Vines, observations, and questions!

Beth - We do have large windows, but I don't think direct sun comes through them. How much sun do they need to grow indoors? I am thinking that those windows might receive less sun in the winter as the sun's position changes.

If you don't get enough light you'll have to get a grow light. I've seen the small ones for under $20 at stores or you could just replace the tubes in the flourescents over them with the full spectrum kind. I would just try one plant first and see how it goes.

Thanks Beth! Are they disease or pest prone when grown indoors? If so, what should I be on the look-out for?

I've had good luck starting from seed indoors. Bringing mature plants indoors from outdoors can risk bringing in spider mites. Start with a good sterilized potting mix and a seed and you should be good to go!

Thank you, Beth!!! Good advice that I plan to consider! :-) Any particular cultivar that grows well indoors?

Any of the purpureas...Granda Otts, Crimson Climber, Milky Way, Sunrise Serenade, Gypsy Bride...they all seem to do equally well. The nils will do okay too, but in my experience they like a little higher temps to bloom and seed.

Beth - Thanks for listing several different cultivars. I still do not know how to tell a nil from a purpurea. I know there is a thread somewhere on this forum that explains it all.

This forum really, really needs a sticky thread for info. I am willing to start one if everyone would contribute internet links and MG forum thread links that contain information. I started a sticky thread on the Butterfly and Hummingbird Forum where a number of folks listed some great info and links which everyone ......especially newbies ..... find very helpful. It's always great to have a thread for referencing information rather than constantly searching through all the threads here. What do y'all think?

Sticky forum yes...

I grew a few MGs inside last year under fluorescent lights, keeps me going in the winter!!! I am starting seeds this weekend to do it again. The biggest problem I had was spider mites, I am using brand new organic soil this year. I think last year the mites may have been in the recycled soil, like Beth said that is real important.

I'm going to try a few different light set ups this year...

Ronnie - Do share your ideas about lighting setup and what soil mix you decide to use this year. :-)

Here's the front window with the HPS light above it for supplemental lighting. One thing to remember about HPS light is to turn it off before you photograph any blooms. It makes all your leaves look yellow and the blooms come out a funny color under it.

Oh my lord, I haven't even thought of starting anything yet... I guess I should at least be getting my stuff clean.. my seeds are still drying..

Usually, I start everything in Jan/Feb and on up.. I'll try a couple to see if I can do it too.
A.

That Mt. Fuji in the photo has set a lot of seeds for me this past month.

Cool Beth!!!

So you don't have to have the pots/vines sitting directly under the lights. They can be sitting just to the left or right of the light? I brought my waterlilies into my garage last year and used spotlights with growlite bulbs in them. I won't do that again with water plants. They didn't like it much and probably would have done better left in the water containers outside in sunlight. I don't usually get freezing temps here in my zone, so I wonder if they would be fine left outside. What is the coldest temp that MGs can stand without it killing them? I may still grow one or two indoors just to try it and see how they do. Maybe in my classroom! :-)

I put my waterlilies into the bottom of the water trough in extended FREEZING weather and they did fine. Trimmed them down before sinking them to the bottom, cleaned them up (took off anything icky) after I brought them up in the spring and they came back just fine. And you can bet I get LOTS colder weather than you Becky!!

Becky, a frost will kill the MGs but temps down in the 50s will slow or stop the blooming. Keeping them inside at least somewhere in the 70s will let them bloom and set seeds.

I'm getting weather barely mid 50's and I'm just sick, even down to high 30s at night. I have only had a few blooms total and I'm afraid I'm going to lose them all without the beautiful MG show I had planted for.. :-( Darn it.

This thread is getting long, so I will continue it as Part 2 at this thread: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/780006/

sorry - computer issues

This message was edited Aug 2, 2010 9:23 AM

oops - more computer issues

This message was edited Aug 2, 2010 9:24 AM

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It's been interesting and very educational how much has changed over the past 3 years from when I posted in this old thread.

I miss all the folks who used to post regularly in this forum! Look at all the names!

This message was edited Aug 2, 2010 9:34 AM

When able to, Ron and Emma have always been as helpful with everyone on this forum as they have been with you - if it were up to them, everyone would have equal opportunity to participate on this forum with respect and civility.

This message was edited Aug 2, 2010 6:21 PM

This is a very long thread that has been resurrected from 3 years ago. I hope things are well with you, Karen.

I wish you and all of us well, too, Becky.

If the mother parent is stable, would the offspring of a three-way even a four-way cross F1 be identicle?


Tony

Hi Tony - I am no expert, but if the breeder chose which characteristics he was looking for, and then selected seedlings for those characteristics over a few generations, then after an unknown number of generations, he might eventually arrive at a generation in which seedlings were predictably identical to each other. It's hard to generalize a more specific answer without more information.

How about starting a separate thread on this subject, so more knowledgeable folks might chime in? This thread is getting awfully long.