Yeah, didn't sleep well last night Gail. I knitted too late and my eyes and back were sore.
I can get all the free cups I can use at work and have decided to just use them for my babies that WILL come (I think I can, I think I can)!
Streaker is all perked up this morning and letting me know she is happy. HUGE sigh of relief as that is one of my favorites :) Do you think that now that she is happy that I can take her out of the dome?
I have been researching Sinningia this morning. I love the fat little caudexes. Do you grow these? If so, are they hard?
Today I'm taking a couple small cuttings of a VERY special epi to root. Mine is still quite small but I see some leaves on it that I could cut :)
I'm going to go around and cut EVERYTHING today and then hope for the best. I have never been too good at rooting things so this will be a good test for me. The new heating mat I ordered should be in by the end of next week :)
Good morning to both of you and Gail, I sure hope you are feeling better this morning. I have been worried about you luv.
Feel free to upload your new blooms - Part II
my sininngias don't have fat caudex I don't think.............The only fat caudexes I have are one begonia, Monolena primulaeflora and my adeniums....................
i just started growing sinningias........I have Mackenzie, Scarlet red and some that jannich sent me a couple of weeks ago.............
Well they sound kind of fussy I think. I'll put them on the "maybe someday" list instead of the "need to try" list *lol*
I find I research EVERY new plant you all talk about and read everything I can about them :) I'm like a kid just learning and discovering the world *lol* It is SO much fun! You ladies have really made me feel "alive" and giddish inside and I can't thank you all enough. I have a hard time sleeping every night thinking about my strep leaves, babies, and new plants I want to try! I've even been thinking that maybe I will have to part with things that aren't gessies eventually *lol* but not quite yet :)
OK, here's a good question. Are there any low light gessies? Things that LIKE the shade? I have a bottom shelf of a plant stand where I put "dormant" things and if there is a plant that would be happy there maybe I should research it? *lol*
someone else will have to answer that one????????????? i can think of many houseplants that would be happy on the bottom shelf but i don't know about the gessie family with low light....................
I feel sure there probably are some.............
There is waaay too much for me to catch up with this entire thread, but I just wanted to tell everyone how much I love the pictures! It's so wonderful having this group of friends to share plant talk and pictures with!
cflowr, welcome to the AV/Gessie forum!! We're so happy to have you here! Aren't Streps just the best? I told someone last night that I really think they're my favorite of all the Gessies, because they're just so easy to take care of and please. They bounce back from neglect and bloom in just a windowsill with no additional light. Doesn't get much easier than that! (Although, I think it's more along the lines of a small group that are my favorites of all the Gessies, because the Codonanthes thrive on neglect and nothing is easier than a micromini Sinn in a wine glass...but anyway... LOL) I sure hope you'll continue to visit with us here, cflowr, and if you have pictures, we'd sure love to see them! :o)
Kim, Gail's right. I don't order pots. I start leaves in the 3 oz Dixie cups and pot them up into the crystal clear squatty 9 oz (I think) plastic cups. I love to be able to see the roots growing! :o) If I need something bigger than those, I look for clear plastic bowls at the dollar store or Walmart. They're not fancy by any means, but my opinion is, I grow these plants for my own pleasure. Nobody else around here really cares about them at all, so it doesn't matter if the pots are fancy or not. I know some people think there's no point in having a plant if it's not in a nice pot, or at least kept in a cache pot, and that's great, but I'm on a very limited budget and cache pots can get expensive, so I pot them up how I enjoy them, and keep the cache pot money for more plants! ;o) I'll take some pictures to show you why I like the clear pots so much. The roots go on forever in some of the pots and I really enjoy being able to see them. Makes it easier to know when to water and when to wait, too.
And Sinningias aren't difficult at all... ;o)
I'm not sure about any Gessies that would do well on your bottom shelf. They really need more light than that. My own personal experience has been that Streps tolerate the lowest amount of light. Someone else probably has had a different experience, but I can't really think of any Gessies that would like that.
Good morning ladies,
Had to add my picture today.Little sinningia tinkerbells graced me with a bloom today.
WEll, here it is from the newbie. I just read that petrocosmeas do well on the bottom shelf of light stands and near the end of the fluorescent light tubes. This from lyndonlyon site at top of their petrocosmeas listing page.
Only have a few minutes to write, but this is so fun...here's the streps I ordered:
Bristal's pawprint
Bristal's smelly cat
Bristal's hushpuppy
Like the two tone, velvety ones
the plant I already have is white with dark blue purple heavy lines in throat.
Also looking at some from lyndonlyon:
STREPS:
orchid lace
sweet miss mcintyre
ALSO SOME CHIRITA'S, PETROCOSMEAS, AN X- CODONATANTHUS, AND EVEN EPISCIA'S
I'm still doing some fall cleaning out to make room.
Have to go.
Cindy
Oh Jan, she's adorable!! She'll have blooms all the time for you now that she's started! Mine's always got at least two or three blooms! Yay!! Such good growing you're doing! :o)
Wow Amy, Thank you SO MUCH for your input. That really was great advice.
I USED to be a "has to be a decorative pot" kind of girl when I first started. In fact, I have a VERY expensive (didn't know it at the time) bowl from my grandma that I drilled holes in to be a plant pot *lol*
THEN I lowered my acceptance to the Wal-Mart, water from the bottom pots and I LOVE these for only $.99 each. The thing of it is, you can ONLY get them in the spring and I didn't buy any "extras" to hold me over this winter.
I will now become a "solo cup" girl too as I will need SOMETHING at some point to put these in and I really like your solo cup idea :)
I use those squatty cups for my light balls so I actually am always picking those up anyway and those are always in season *lol*
Sinningias aren't difficult? Do you like them alot? I just purchased my first Codonanthe and was so glad you said they are one of the easier ones :) Woo Hoo :)
Thank you again Amy,
Kim
Hi Amy,
I love this little girl.The plant is so tiny yet puts out a flower like that.Made my day:)
Jan, what a cutie! Just makes you want to hug it :) GREAT growing and what a pretty little baby she is.
Cindy, very nice selections :) You will have alot of fun "playing" with your new babies once they arrive. Just noticed, you have a "animal theme" going there :)
cflowr, I'm not sure, but I think the bottom shelf comment is more referring to the fact that Pets like it cooler. Kim, you could try pretty much anything on that shelf, you'd just have to watch it very carefully and move it at the first sign of suffering. I think if anything, I'd try a Strep, or a micromini Sinn. They aren't supposed to need much light, either, I believe. Don't quote me on all this stuff, though. I don't know what I'm doing, I just do it! LOL
You'll like those Bristol's Streps, cflowr. They grow very nicely and a lot of them are compact, so they don't take up so much room. The other things you are looking at are nice, too. I almost ordered that Codonantanthus, but talked myself out of it. Come Spring, though, it'll be mine! LOL
That's right, Kim!! I saw your picture of the light balls and notice those are the same cups I use! They work great. I've got a cheap soldering iron that I burn holes in them with. Smells to high heaven, and my husband said those plastic fumes can be harmful, so be really careful if you take that route.
I love Sinningias! I'll snap a few pics and post them. :o) My Codonanthes thrive on neglect - remember, I'm a chronic underwaterer, and they still bloom. Just be careful not to overwater all these Gessies, Kim. Don't kill 'em with kindness! ;o)
Jan, here's a pic of my Tinkerbells. Yours will be like this in no time! :o)
Tinkerbells is a Sinningia, Kim. See? How can you not love that face? LOL
Here is why I love those plastic cups so much! I can tell when something is rooted up and ready to come out of the ziploc bag, and I can make sure the roots are healthy, not rotted, as well as tell exactly when they need water.
This is a Strep.
This is a Hoya.
This is a Chirita.
This is a Pinguicula. I like for them to be potted low in a clear bowl. The "walls" hold in humidity and light can still come in. But I'm showing it to you because these are the types of bowls I look for to pot up plants that have outgrown the clear cups. I wish it was crystal clear, but this is certainly good enough to still be able to see roots through.
WOW, that is AWESOME Amy! I'm sold on Solo now *lol*
Need to pick up MORE perlite today :)
I'm planning to take cuttings of my Codonanthus (sp?) to try to root this winter when it arrives and if it's big enough :)
That little sinningia (sp?) is so cute!
I'm going to try SO HARD not to overwater this winter. I try but I ALWAYS think they "need" me to water them *lol* Really going to try to be better with that though as I have many plants that CAN'T be watered so I'm going to do better. I have lightened my potting soil immensely and I think that will really help alot :)
Kim
There you go Amy, throwing a NEW name at me to look up :) LOVE that cute little Pinguicula. I can't believe the versatility of this plant group! Amazing!
The Pinguicula is not a Gessie, it's a carnivorous plant. A Butterwort, if you've heard that name before. I just wanted to show you that bowl that the Gessies can graduate to after they've outgrown the cups. Isn't that awesome being able to see the roots?? I'm not a fancy gal, anyway. My husband is very thankful, because as he says it, I'm very low maintenance, especially in comparison to the wives of some of his friends! LOL The fancy pots are beautiful, and I love them and would have them if not for the fact that they're just too expensive for me (unless you find a great deal on them like a friend did over the weekend! :oP). I'm perfectly happy with my little clear cups. :o)
Here are a couple micromini Sinningias. This is Sinn. 'Ruffled Wood Nymph' growing in a wine glass.
A top view of it.
Sinningia pusilla
I love these little tiny guys! And they're too easy to grow!
Oh Amy, I LOVE how tiny they are and they look SO cute!
I am VERY excited this morning as I found 1 bloom on a Lipstick plant (I still call them by their "common" name as I find it hard to spell the latin name *lol*) that I have been growing for YEARS that has NEVER flowered! I can't even believe it! I also found 1 bloom on my variegated Lipstick which I only bought at Lowe's at the beginning of spring this year. The bloom hasn't opened yet but it's there and that is what matters :) The ONLY thing I did differently was put them outside this year but they have been back in the house for about a month now.
I will post pictures a little later this afternoon.
We are off to do groceries and of course buy perlite and Solo cups :)
I'm VERY low maintenance too Amy. My FAVORITE stores in the whole world are Salvation Army & Marden's (which is a off price junk store in Maine). You never know what you will find at Mardens and you better buy it when you see it or it won't be there when you go back *lol*
I'm cutting EVERY plant I can today and trying to root them for trading next spring. It's going to be a WONDERFUL day!
Amy, do your Sinningia go dormant? I LOVE them!
Kim
Thank you kim.
wowhoo Amy I can't wait till tinkerbells blooms like yours! Ruffled Wood Nymph is a cutie too.Did you grow the ping from a leaf?
Heres alsobia cygnet,I was going to bring it in the house and she decided to bloom.
Strep Moonlight that sweet Brenda sent me keeps blooming.My camera doesnt do it justice.
And strep Shenandoah premiere hasn't stopped blooming.
Congratulations on the buds, Kim! Isn't that exciting??
The microminis tend not to go dormant for me, as long as I keep the wine glasses covered and keep them damp. I let S. pusilla dry out a little last winter and it sort of went dormant, but almost immediately came back. The minis and compacts did go dormant, but not for long.
Jan, here's the pink Ping that Ki sent me. It's blooming! I wish I could get the color right, but it's a very bright hot pink! The Ping itself is a mauve color.
And I forgot to say how GORGEOUS those Streps are Jan! I love them! There are some true beauties in the Shenandoah series. That was sooooo sweet of Brenda to send those to you!
I haven't grown any Pings from leaf yet, Jan. Ki and I did some reading, and it seems you're supposed to take the leaves when they're sort of dormant. The Mexican Pings aren't really supposed to go actually dormant, but they go through a phase called something I can't remember. Wish Ki was here, because she probably remembers. Anyway, if I remember right, they're more succulent and don't secrete the juice during the wintertime and those are the leaves you're supposed to put down. I'm going to try it, and I'm trying to get seeds from this one, too, but don't know if that will work out. If it does, I'll send you some of the seeds. :o)
This Ping has another bud, too! See it coming out of the center, behind the flower?
fantastic pictures make my morning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Are you growing Tinkerbells in spaghnum moss, Amy???????? or did you just put some over the top of the soil............she is so pretty as is everyone's photos............
There's no sphagnum there, Gail. It's just potting mix on the sides of the pot and algae. LOL I don't use sphagnum for much. For me, it's too messy and breaks down too quickly, but mainly, I don't like having to rewet it when I let it dry out, which you know I do fairly frequently. A lot of people use it for growing, though, so there's nothing wrong with it. I do have a couple Orchids in it, though.
Meet strep Daisyjane.Since its cooled off here in Al. the streps are going wild.Love them:)
pretty streps, jannich!!!!!!!!!!
I have to show yout the funniest thing I have ever seen.............this turned out to be the only baby from the mother...........I just separated her last night............she is just one of my favorite noids so I stuck the leaf.......................
i won't make any more of her.........i shouldn't have put her in this baby pot........her root system was so big, i could have pulled out a 3" pot (LOL)
I planted a lot of Rob's Ramblin' Spots.............here is a small plant (lots of crowns) and it is blooming in both pink and purple????????????????
I didn't say thankyou for the warm welcome, today. Hope we can do some trading sometime, and some good times on this forum.
Cindy
Loved catching up here! The new pictures were great as usual!
I bought some sand so I can re pot my pings in hopes of getting them to look as good as Rains!!
Speaking of Rain, we did a trade back in June at which time she sent me cuttings from her Black Pagoda lipstick plant. Look what I found yesterday!! there are several more to come! This is a first blooms from gessie cuttings that I started and I am more than thrilled!! :)))))
~Brenda
And it's not a gessie but this Hoya Multiflora opened up this morning and I was able to get a decent picture!!
~Brenda
One more just because strep Emily looked so pretty with the sun shining through her blooms this morning...
Now to work for me!
~Brenda
Absolutely WONDERFUL Brenda! Congratulations on your Blooms :)
What a GREAT feeling that must be to get your first blooms on something you rooted! GREAT growing! Don't you love the hoya Multiflora? It's one of my favorites for it's ease of blooming :) I like the way it "stands" rather than vines too :) They all look awesome!
Kim wouldn't you say that the Hoya Multiflora is the fatest and easiest bloomer of all the hoyas?? I'm not familiar with all the hoyas but it sure seems to be the one for instant gratification when it comes to hoyas.
I know I bought this one of mine about 9 months ago and it was maybe 3 inches tall, at four inches tall it bloomed and it seems it has had either bloomed or had peduncles growing for the next set of blooms ever since!
~Brenda
Yes, I would say it's one of the easiest to make happy and bloom. The ONLY hoyas that have bloomed for me have been Multiflora, Sheperdii and Heuskeliana :( I took 2 cuttings from mine last spring and now Gram has a plant that is getting ready to bloom and Lin got the other one but it blasted it's blooms from the temperature difference here in Maine to Florida but it will bloom for her real soon I'm sure :)