Plain & Fancy

Look what's blooming, Allison. I love it. It has grown very nicely. Thank you, again for this lovely plant. There is only one bloom open right now, but I couldn't wait to post. There are several stocks getting ready to bloom

I love the delicate color of the blooms against the variegation of the leaves.

Nanna~ I got one from Allison, too...isn't the foilage just lovely? Now that I see your beautiful bloom, I love it even more. Thanks for the picture!

It's a wonderful vintage from one of my favorite's Ethel Champion ! But Nanna your's is so much more pretty than mine. I am having a hard time with the heat I guess keeping foliage variegated.
Your plant is so beautiful !

Oh Allison. I'm sorry to hear you are having trouble with this lovely plant. The one you sent just sat there for quite awhile. I think it was homesick. Then all of a sudden it started growing and then the buds came. I love it. Thanks again.

Well mine is big and blooming. Growing just in natural light no room on plant stands it's full of leaves and babies. Someday maybe. lol
Just the variegation is not as good . I guess it's just too hot here as it does not get too much light nor nitrogen. I have babies growing they grow real variegated ! Maybe by winter one will stay this way. lol

that is very pretty!

Thanks April. It looks like sun light is continually bathing the leaves.

You are right! I tell you I just love variegated foliage- it adds another level of interest.

Allison, the description of P & F is "large". What size pot do you have your plant in. You sent mine in a 3 inch and I recently repotted to a 4. Do you recommend keepting her in a 4 inch or potting up in about 4 or 5 months?

Mine is in a 4 inch. Soon if I have room under end of light tube she'll go . I took so many leaves off of mine so it will be awhile for five inch though I still have lot's of foliage and lots of healthy roots.
I was so lucky to get leaves of her from a Secret leaf Swap ! As you do not see her often.
Plain and Fancy (2756) 11/13/1975 (E. Champion) Double pink ruffled star. Variegated, plain, quilted. Large
And the leaves had exciting variegated foliage like your's !
You said it so well !
" It looks like sun light is continually bathing the leaves"

Morning Nan,

Oh that is one of the leaves I got from Allison....she is a beauty! I love it! TFS!

Joanne

Morning, again, Joanne. Hope your leaf grows great babies. This plant is truely beautiful. Hurray for Allsion; filling our lives with such wonderful things.

Oh great Joanne you will love her ! She progates nice too ! Enjoy :))

i love the foliage! Very accurate description, nanna!

Allison, do the flowers small. By small I mean about 1 inch across.

Oh I'd say one to 2 inch ...ruffled, double pink.. Today I re-pottd mine. Broke three large leaves of , put them down. And I have some leaves down with babies.

Picture taken June 10 th. I took flowers off today.
When babies grow tey are very light/very variegated ! I'm hoping to get mine back or it just may be too hot here ?
I gave aplant to Linda RTD I think it is and to others wonder how their's re doing ?
Mine is real healthy , pretty flowers just lost the variegation.

Yep! That looks about right.

Unfortunately, mine is still small. I kept it under lights for a month and it started to curl under and develop a hard center. I pulled it out from under the lights and placed it on the window sill with an Eastern view. It is doing better. I see new growth and they are laying flatter. Its larger leaves are curled somewhat; but, at least it is doing better. It is the favorite out of all you sent me. I tried to propagate one of her leaves that I accidently broke off but it never lived. It is still in the original pot.
Linda

First I would trans-plant it. Good idea to trans-plant every 4-6 months ad you have had it for awhile. It's a large growing plant. Mine does good except the variegation as it's so hot here. I have grown several from the one leaf I got in a trade and have some growing now new young plants have great variegation like Nanna's .
I do trans-plant minis every 3-4 months and standards 4-6 months . If needed more.
Mine has been in natural light but I trans-planted it from a four inch pot into a new four inch pot. Broke 3 leaves off put them down ! And fount a space for them under light. Anytime i do have a plant with crown small, or foliage growing short or tightI trans-plant, or leach, cut fertilizer to zero and I also put it into natural light for awhile with-in days a week I can always see a difference !

I have not fertilizer my whole collection for a month. Fertilizer can do some pretty heavy damage, especially if you are wicking.

Everyone please make sure if you are wicking that you dilute even more than half. AND I think it is best to dilute after the fertilizer is mixed rather than using 1/4 tsp instead of 1/2 tsp of fertilizer.

EX: mix 1/4 tsp into 1 gal of water. then poor 1/2 of the gallon of water into another gallon container and fill both up.

AND measure the crystal fertilizer. Don't guess. Weakly, weekly is what they say for orchids and I think it applies to avs as well.

The other thing I have found is that all plant stands don't give the same light. I have one that has 4 lights on each shelf. I have removed two and the plants are doing much better.

Another lesson I have learned is chlorine in the water. BAD. I now let the water sit over night in a large mouth container or use bottled spring water I get at the store.

Light, fertilizer, chlorine, AND continual blooming are probably one some of the causes of tight centers, smaller leaves, and slow growth.

Too bad we jump to "mite" conclusions. Then the problem never gets fixed. OR we are 'afraid' to mention anything because we want to be good growers.

So true Nanna. Now your plants are looking so good !
You alsp have to re-pot and leach when needes.
Growing babies, I start them in 2 -2.25-2.50 pots depsnding what I have. A fast growing baby will need a lot of trans-planting. Keep miniatures and semi-minis in no larger than 2.50 but giving new soil vorrom, top sides all around each trans-planting. Trime roots if needed . Keep in same size pot if plant's growth does not alot for large but use clean bleached pot, wick and soil.
My shelves are 24 inches across and I try two keep two sets four tubes over each.
It also determines how high they are and how new or old your light tubes. When changing them change only one light tube per fixture and then wait two weeks to change the other so plants don't go into light shark.
I looked at my Plain and fancy this morning in it's new pots, soil, three leaves came off wow dose it look great. But just need my variegation back.

Nanna put some great info here on wicking and over feeding

I fount it Nanna's Plain and Fancy :)) Isn't it so beautiful !
Oh I'd love to have a leaf or baby of this awesome Vintage plant again :))
Nanna sure can grow them :))
Plain and Fancy (2756) 11/13/1975 (E. Champion) Double pink ruffled star. Variegated, plain, quilted. Large

Here is my Plain and Fancy. A bit lopsided from the last go round of leaves taken but growing right along....

Allison~ I would love to send you back some leaves or put down some for you for warm weather trade if you want!!

Beautiful stunning plant ! I'm glad so many people got plants from the trade leaves I got as it is a hard plant to find. I would love a leaf or two in Spring :))

Oh my GOSH! Oh my GOSH! ~~~~~$8>O