My Chirita 'Diane Marie' has a couple of dead flower stems and I am wondering if it's okay to cut them off, or should they be left on the plant to wilt away and fall off by themselves? They don't look too nice just hanging there, so I would like to cut them unless the plant needs them for some reason. Can they just be pinched off like I do with wilted or dead AV stems?
Thanks!
I personally would say " off with their lil heads " but I'm not a chirita person so use caution with my addvice..lol
MsC
Yes that is exactly what you should do and I see you got it from Bluebird, they are great aren't they?
Sandi
remember that Keyring and RainGazer are wanting all seeds from Chiritas...I cut mine off of 'Diane Marie', but I am not going to cut anymore as they come into bloom ........They are trying to hybridize these plants.....
LOL. I was gonna say something, but thanks for saying it for me!
I am so tired of trying to prop chiritas from leaf, I would really prefer to grow them from seed.
So please first pollinate your flowers and then hope for seedpods !!
In the meantime, spent spikes should be trimmed. Yes, indeed....
Wow...someone is awake..lol
So, Key are those not seed pods on the spent flowers in Lin's pic???
MsC
Yup, worked a very long day and got home not long ago. The birds are ready for morning!
I didn't look too carefully (and now I'm on my phone) but it looked like the stalk below the pod has started to shrink. When that happens, the pod won't ripen.
Sorry you had such a long day ...work can really get in the way of really important things in life..:)
Oh.. well maybe she'll get a paint brush & pollinate the flowers that are left???
I'd love to have some seeds from your Chiritas, if you get any, Lin. I don't know anything about pollinating Chiritas, but I do know a little about pollinating Streps. Is it mostly the same, Ki? I used a Qtip to pollinate my Streps, so you might try the same on your Chiritas the next time they bloom. Then, of course, you'd want to leave the stalks to see if they were going to produce seed pods. Just as Ki said, the stalk below that middle pod has shrunk, so you know it's not going to produce seeds and can cut it off, but the others still look plump. If it were me, I'd leave them and only cut them off as the stalks began to shrivel, just in case there's a viable seed pod there. I don't know if Chiritas are inclined to self-pollinate, but if they're not and you didn't try to hand-pollinate, then remove them. Maybe there's a link in the sticky about Chirita pollination...I'll go see...
Anyway, if you're not trying to pollinate and get seeds, then yes, you should remove the bloom stalk as soon as the blooms fade, just as you would on an AV. :o)
Here's a page about Chirita pollination:
http://home.so-net.net.tw/jacko/
I'm not really the person to ask about chirita pollination as I haven't exactly been doing a great job at growing them. Tamiana often spontaneously self-pollinates for me, so that is a different matter.... That said, I think I may have managed to pollinate a couple of flowers on my usbrg numbered one that just flowered.....
oh, so yes, I did the same as I do for streps. But the pollen on the chirita was not a dry powder, so I wasn't sure if it was ripe. I guess time will tell.
I sure hope it's successful. You'll let us know, I trust. Wonder if that's normal for Chirita pollen? Hmm, might have to do some research on that...
I don't think I would have the patience you ladies have to pollinate .... and I don't have any idea how it's done. I am going to cut off those dead flower spikes on that Diane Marie. But, tell me, how will I know when there are seeds in those little things, will it be obvious? These now just look like dead flowers.
That site Rain gave us is great and very encouraging but I still don't understand how to pollinate.....will someone say it again in 'dummy' language.....what do you do with the Q tip......I saw the 1 and the 2, but i don't know what you are doing in that picture....what excactly do I do with the Q tip????
Here's a nice read from Rachel's ReFlections...
http://www.rachelsreflections.com/hybridizing.htm
There's another one some where on streps...I'll see if I can find it,too.
Try this one for reference...
http://www.streptocarpus-info.com/crosspollinating.html
Helps to look at pics & know the flower parts...stamen, pistol, etc...
MsC
This message was edited Jun 6, 2007 3:16 PM
This message was edited Jun 6, 2007 3:16 PM
thanks, Critter.....will read this......
Thank You Lottie! I am going to read this right now.
I'm sure there are other articles out there but these 2 should give you enough info to start you both out.
Enjoy!
MsC
you know, if all you want to do is self the flower, sticking a pencil in there and jiggling it around a few days after the flower opens will usually do it...... Shaking the flower will sometimes do it - you know how easily some streps form seed pods...
No, I didn't know they formed seedpods easily! I will be on the lookout for them from now on. I saw Gessiegail's post asking when she should put a baggie around hers, I will be watching mine for those pods!
