Keyring, Snowrose I need your expertise

I have no trouble putting down leaves, but when I plant up I can't find individual crowns....when they start growing i get suckering everywhere....do you know the secret of these small plants taking on a good growing shape when lifted out .....
thanks so much anyone!!
gail
PS..I have never watched anyone actually pot these up or groom a plant removing suckers, etc.
I may have to call the ladies in the AV society in CC and ask them to show me how.

*****I actually have just as many leaves behind the leaf as i do in front?????

This message was edited Jun 1, 2007 10:08 AM

Gail, are you potting them up when they're this size? I usually let mine get quite a bit bigger before I remove them from the mom leaf. If it puts up so many plantlets that they get crowded, I just move the entire thing to a larger pot. I don't normally remove the babies from mom til there are several leaves per baby, and I seem to recall someone somewhere saying at least a couple of leaves on the baby needed to be at least a half inch wide or more for them to really be ready to be removed from mom. If you're separating them at the size pictured, that may be why you can't find individual crowns. If you leave them long enough, the individual crowns will usually become obvious. There may be several that are growing rather tangled together, but you can tell what goes with what.

Does that answer your question? I don't think I have any babies that are ready to be removed from Mom, but if I do, I'll take some pictures and post them for you.

I don't have any that are ready to be separated, so I can't take pictures. There may be a thread on here of someone showing how to remove babies from the mom leaf. I'll do a bit of investigating and see if I can find one.

I do remember, however, taking pictures of removing suckers from one of my plants and posting pictures for starfly, I think it was. Let me go find that post. I know it's not the same as actually watching someone, but it might help a bit. http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/712170/ Scroll down a ways, and you'll see the pictures where I removed some suckers. Maybe that will help with that part of your question and I'll look to see what I can find about separating babies.

Amy, I am impressed that you know so much.....I have these in 3oz solo cups....do I lift out and scoop out the whole mother leaf and babies and put in a 3" pot so they have room to keep growing....I think that you just answered my question, but this is an very tiny solo pot????

I'm no expert by any means, Gail! If they were mine, I would leave them just like they are. They're not really crowded yet, so I, personally, wouldn't move them at all. When did you put the leaves down? I can't imagine it's been so long that they would need to be repotted because of the mix breaking down. Oh I wish I could find some of my AV baby pictures. You'd have a fit if you could see how crammed in I let them grow. I believe most of them are still on my old computer, but I'll check to see if I have any on this one.

However, yes you could move the whole thing to a larger pot. If you do, be very careful and keep the rootball and everything intact as best you can. The babies are sometimes attached with the tiniest sprig of stem and fine hairlike roots. They can just fall off, so just be easy with them and they'd be fine, I'm sure.

Well, they're all still on the old computer. I'll get it cranked up today and get them off of it...been meaning to do that anyway. Here's a picture I found that I had posted ages ago of some of my babies. The one I've circled in red (couldn't make the line any thicker, for some reason), far right, middle row, I still wouldn't separate those. I'd continue to let them grow. Not that that is the best way to do it, it's just my way. I find that I lose more babies when I separate them too soon than I do when I let them grow and get really crowded.

Gail, I agree, I would leave everything in the pots they're in. I let mine stay in the 3 oz cups until some of the leaves are about the size of a dime. Yes, they're a little crowded, but it's OK for the small ones. When they're a little larger you can pull out the whole root ball, separate the mother leaf and being really careful, separate the babies. Your next problem will be how many of the babies to pot up and keep. It's real hard to throw them away, but you can quickly get overwhelmed with plants if you get 3 or 4 babies from each leaf. AV's are very resilient and you'll be surprised of how even the smallest of babies can survive. I try to pick 2 and see them through to blooming stage in case one doesn' t bloom true.

Thanks, Amy and Susan....I will just let them stay there until they are bursting out of the pots.....I read in Rachel's Reflections or somewhere.....that there is a point in gently lifting out the whole root ball with mother and all into a bigger pot.......but for now...(thanks goodness as I am busy) and continue to let them be.
Thanks again a million gals

Hi Susan! ~waving~ :o)

Here are a couple of sites about separating babies. See how full the pots or clumps are? That's how I let mine get. http://www.rachelsreflections.com/separate.htm Scroll down almost to the bottom of this page, and there's another set of pictures about separating babies. http://rainbowviolets.com/id4.html

thanks again.....Susan and Amy.....I believe we are the only people on this forum right now.....everyone else is out in the garden working (tee hee....I like to work on my plants IN the house on these hot days)
gail

Hey there Amy - Happy Friday. You're welcome Gail, don't worry, sometimes I'm almost ashamed at how long I leave babies with the mother leaf or how long I leave the baby plants in a small pot after repotting them. You sort of get the message when a very large plant blooms while still living in a solo cup. Has anyone ever had a baby bloom while still attached to the mother? And have you ever noticed that the ones you watch and really want to do well are the ones that struggle to live?

Totally off subject and after this one I have to go back to work. I am so excited. My first AV was Lyndon Lyon's New York Glitter and through the years I had lost it. It is also very hard to find. I had gotten leaves from Bloomlovers last year and (thought) they all died. When I reordered this year, she was out. Well, I had one baby plant on my shelf that had lost the tag and I was ready to trash it because it's so very hard to identify one even with a bloom. BUT and surprise of all surprises, the bloom opened this morning and............ it's New York Glitter!!!! Where it came from, I don't know. It must be one that survived and was never tagged.

This gessie thing is like having children all over again and needing to nurture them along...............too much fun....I don't even grow sinningias....but somehow I have 4 and I baby them all the time....

I don't know what to do with these.....I will show picture....they have already bloomed but they have ????? stolons or something on them...do I plant these up ????

Also, susan or amy, would they be happier in a vase with more humidity??? (Two look very differently than the other which looks like this one...they are smaller and are in tiny vases with saran on the top)

****** I got a red flag, Susan and read your post....congratulations!!!! I never throw anything away until it blooms....I have been fooled before.....

Oh Susan! I'm so happy for you! Isn't that just the best surprise when you find one you just knew you had lost? :o) Got a picture handy? ;o) I'm not sure I've seen that one.

I love Sinningias. They're quite forgiving. :o) I haven't grown them enough to know a lot about them, though. I'm sure Ki and Snow will be along and they can tell you more about it. I did take cuttings of one of mine that got so tall it flopped over. It rooted quite nicely. I think it's still alive over there, but I'll have to check. Isn't that awful - I can't even remember what I've got. Maybe that's a sign of excess...

Yours looks like it's got more buds on the top, Gail. Got any blooming pictures of it?

I posted them at the time.....one has a red throat that fades into a reddish pink and one is called 'scarlet red' and it is scarlet!!!!

hee hee ... Amy! I know what you mean about "losing" plants! When it comes to regular houseplants, I sometimes forget exactly what I have. Then, one day I will be watering out on the deck or in the Florida Room and come across something I had totally forgotten about!

Susan ... I too would love to see a picture of that New York Glitter!

Gail .... I must go back and try to find the post with photo's of your sinningia's! I have that teensy sinningia pusila that Amy gave me and it's in a little wine glass with a plastic lid on top. I thought it was dead, but y'all said not to give up on it yet and lo and behold, this morning I saw a tiny bit of green peeking from the soil! I am a happy camper!

I still have yet to plant the package of seeds of another sinningia I got in a trade! I will get to it soon!

The problem with posting the pics again is that i cannot find them.............still looking

I found the thread finally....but never found the pics in my pictures folders!!!!

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/722779/

**** edited to say I really benefited from that search....Keyring posted a site that shows how to propagate these!!!

This message was edited Jun 1, 2007 4:42 PM

well, I was stuck at a desk all day. You know, that job thing :P

I am just going to claim bragging rights because I recently had the prettiest leaf pot. This is from a leaf from a DGer and it's in a 4" pot. The mommy leaf is the one at noon.

I split the babies up after I took this pic.....

About 5 weeks before, I moved it from a 2.5" pot into the 4" round. It probably could have been split up then, but I think it grew faster this way.

Very pretty ... Looks similar to one Gessiegail sent me awhile back!

Hi Gail,

I also take cuttings of the leggy growths and put them down. Basically, each Sinningia has a tuber, and all growths come out of the tuber - often, some of the growths will be leggy because they just don't get enough light. It's a little cramped there, if you know what I mean.

You can leave all the growths on the plant, of course, but it just doesn't look as nice.

In the ground, the leggy growths would probably touch dirt and root there anyway.

I wish I had sent you that one, Lin.....mine is unidentified....hers is something special......come on, Keyring and just tell us the name of yours......
Now I know what to do about leaves.......all of you say leave them in there and when you do move them, move the mother leaf with the plant.....
thanks everyone!!

i am probably going to mess my my sinnin (whatever it is) the first time...

Keyring, that is the most beautiful leaf pot I have ever seen!!!! What is it? Pam

good for you, Pam......inquiring minds want to know the name (LOL)

That leaf pot is Fisherman's Paradise. I got the leaf from nannav :-)

It is a Beauty, isn't it? I would love to know the name of that one too! I love anything Pink .... My favorite color!

Here's a photo of my favorite AV's with Pink Variegated Foliage:


edited to say: These are all Noids ... one I got from you Gail.

This message was edited Jun 1, 2007 8:54 PM

Those are gorgeous!!!! : )

Wow Ki! That's absolutely beautiful! I used to have that one, but it *never* looked that good.

Yours are so pretty, too, Lin! Noids or not, they're lovely! :o) And is that Celery I see back there blooming? Could you post a close up of it? That's one I think is so pretty and unique!

I agree that Ki's plant is one of the prettiest I have ever seen.....she and Snowrose grow plants I have not even heard of....

Lin, I am feeling a little sad looking at your pink and white variegated foliage......I have been letting go of avs every time they get in bloom to make room for more propagation and new plants. This afternoon I am taking 12 to give homebound members of church....giving away the last one of these (but never fear, I put down 10 leaves this morning of my favorite ones that are going out)......

I took this picture early this morning just for good time's sake....these are a few going out today....the rest are still under lights...

Yep! That's 'Celery' blooming! Here's a close up:

Here's the underside of the leaves, see how they curl at the bottom ... kinda frilly underneath:

I love those curly leaves, Lin!!!! Think I am more a foliage person than I am the bloom!!!!

Gail: You have such a Generous Spirit! And, your Giving Spirit will bring much Joy to those folks who receive your Beautiful Plants!

I remember when my Dear Mother In Law was in Assisted Living the last years of her life. I spent almost every day with her. Many lot of the elderly residents had family close by who never visited. They truly appreciate even 15 minutes of someone's time just to talk to them, but when you give a little gift their eyes just light up! It truly makes them feel special! I know they were always very happy when I would bake cookies, brownies or cupcakes and spend time with them. A couple of years I made little Easter Baskets for every resident and at Valentines Day I would do little goody bags for them. I always said I received the most Joy from those visits ... just seeing the smiles and happy faces! Everyone was always so appreciative of just the "time" spent visiting!

So, Miss Gail ... You are an Angel!

You were an angel doing that......i am just growing......one of the ministers who visits with these people is doing the hard work like you did......it does so make them happy......

Celery is lovely, Lin! I love the leaves and blooms on that one. :o)

It's not in the best of shape ... needs to be repotted and groomed. I hope I don't kill it.