I recieved this 'Dichorisandra thyrsiflora' aka Blue Ginger in trade for some fabulous footwear from Key West about a month ago. When I got it, it had a little bud which sat for a while but finally got going after all this rain. My first blue plant to bloom. Im excited. Thanks MollyMc.
I know its not actually a ginger but I was excited when I discovered it and wanted to share it.
Neil,
That's wonderful! I knew it would finally get around to it. Just wait now. All those little blue things in the bloom will open up too.
I'm glad it came through for you. It doesn't look as those the Blueberry Flax will be blooming this year. I got those as very young seedlings and they are now in their 2nd year. The ones I have left still have not bloomed.
Thanks again for the favor Neil.
Molly
:^)))
Neil, Gorgeous bloom. I may try one of these again now that I know what I did wrong. I pruned at the wrong time so cut off any would be blooms. Only
prune after flowering says Logees.
Jackie.
This one is blooming for me now too. I just love it. I had it in a pot last year, and this spring, I put it in the ground. Some of the canes broke off, but new ones are coming up.
Here's another pic:
This one of my stands, I love it
Liz
close up of bloom
Wow Liz
Very nice, I thought i was lucky with my one flower. Im hoping to find a spot for it in the ground so it can establish itself. I find the foilage not so attractive but the flower sure makes up for it.
liz I so look forward to my to plants looking like yours. I wonder how long before that happens
Liz planted one by my front door and it is gorgeous!! Karen
I have seen 'Dichorisandra thyrsiflora' in bloom while visiting Florida. Pictures just don't do this plant justice when it is in bloom.
I ordered a small plant this spring and it has been a slow grower for me. But it is potted up to be overwintered under lights.
BTW, my dogs broke off a piece and I stuck the cane in water. It didn't take anytime for it to root!
That's good to know, Nat, because I broke off a bunch of canes when I planted it in the ground, and I have them in water now and am hoping they will root.
It's good to know that you didn't throw those canes away! Mine sent out roots at the 2nd node and some of the bottom leaves turned brown in the process.
I did find a few mealy bugs on mine though......but it was easy enough to soak the tops in 70% rubbing alcohol. I am going to keep them in "quarantine" for a month or so to make sure that I have eliminated the mealies before I put them in with my other plants.
Nat, will pieces of the canes root? The branch that broke was a big one so I cut it into pieces. I found some scale on mine. Yuck!
Clare,
I am no expert so I don't know if pieces will root. I suspect that it would. Give it a try and see. The original plant that I have has branching coming off of the main stem, so I think that rooted pieces would send off new branches from the top.
I have read that 'Dichorisandra thyrsiflora' is actually related to the common Wandering Jew houseplant. If it's as easy to root as Wandering Jew, it WOULD root from just pieces.
You are wonderful, Nat. Thank you.
:) Good luck Clare - - let us know if your pieces root!
Will do! ;-)
Beautiful pics, I just got my first "Blue Ginger" from an RU and I can't wait until it takes off.
It had a bloom when we brought it home but my DH promptly cut it up so we could have
more plants to share. We were told it would root at the nodes.
Wendee
Thanks, Wendee! I hope so!
Nat and Wendee, the cuttings rooted just fine! Thanks!
Edited to add: I forgot to add though that they did get mealies too while sitting on the propagation table rooting.
This message was edited Nov 10, 2006 6:42 PM
Wow , true blue
Celt, that picture is misleading. It is really a very purple flower. The camera is not picking up the color correctly. This picture shows the true color better.
Awwwh well, it's still amazing, mine always looked more blue in morning light for some reason.
Thanks, Celt! I agree that it is an amazing flower. I just planted some rooted cuttings in a tough spot that always seems to be moist, and I think it will do well there.
My cutting that I rooted is starting to produce a bloom! I have it under lights next to my computer. I'll be thrilled if it blooms for me inside.
Fingers crossed for you, Nat! I just found a bloom covered in mealy bugs so I cut it off. There are other buds that don't look as bad, but the ants and mealies are working overtime on this one, and I'm going to need to spray tonight! At least you don't have ants inside that can cause problems for you.
Ants here aren't a big pest. Fungus gnats and aphids are my biggest indoor pests.
But mealy bugs are THE worst and hardest to get rid of.
Nat, a layer of sand on top of the plants' soil will help to keep the fungus gnats from laying eggs and works well. They will disappear after that. Yeah, mealies are gross too!
That is a most beautiful shade of blue.
Vossner, do you think they would grow well in Texas?
I haven't seen any of them around here, unless someone
is growing them in their back yard.
I just ended up cutting all the stalks to the ground. I found mealies in every crevice of the leaves and blooms. I may have to get rid of this one if it is prone to mealies. I'll give it another season and see. Perhaps, if I dig it up and move it to a planter, it won't be so accessible to ants and mealies. I might try that.
Mealies and spider mites love this plant, in my experience. SB
Thanks, SB. I think it is coming out then.
That's, beautiful! Another to add to my wish list, boy is it getting long.
Mahnot, it looks like they're hardy to 9A according to the plantfiles. You would have to bring it in or plant close to the house and mulch like a madman lol.
Clare, Don't dig it up. It's worth trying the Bayer 2 in 1. A steady dose of it might
keep the mealies at bay and you can continue to enjoy your plant.
Jackie
Thanks, Jackie! Okay, I'll do that:-)
