Ok ladies ... Gessiegail asked me to start a new thread since the last one was getting hard for those with dial up.
Please post your photo's and comments here. All Successes,Trials and Errors welcome! We all learn so much from each other!
I am terrible at photography but went around the house just now taking a few pic's so, I will start off with a few.
Here's AV 'Green Ice' - she's been blooming for months!
And .... the same one "Green Ice" that I just dropped and broke some leaves, but also see she needs repotting desperately ... look at those roots growing around the wick! Surgery required here:
This is Chirita 'Stardust'
AV 'Irish Kiss'
Not blooming, but here's a trio of Episcia's in their glass homes.
On the left is Strawberry Patch, middle is Chocolate Velour and on the right I think is Grey Lady but not certain as I forgot or else lost the label!
Here's a couple of plantings of Chirita 'Tamiana'
A close up of micro mini Sinningia pusilla blooming away!
Lin, I love these pictures! That first picture has blooms that look like miniature roses or something. 'Green Ice' is too pretty.
Don't ever say you can't grow streps when you can grow like this! Is that just straight spaghnum moss you have the episcias growing in? They are happy plants for sure.
You and jannich with your tiny sinningias make me jealous.
Yeah, look at all that green algae covered perlite on the mini sinningia. I forget sometimes to take the lid off to let it air out and too much moisture builds up and I get algae. The micro mini pusilla and rio das pedras are the only two sinningia's I own. I hope in spring to pick up a couple of standards.
Have you heard from any of your seeds yet, Lin? Not now but early in the year I am going to order seed again from that man in Brazil. Those were the best most viable seeds I have gotten to date.
Lin, I really like the shape of the leaves on Chirita Stardust!
Gail: I am so new to Gessie seeds. Here is a (not great) picture of the Brazil seeds.
Container on far left: sown 10/16 Episcia cupreata Red & Sinningia hatschbachii, Container in center: sowed 8/31 Semmania sylvatica and container on right sowed 10/16 is Chirita tamiana and Achimenes tiny red x self
The ones on the far left sprouted about 5 or 6 teeny little sprouts, but were very thin and soon flopped over. They are still there but so thin I can barely see them, not visible in the photo at all.
The second one in the middle, Seemania Sylvatica sprouted maybe a dozen teeny little sprouts. I dropped the container and they got jostled around. There are still a few there although teeny, tiny.
The third container on the right is Chirita tamiana and Achimenes Red X Self and there are about 5 or 6 chirita sprouts and quite a few of the achimenes. Both are very small.
I get to this point and don't know what to do with such teensy, think seedlings. I'm afraid they will all die. I know I need to divide or something just haven't gotten the nerve to mess with them yet!
This container: On left side-Mixed Gessie seeds from the Gesneriad Society and on right the Strep seeds from Snowrose!
This container got jostled on the shelf but, no harm done.
I am NOT a good seed mommy!
Diane: I have really gotten to Love the Chirita's ... they seem very easy to grow and aren't fussy like the AV's!
Here's Chirita 'Crossroads' ... not blooming but I still love the foliage. I just need to move it as it's growing crooked - needs to be turned so the back gets more light.
This is Chirita 'Kazu'
Chirita 'Aiko'
Ok ... This one is not a Gesneriad but this Orchid has been blooming out on the deck for a month. I just brought it in to the kitchen to water it!
Ok ... I'm still at it with taking pic's.
Here's Chirita 'Kitaguni' and Chirita 'Silver Surfer'
Chirita 'Vietnam' and Chirita ' Linearifolia'
Last one:
Chirita 'Betty' and Chirita 'Little Dragon'
I'm done ... now it's somebody else's turn to show us some pictures!
Lin, wow! You have some gorgeous chiritas and the seeds from the gesneriad society and the ones from snow look great. Do you keep a top on them?
The other seeds look great but would be so much easier if they had been sown in solo cups as those containers take up so much space. Good luck! it looks like you are really going to get some good plants from your seeds.
I am not always a good mommy....I let my Little Dragon die. She was so tiny and I don't know how I lost her in the shuffle.
I don't have any pics to show but I do have one pretty bloom outside to share.
OK>>>>>>>>>friends]
A lady from Corpus wanted 9 of my streps so now i get to order some. If you could only want to order from one place for streps which site would you choose? I need some help.
I am REALLY loving everyone's pictures :)
Lin, you have some VERY beautiful Chirita's! Some of them I have never seen for sale before. Are you putting down any leaves from them?
Gail.....absolutely stunning Euphorbia Millii (Crown of Thorns). Aren't they so pretty the way they bloom for so long? Mine are struggling this winter and I have plans of potting them up in bigger "community" pots this spring so they take up less room on my kitchen stand.
Not much to post today ladies and having a difficult day. Parent/Teacher's didn't go so great and today is day 5 and a bit of a struggle. Finding even I am agitating me today *lol*
Luv ya 2 bits!
Kim
Don't let those parent conferences get you down! Aren't Lin's chiritas to die for!
I already found a site my dear friends.....Brennan's Orchids where Brenda found so many pretty streps.
I just thought of something i can share with you.
A lady in Austin was selling cuttings of the sub species Rupicola or Rubicola. It goes under the ionanthus species.
It is now rooted and ready for its own pot.
Lin- love your chiritas! That's one I've grown before! I had one I bought from someone in Oregon several years ago. It grew really well for me. And beautiful Dendrobium orchid as well. None of my orchids are blooming right now. Makes me have the urge to buy more that are in bloom, so somebody better bloom quick!
Gail- the passion pink at the end of the last thread was beautiful! i bet it's even prettier to actually see it!
Well Kim Congrats on day 5 I am starting day 3 with the chantix but my smoking has slowed down big time and most of it I only want 1/2 tomarrow I start a higher dose hoping it gets betty
Lin I thing I got the same plant as you the Chirita Betty I got it in a trade I love the shade in the leaves lite and dark. I have no name for it but it looks pretty close
Dimmer/Kim
Looking good, Dimmer. Don't 'ya just love the chiritas!
I am starting to copy someone every time i see something that works (LOL)
I had been trying to grow Kohlerias but they either were too wet or too dry. Here is one I have had 2 months now, so I figured out why.it was not getting lanky on me. The lady who grew it put a lot of perlite in the bottom, no wick and holes in the side besides the ones on the bottom of the pot.
Let me show you two pics of Dragon's Blood
I also noticed the sinningias i got from the same lady in Austin had two sets of holes at different levels around the pot.
Dimmer/Kim: Yep, you've got a Chirita there. Looks like it could be C. 'Betty' or possibly C. 'Hisako'. Check out these beauties in Plant Files! I would love to have one of each!
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=chirita&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search
Gail: I saw somewhere in a gardening magazine or maybe it was even somewhere here on DG, where someone drilled holes in the bottoms as well as the lower sides of the pots too! Makes a lot of sense to help in drainage! I had totally forgotten about that until you just posted. I've got to write it down and try it on some things! I LOVE that Kohleria. Are the Kohleria's the plants that go dormant at times, like some of the Gloxinia's? I think it was Jan that sent me a Kohleria tuber in a trade awhile back and it died. I could not find that little tuber anywhere in the soil ... even sifted it. It was called 'Dark Walnut' but now I'm thinking maybe it wasn't a Kohleria but something else. I get real confused on some of these gessies! I know I got an Achimenes in trade too that didn't do anything and just faded away.
Yes, they have rhizomes or tubers..........they can go dormant. The point I was making was just what you said. There needs to be drainage where the perlite is sitting below the soil.
Don't ever throw away anything with a rhizome because if you keep them moist they will come back when you least expect.
if I find a rhizome, I put in a baggie with perlite like Keyring taught us. I said on another thread that I also put two about an inch below the soil line and it is doing fine.
Let me see if i can find those pictures that I did post of both 'Laura' rhizomes in a pot of soil and the one in perlite in a baggie. i can't find them off the top of my head. My pictures are so unorganized.
From now on I am putting drainage holes everywhere and using perlite in the bottom even with the wicked avs, etc.
Everything I seem to buy at a convention or African violet club sale is planted this way.
One last thought before I take a nap *lol*
jannich is very modest and never posts an idea, but she told me something yesterday that I am not going to forget. Whenever she gets a new plant from anywhere (most especially streps) they go under a dome for at least a week and up to a month if they are small plants.
She is really a good grower so I am going to copy some of what she is doing also!
Great advice Gail (& Jannich)!! I don't know why I don't think about that! All of these plants come from commercial nurseries and have been started and grown inside greenhouses with the heat and humidity so using the dome or terrarium thing seems to make a lot of sense for awhile until they get acclimated to their new surroundings and conditions!
I need to remember that!
The Dragon's Blood Kohleria is a great color! That's another plant I never see around here.
Diane,
I have never seen a Kohleria around here either. I just order them on line.
Good morning ladies!
Lin,You have some awesome chiritas and your orchid is beautiful..And your gessies seeds look great.I was reading on a website if you tickle the roots of your little gessie seeds,they grow faster.I did send you a Dark Walnut kohleria but it was a newly rooted cutting so it must not have had a rhizone yet.Anytime your ready for another cutting just let me know.
Hi there Gail,Thats a good tip with the holes in the pot.I'm going to give it a try.
I do put plants in bags when I get them.I was killing streps as soon as I got them.lol.But I found if I bag them for a few weeks, then open the bag slowly over a weeks time,it works!Now I can grow streps.
Good morning, jannich! Wow do I love that purple strep. What is her name?
I am so glad you told me about putting a dome over a new strep or using a zip lock bag.
I got a new strep the other day and the leaves were totally wilted even though the soil was wet. I domed it like you said and now I am going to take a look at her and send a picture to you.
**She is slowly coming around. She has only been in there for 2 days.
jannich,
I didn't know what to do with my favorite trade from you....the rooted Tibochinas.
Here they are just growing away. Before I potted them up in individual 3" pots, I cut the tops off so they would start branching. Was that the right thing to do?
**In this picture they had not had their tops taken off yet.
jannich, my Kohlerias were so big and leggy I took cuttings and put holes in the sides plus I used perlite on the bottom. Then i put them under a dome. We shall see what happens.
I took the original pots , trimmed them back and put them under a dome, too.
Good morning to you Gail,
That purple strep is Stephanie,She has bloomed nonstop since October.It amazes me! I think I sent you a leaf of her?? I hope your strep perks up.Maybe if you cut that big leaf in half? The tibochinas look great,they sure have grown.Cutting the tops was the right thing to do.Makes a nice full bush.I was thinking there such a strong growing bush I don't think there would be a problem planting one outside,even with the winds you get. I was reading somewhere about the kohlerias getting leggy.You can "Roll" them also.I will find the link for you to read.
