I'm going to post a few picks for those interested in the containers I use for rooting leaves, crown cuttings . It may give you an idea you can use to either save a damaged plant or grow a really different way.
This was a damaged plant of Rob's Willawong planted in a 5 inch pot. It was smashed beyound belief and had few leaves left on it. I put it in this container and in only a few months it has regrown & is in full bllom. This is a pic with the top on...
This is the same plant with the top off...
Here's a pic of the arial roots the high humidity allows it to grow that it would not in an open environment...
typos :)
This message was edited Jan 31, 2006 6:28 PM
Here's a few not so glamorous pics of Pnut butter containers and candy jars...
More containers... crown cutting of a trailing Av and next to it a re growing of episcia Unpredictable Valley
An old candy jar....
Oh my gosh! Thank you, sitting on my counter, ready to be taken to the trash is a large "cake" container from Kroger as pictured in your 4th above! WooHoo! Baby has a new greenhouse!
You are the smartest MsC!
Great April... cake containers are wonderful!
I even put the solo cups with leaves in them too.I've planted episcias in them and had better luck rooting everything this way.
Note: I don't poke holes in mine but some folks do.
I have great luck just using them like terrariums.
Good Luck!
MsC
I am not poking holes, I am going to follow your example. Thanks and I will now be keeping my eyes open for suitable containers! I wonder what guests will think?LOL!
Hey if guest want to know just give them a starter plant to show them how much fun it can be...lol
Here's a pic of my area in the kitchen where mine are kept and most folks laugh and tell me I'm crazy...but they always come back for more plants though..lol
MsC
bowing down to you MsC....I mean WOW
Thank you begonia!
One thing for sure, I utilize my growing spaces..lol
The great thing about the clear containers is that because rooting leaves & cuttings, etc don't really need that much light,but they do need the humidity and warmth that this system allows. I can keep on growing literally stacked one on top of the other... this is one of four shelfs I keep.
Now that's an AV addiction...LOL
MsC
Agree w/ Begonia, bowing down to you!
WOW Cool.
I can't cover anything here in Florida if you do half a day turns to mush. I never have to cover I'm glad.
Your very creative MsC. When and how big are they before they come out to the real world :)) Do you oepn a little at a time ?
I grow all my leaves in 3 oz. cups in extremly light soil-less mixture. in clear plastic boxes. which can be cleaned and bleached and last for years !
I use to have them last winder in closed mini green houes but they all just stood there until spring. This winter I put everything under lights I could fit and everything grew so fast.
Now I use my greenhouse for isulation.
But here is a picture of at least how I set them. Works well for me . Best thing is to experiment and see whats best for you and your enviroment !
Allison,
Yours looks so neat and tighty,too. Both of our methods use basically the same principles though, yours is just a larger scale. My climate is not too far off from yours you know. I'm just on the other side of the Gulf Of Mexico from you on the hot humid coast of Texas.
The containers are the very basics of terrarium gardening. Climates should not matter either way. A terrarium is a self contained ecosystem, so anybody anywhere could use a terrarium but it certainly isn't necessary, just fun and easy! :)
I like it because I don't have to worry about them so much.
You ask about when Itake them out of the containers... Yes, I do open them for a few hours to start with just a bit, then increase it over a few days. Some of it depends on what the plant type is...leaf or whole plant. Plants take a bit longer to aclimate out of the box without damage, maybe over a week.
Leafs are a bit easier and only take a day or so.
Its just a different method for some folks to try.It is the only way I can grow some of my sinnigias & epsicias though.
MsC
Leaves don't need much light? I have mine in the place of honor on my rack. I was under the assumption that they needed like 16 hours of light! So I don't even consider stacking them!
Allison..where did you get that GREAT little greenhouse thing that your leaves are in?
I need to get me one of those!
Excellent idea and cheaper than buying humidity domes - not that they are too expensive or anything
Right now..I don't cover my leaves at all :) I use just the bottom try and a seed tray insert.
I wonder if they would grow babies quicker if they were covered.
Well my babies grow quick. If I cover the humidity builds up and they rot. I don't even put them in the little green houses anymore. Mine are all in 3 oz. cups, soil-less mix under lights kept warm. Plus I fount the air circulation was needed. Last winter I had hunderds of leaves in the greenhouse and they just stood there. This winter they have been under lights, getting fed, warm and everyone has been growing crazy !
Lorry,
Try it , it's just another option when you run out of light space.And it is a little cheaper than adding another lightstand.:)
Leaves don't really need that much light to make babies.
Light helps bring them on a little faster, but they will grow with out being right up under the lights. Stacking in clear containers still allows light to get to them so it really isn't that big of an issue.The lights add the heat they need and the enclosed container adds the humidity and mositure,so you don't have to water them,like when they are in an open tray.
I'm personally not in a big hurry for more babies so fast is not that important to me.
I saw smaller 2 shelf greenhouse units at Walgreens a couple of days ago they were about $12 . The larger ones I've seen at Dollar General & family Dollar stores for about $20-$25.
MsC
If the terrarium method scares you or does not work for you,then please stick to your way of growing, especially if it seems to be working fine for you.
I just offered this for anyone interested in trying another method. Some folks just starting out can't afford the expensive light set ups & etc,or may not want to afford them.
I wanted to offer a differnt method that allows folks to use what they have on hand.
Both methods work, it's just a matter of choice.
MsC
So you don't watter them at all MsC?
I see what you are saying too Allison :) I may just get a tray or two and give it a shot though :) can't hurt :) Maybe put them under a window :)
We have a Walgreens and a Family Dollar...I never go to Walgreens and have not seen them at the Family Dollar. I will have to go take a look though :)
thanks so much Ladies!
I want to try both :) I have a lightstand but lord knows it runs out of room so fast!
I am really excited to try this method of propagation
Yes they all work. Use what's best for you and your envroment.
I use to use all natural light and every lamp in the house I could turn on. Then Hubby bought me one stan with 5 shelves/4 used. It's made out of heavy plastic was around $30.-40.00. Then couple months later another one. Few fixtures and lights at a time. Took about six months to get the whole set-up !
Well I read many books say light is the most important
thing for their growth. But if your not in a rush it would not mater.
I'm not in a rush but like babies in good time.
I fount when they were in closed greenhouses and never needing watering ( They were right next to windows.
They also got colder at night as I run lights at night to keep them warm. And they did not get air circulation or light.
No heat, light, food, circulation = leaves just sat there all winter did nothing until Spring when I started putting boxes under light , unzipped grrenhouse and fed them !
Then WOW I had babies. But it was sad all winter nothing grew and if they did it was slow :((
I said I'll never put leaves down in the winter.
Bunt I did. And my leaves were under lights, warm, air circulation , and fed. And I have had babies galore to share :))
Jill I got them couple years ago from I think LCD ? for about $ 13.00 each three shelves. Now they are used for isulation !
I tried using this CostCo, Kirkland tub that had cookies in it from their bakery (DH is a cookie monster so the cookies went fast!). I couldnt get the whole label off, that's partly why you can see through it, but it is working fine. lot's of holes all around so it doesn't stay too wet. The thing is, I really tried to kill that first batch of D&P bargain violets. I 'over did it' with them. These are the crowns that are left. So far, since I've put them in here, just a few days ago, they have all crisped up and are perking up. I tried doing the same thing but putting the crowns in small pots, and they were really suffering. Once I gave them more humidity, they did better. BUT we're pretty dry, I have to run a humidifyer in the playhouse to keep it at 60%.
BegoniaC,
Nice box!
We have plenty of humidity here, but I still like my terrarium containers for somethings. It cuts my work in hals as far as keeping up with who needs watering, it also helps to keep me from drowing everything..:)
Here's something that might be of help getting the labels off... I soak mine over night in a hot tub/sink of water. If it is a container I know I'm going to use then as soon as I get it home I start peeling the leabel off. Sometimes they come off really easy if they don't sit to long.
Sometimes theres a sticky residue left from the glue...I use lighter fluid on a paper towel and gentley rub it over the surface.Then I wash it in mild soapy water.
Most of the time I manage not to scratch them, but every once I a while I goof.
Hubby says I buy half our food just for the containers.:)
MsC
Allison, the "green house" you have is doing the same thing as the "terrariums" only on a much larger scale and with really good air circulation.
I am thinking of buying something like this:
http://www.gardeners.com/Seedstarting-Kit/default/StandardCatalog.Seedstarting_SeedstartingKits.32-573.cpd
they have one w/ a heat source, but I am not sure that I need that. Not sure.
April, I've looked at those... I think they use one of those cool capilary mats for watering... But I decided that with the number of seedlings I wanted to start, I couldn't justify the expense. I get the black nursery flats with the plastic cell inserts (48 cell inserts for most things, 2 inch pots for tomatoes & peppers can fit 32 to a tray), and I have a couple of clear plastic domes that I poked a bunch of ventillation holes in... I use the domes on newly sown seeds and tender seedlings, but I don't find I need one dome per flat. I also use salad containers etc as domed seed starting trays (holes in top & bottom). I use bottom watering for all... just pour 1/2 to 1 inch of water into the flat and pour off anything that hasn't been absorbed after a while.
I think if I were just starting a few plants, this system might be nice... but since I ended up with 20-some flats downstairs last year, it's not for me!
With regard to bottom heat, I've heard that AV leaf pots will pop up ears faster with it, but I think they'll still pop up ears without it. For other seed starting, I have to say that I really loved the new seedling heat mats (with thermostat) that I got last year. I had bigger, stockier pepper transplants than ever before, and my tomatoes & others that like a warm start came up in record time. I did learn to move the tomatoes off the heat immediately after germination to keep the little seedlings from getting extremely leggy.
Sorry, I know this was more about other plants than about AVs, but I wasn't sure for what purpose you were thinking about using that system you mentioned. Hope my comments were more helpful than confusing, LOL!
well we have 100percent humidity hear today laurie..lol....and msc...when i root plumerias and some folks even keep their plants in the winter time on heat mats...think that can be expensive as well...appreciate the info and experience..
April
I don't use those green house for rooting leaves or growing plants anymore.
Now they are just used for Isolation.
I know I've posted this before. Last fall/winter I put many hundreds of leaves down. So many they could not all fit under lights. So they went into these zipped up greenhouses. They had no air curculation, they got colder than the ones under lights, they did not hardly ever need watering so they got no food. They are in a room of windows so they had light.
BUT none of them grew well out of 500 a few here and there and as soon as I saw babies pop up I'd take them and put them under lights real close. The others just stood there nothing. Then in the Spring I opened up the plastic unzipped to give the leaves some air cuculation. My first step to growth. I also fed them. And I also put any boxes that could fit under lights on the stand. Then finaly I started to have rooted leaves and babies.
I said I would never root in the winter . But I have. BUT this year all boxes of leaves are extramly close to the lights, they have air circulation and get fed .
GUESS What this winter I have had babies galore to share the babies you have all been getting in your boxes. I have also been running the lights at night to keep them warm as even here in Florida nights get chilled and my stands even with heat ( my tiny plant room is off the living room open to but has no heat or air vent just a fan) on. We have watched them closly to keep them at 70-75 degrees. Leaves rooted super fast, babies / plants have grown fast plants are blooming. We started running the lights at night last summer as it gets so hot here and running them during the day makes the A/C work too hard.
My wish is to get another plant stand for my large plants and Chiritas and gessies I enjoy growing . Stick just to the few favorite plants I want to keep.
Right now all my Streps, and Chiritas, Epsicas, minis are in natural light. But I have no more Space. I would use one of the greenhouses in case I do get any new plants to isolate.
Last winter was discouraging nothing in those zip up bags grew...but this winter with air circulation, food, light, and heat all are growing like weeds :))
allison...very interesting and helpful advice and experience...thanks for sharing..i have to get more of mine ready..
Well Bob we are also blessed with good old Sunny Florida Humidity :)) Lot's of things people can do for more. Just like putting little cups a few around plants with water , or misting plants, some put their plants on top of moist pebbles all kinds of fun things can be dones :))
