Our Hawaiian jungle in SC

OK, my wife's about to put an end to my tropical plant collecting, you can probably see why. We've just started moving plants back in (from my folks place in the country) into our apartment for the winter. They... well, grew a bit over the summer. Plus we added some new plants we purchased this summer or brought home from Hawaii. We've still got 5 more to move.

Thought you all might get a good chuckle out of what happens when apartments and big houseplants collide. On the flip side, it's kinda cool coming home to this. We keep the humidity at about 60% with two warm humidifers and we have plant lights all around the apartment (since we have a large west window with no winter sun).

Enjoy,
John

This first shot is mostly of our large monstera's. Our growing pothos is to the back left and in the near front is the supreme spath (peace lily).

This message was edited Oct 5, 2006 10:36 PM

This shot shows our two EE (macs) and our White Bird of Paradise (which we finally got the scales off of - took a year).

And this last shot shows our Office. Here we have another spath, two monstera's (baby and adult) and a variety of other plants, including on Hawaiian Ti. The other 5 plants I've yet to move into the Office are Ti's as well, large ones I've collected around the islands. They are the most dull but are some of my favorites. I love the monstera's the most, obviously.

Here's a better closeup of the pothos. I have high hopes it will climb climb climb and produce larger leaves. We have two other smaller ones in the bedroom. LOL, it is our latest obsession after seeing it in LOST.

Beautiful plants ! I love EE . We have some growing outside year round I'd like to get some different types maybe a variegated one,
Thanks for sharing your beautiful plants !

KeoniKale,where did you find your totem pole plant support that you have your pothos growing on? Beautiful plants & so healthy looking.

The plastic one in moss I bought at Woodley's Garden center here in Columbia. It's the only place I've seen them. HD has a few climbing poles as well, but these are the best I've seen (the plastic ones with moss).

The other poll is bamboo, and I took a large wood file to it to put grooves in it. I figured that way the plant could grab onto it better.

Here's hoping I can keep them all healthy through the winter. Last year I had my first encounter with mites, scales, and aphids. That made for a "fun" winter. LOL, ever try to fit a giant BOP in the shower?

LOL! Large plants do not fit showers very well!! Actually, your apartment does not look cluttered at all with the large plants. Beautiful!

Susan

Hey John:

I'm new to the DG website, and boy are there lots of "Plant People" out there!

Your Apartment Jungle Garden is really gorgeous! You must have not just green thumbs, but green hands! I have lots of plants, one monstera in a pot (but I would be embarrased to show a photo of it)! Here is a shot of some large split leaf philodendron's in my yard. Maybe I should try one of the big ones in my living room. Ha Ha

I've never known anyone to grow those huge plants, EE's indoors! They are always found outside in the ground down here! As much as my husband and I both like plants, I can't imagine having such huge ones inside (our cats would love it though!) .... but it looks so Great !! .... maybe I should try it! You really have a showplace .... an indoor garden! I'm "green" with envy!

plantladylin

I agree....you have a lovely home and your plants are displayed very 'tastefully'.

It's funny how they grow during the summer, and you're trying to fit them back indoors just *knowing* that 'they fit last year??', isn't it!?!

I've never seen a totem such as that one, either....if you're up to it, would you mind asking your garden center where they purchased those, as you know of a few people who would like to purchase some?

All I've seen are the ones that are wooden dowels wrapped in Coir, (and only once, at that) and the Coir just doesn't maintain enough moisture, IMHO.

I've been known to make quite a mess in our kitchen with those large plants, as we don't have a shower or even a hand-held shower in our upstairs bathroom!

Thanks for all the compliments :)

Nan I'll be sure to ask next time we head over that way. It's a good distance from our home, so it's usually a special trip. I'm going to look for them online as well. I'll post back if I find them.

plantladylin, green thumbs didn't always come natural. I actually just got into tropicals after 2002 when I first visited HI. After that I took a big interest in them and started growing tropicals at my folks home (I was still in college then). I actually killed my first set of plants by over watering them; I was so paranoid about keeping them healthy, LOL. After my wife and I returned in 2004 and brought more cuttings back, the collection started to grow pretty quick - as did my knowledge through experience. I have another 15 or so smaller plants at my folks house still. Once we buy our first home I am sure they'll all make great houseplants in the winter ;) The bigger the leaves and foliage the more I like the plant. I have three large spaths here at work too and the office calls me the "plant man." This summer we returned to get a few more plants and that's why I joined Dave's Garden on a more permanent basis (so I'm fairly new here too, at least membership wise). Currently I'm trying to keep a monstera deliciosa alive that I brought back from the Big Island. For a plant that grows like a "weed" it sure has given me a fight. I am pretty sure I've already lost another one I brought back, but I'm keeping an eye on it. As usual the Ti's we just got are fine. I think they'd grow just about anywhere.

On our next trip I plan to grab a pothos cutting; though I've had a bit of trouble getting them to root here at home when I take cuttings of my existing plants. Anyone taken pothos cuttings have any suggestions? I figure if I can get it down pat now I won't loose a future cutting on the way back.

LOL...Plant man....
I have a lot of plants at my office, too (they have a *fabulous* large, bright, east-facing window that was *begging* for plants!) and have been known to be called the 'Plant Lady', both here and at home.
One lady needed to use our phone when her car broke down, and she says 'No wonder my husband calls you the Plant Lady' (Plants outside....I guess he drives by on his way to/from work!) ....LOL! I guess I could be called worse, ....?

Thanks for agreeing to ask about those....no hurry!

I've always found Pothos easy to root in water...have you tried that?
A large jar in a bright/warm location works nicely.
Unless you're talking about those with the *HUGE* leaves....then maybe you should just try it in soil, and perhaps bagging it would help (place the entire pot in a large clear bag, maybe with a couple of bamboo stakes to hold the bag 'up'?)

BTW....welcome, to you, too!

Welcome to you too, "Plant Man" aka Keonikale! by the way, what does Keonikale mean in Hawaiian?

Re: Pothos .... are you talking about the hanging basket stuff that they usually sell at garden centers in the house plant section, or the Giant Leaf things that grow up the oak trees down here in Florida? You know, I haven't had a lot of luck growing them in soil, but used to leave them in a vase of water for years and they'd thrive! I have one not so great looking specimen (in a pot) that I put in an old purse and hung it in my screen room. I used to have the problem of killing plants with too much watering. Now, I have so many that I don't have the time to overwater anymore! Most seem to thrive on the less is more approach with me.

Anyhow, welcome and enjoy this site ... so much info ... so little time ... now I better go mow my lawn! And play in the dirt!

plantladylin

Well we bought one of our pothos in a basket and one in a pot with a stick in the middle. We've since put both in larger pots with larger totems. As far as I can tell, they are the same. I'm going to try the water method you both have suggested, maybe that'll help. In dirt both cuttings just rotted away at the point I broke it off from the host plant. Kinda befuddled me since I read they were so easy to take cuttings for.

And Nan, they can call me "plant" anything... I consider it a good name like you said.

Oh, and Keoni is the Hawaiian name for John. Kale is my middle name translated, Charles. My last name would be translated as Kelikeke, but then my initials in Hawaii would likely get me some bad names and/or jeers, LOL.

One thing before I bid farewell for the weekend....about the cuttings in soil....

A friend of mine who once sent me a treasure trove of succulent cuttings suggested that I pot them in soil (relatively dry) and *NOT* water them....he suggested that I just 'mist' the cuttings a bit until I noted new growth, which would likely mean new roots, as well.

That's how I root nearly everything now, when I root them in soil.....remember, the roots have to 'seek' water, so keeping the soil drier rather than constantly moist is the better way to go.

Do try the water method, though....it seems to be successful for a lot of growers.
Good luck!

A cool story behind your 'moniker', too!

I agree with Nan. I used to water my plants to death! Even my cuttings .... I was so afraid they would die of thirst! Now, I do as Nan does, with any cuttings, I put them in fresh, dry soil and just mist them until new growth takes place. This really seems to work for me, not just with succlents, but any plants.

I have been known to break a branch off something and just stick it in a jar of water, and it will take root, but I sometimes have a problem when I take rooted cuttings out of water and pot them up, they don't do well ..... I may need a bit more patience sometimes!

I haven't grown any pothos from cuttings in many years. Maybe while I'm out playing in the dirt, I will take some cuttings off my one not so great looking pothos and try rooting them!

Where is Woodley's located?
I would like to go pick me a few up.
I live northwest of you in the upper part of the state.
Thanks.

This should give you all their info:
http://www.woodleygardencenter.com/

They are opening a new store really close to me here on Highway 6 near Lake Murray. That'll be MUCH closer for me. I'm in downtown Columbia right now.

Thank you so much for the link-this really helps.

Wowzers, keonikale! Such huge and healthy plants! Wait till I show my DH and he thinks I'm plant crazy...lol. Do you feed them anything special??
:) Donna

Keonikale, Your plants are wonderful. I am having trouble with my BOP, what did you do to get rid of scale? Dixie

Still looking for the website about those totems for the pothos. I think we have the wrapper of one of them around here somewhere, so it might have a web site addy.

We actually just feed all these guys Osmocote and lately I've given some some liquid Miracle Grow plant food. In another month or so I should see the results of the liquid fertilizer vs the Osmocote.

The scale was a problem using every chemical I could find at Lowe's or HD. Then I tried Spectracide's Immunox 3-in-1 (Insect & Disease Control Plus Fertilizer). That got rid of the scales and it's the only thing I've been able to get rid of the aphids with too. It may have also been, in part, the Safer Insect Killing Soap. At one point I was spraying it quite often, but it worked. We had about three new leaves the first half of this year when the scales were bad. We have 5 new leaves coming out right now alone. Incredible difference. The scale I don't think are completely gone, as they live deep down in the stalks. But the treatments have definitely kept them at bay and off the upper parts of the plant. It's a lot healthier now.

We've brought home all but one of the Ti's now, the largest one. So it's a full house here now minus one. :)

keonikale....I went to the website that you linked to and emailed them about those totems, too, so hopefully will hear something.

We'd love to see photos of your Ti's, dontchaknow?!! LOL!