited Aug 30, 2005 11:47 AM
This was my favorite stop in Fort Bragg, Hortus Botanicus http://www.hortusb.com/
The owner had such cool stuff and several little greenhouses filled with cool Carnivorous Plants. But I was looking for this one and even though he was currently sold out and has a waiting list, it was worth seeing. Pictures may be foggy due to the extreme humidity in this greenhouse.
Monstera deliciosa variegata
And this was so cool, Ficus benjamina variegata 'Extrema' . He had several in little 4" pots and I forgot to get one!
And they had these all over the place, these were all heavy, filled with water. What a fun plant! They have quite a few varieties.
Nepenthes, Tropical Pitchers plant
I love those pitcher plants! I will have to get some one day. First I need to invest in a big all year greenhouse. LOL
Did you remember where the Gunnera is yet???? ;)
Here is one of several Carnivorous greenhouses.
Ooooh, yeah, that one will do!! LOL
No Chele. brain hasn't kicked in yet and I have so much work here to catch up on after being gone 5 days, it will be a while before I can take off to nursery hop again. But for sure, I will or Kell will grab one for you. LOL, you may get 2 then but you have room now.
Begonia and clematis house. Hubby has that 'ok, very nice now hurry up' look. Actually, he was checking out the structure as I told him I want one like this when we move in a few years.
And I said I want a pond and fall this size too, not asking for much LOL!
with granite 'stonehenge' pillars....'yeah right, I'll get on it' he says.
Now this was a cool plant, owner says frost knocks it down every winter but it always comes back. I wrote down the name then threw the paper away, ugh! Anybody? I want it!
Closer of bloom and leaves
Some shots of the Mendocino Botanical garden. Suppose I can post these on the CA forum but I am on a roll here. LOL
Another, red banana leaf in background to keep with tropical theme.
Loved this Purple Angelica
yep, camping is for the young folks.
What adorable kids!!! Related to you, Sue??
I just love your pics, all of them. Now I am so hot to go there soon.
But I can't believe you forgot to get the Ficus benjamina variegata 'Extrema' and worse you forgot to get one for me. I LOVE IT!!! I wonder how it lives with so little green.
Grandkids, Natalie 18 mo, Connor 6 1/2.
I know, can you believe I forgot to get it!! Must have been the fact that hubby was hovering over me and we were running late to meet the rest of the group of 10 we were camping with to catch the Skunk train trip. I could have spent way more time there!
You are way too young for grandkids but if you have to have them, those are the ones to have. Too cute!!!
I will never forgive you. But maybe I can get us up there to get a couple. Ficus benjamina variegata 'Extrema' that is, not grandkids. LOL
Don't husbands drive you nuts? Anytime a plant is in sight, my husband speeds up and looks straight ahead. I have so many pictures of him like this.
ROTFLOL!!!
Kell, that is exactly what my hubby does when I want to stop at a nursery. Acts like he is deaf and his neck is stiff, then about a mile down the road he says "you didn't want to stop there did you?"
My husband will NEVER stop at a nursery. EVER. I hate it so much. I promise him I will run thru it, not buy a thing, I just want to see what nurseries far from home are carrying. For him it is just too horrible I guess. When all else fails I even pout and look daggers at him.
We went by a HD the other day an hour from home. I so wanted to look. It is my goal in life to have gone to every HD nursery in California.
My sympathies to you Kell, you do have it worse than I do!
Mine indulges me on occasion at least. He told everybody camping that it was my vacation too and that he had promised I can stop at a few nurseries. They probably all rolled their eyes behind my back including him, but I did get to the ones I wanted to at least so I dont care what they think. My daughter even had a hissy fit mean name calling event with me last week (brat) saying I loved plants more than them, poppy cock and BS, all of it but it does tell me to be more careful around them so as to not give them that impression. Sigh...Thank goodness for you guys here, we all understand each other.
Kell, I have solved alot of that problem re: husbands driving by nurseries..........I make sure I get behind the wheel BEFORE he gets to the van!!!!!!!!!! Works every time. Last time we went to Madison a couple weeks ago, I told him I wanted to see what was on sale since it was the middle of August, and since I was driving, I stopped at all of them. He stays in the van and sleeps. I have already tried to open the back van door very quietly so he doesn't know or see what or how much I bought. So far I haven't been too successful on that score. I do tell him tho "It wasn't "farm" money that bought this stuff, it was MY money from playing organ at church". If it does happen to be "farm" money, well, I just conveniently neglect to say anything at all where the finances came from, I just tell him it was half price. LOL If anyone cares to take my course of ''Deviousness in plant buying 101" the next class starts soon! :>)
