I would say that's cold! Poor hubby!
Photos and Chat #4
The snow is so pretty! I love to visit snow, but I love to garden all year too!
Not much going on at the orchid forum. I think one thread. I did post there.
More snow pics, I am so impressed with DH, he didn't just shovel it, he carved the snow banks, we have the nicest snow banks in the village!!
OH MY GOODNESS! Now, THAT is Snow!
Wow! I don't think I've ever seen that much snow in my life! That first photo is a really pretty picture, with the road covered in snow! How does one drive in something like that? Does it even help having chains on the tires? And, the one where your DH is shoveling from your back door shows exactly how deep it is ... looks like he is up to his knees in snow there! And, that last pic ... he really did "carve" layers in the snow! Neat! I can't imagine not being able to open the door to let the dogs out without having to dig a path for them! LOL. I think it would be so much fun to visit someplace with snow like that but I sure can't imagine living in it for long. It must be COLD! We were cold here the last two nights! 36 last night! But, it's back to warm temp's tonight and by the end of the week it's supposed to be @ 80 again! I love your pic's! It's just so neat, I keep going back and looking at them over and over! Keep the snowy photo's coming! I get as much enjoyment with them as I do looking at everyone's plant photo's!
Glad to hear you enjoy them, I wasn't sure if I should post them or not here... Thanks!! The dogs aren't impressed at all, the snow is over my knees everywhere and they hop off the path and get bogged down...poor Klick disappeared and I had to pick her up and carry her in, she was just shivering.
This is the garage next door, they keep this car as a second vehicle, but i think he's given up on it this winter...
I am so happy to see these pictures! They are beautiful but I shiver just looking. Thanks
Those snowbanks are impressive!
Is this your usual snow and temps for this time of year or is this from a storm or cold front?
Gail-I've been lurking over on the Houseplant forum on the thread about soil. I am totally bummed. It sounds like everything I've been doing is wrong from medium to fertilizer. I've been using 1/8 tsp per gallon of the fertilizer you sent. From what you undertand,(I don't understand too much of the ratios and technical stuff) should I discontinue using it ? Here in small town USA, we don't have the big box stores and alot of what he mentions using is not available here and it is very expensive to have our city water tested, so I feel like giving up. When you get it all sorted out, I'd love a simple reader's digest version of all the facts. Lou
Lou, you are feeling the same way I am feeling. I found out that the only place in Maine to get Turface is 2 hours from me :( I am on well water and have fish so I know I have to add some powder stuff for the fish in order for them to live. I'm wondering if I should add some of the powder stuff for my plants too? Al suggested I use some vinegar. I'm SO confused it isn't even funny. I also have been using ALL the wrong fertilizers and now have no idea what to do either. I also re-use my soil which is another big no no. Right now I just mix up a bunch of stuff until I think it looks right. But then I find that I over water everything too. I was planning to re-pot everything this spring anyways as I need to get some pots and they are only available in the spring here in Maine because they are considered a "seasonal item" and not carried in the winter so I'm going to just mix up a new mix containing pine bark mulch and maybe some rocks or something so that it looks like Al's mix when I'm done. I know it may not be the perfect mix but it will certainly be better than what I'm doing right now that's for sure.
Kim
Lou and Kim,
I want to learn what he is talking about , but as far as African violets and all their cousins and my houseplants, I am sticking to what I know for right now: 1 part Av soil-less mix, 1 part perlite and 1/2 part vermiculite (plus I am still putting perlite in the bottom of each pot). I am continuing to wick (I have to on most plants although I did decide not to wick the streps just to see if they would do better and not get overwatered like I have always done)
I did do some research and the man is right about the fertilizer. That man with the African Violet nursery can say he uses that one I sent you all with every watering but I am convinced it is forcing the plants to bloom. That, then, stresses the plant out, so I have a new regime on fertilizing:
I emptied out and scrubbed all my permanest and other reservoirs. Then I decided to let the water sit over night from the faucet that I use. (good decision even the watering gallons take up all my counter space *lol*) Now, whenever I add water and fertilizer to the reservoirs as they need it, I use two or three fertilizers like Eleanor's VII, Schultz 10-15-10, any African violet food I have which usually have numbers like 9-5-7 taking turns each time with a different fertilizer. I even have one which is full of nitrogen 20-5-10 and only use it maybe every 6 weeks. then , the one I sent you which is 12-36-14 I still use once a month at least.
I wouldn't wig out about this.......we can't possibly change everything at once and I want to know more about Al's 'perfect' conditions of soil and fertilizer.
Now I have you totally confused.....just remember to use a regular African Violet food at least half the time and use the one I sent you the other half of the time. Ideally, I am guessing I probably stress my plants out when I used to use the one I sent you but gee, it is nice to have blooms.
Remember, you all know as much as I do. I am just sharing what I am doing now and I do think the plants look better in just a week or 10 days, plus I started leaving the lights on 12 hours a day instead of 11.
Here are a few good blooms (*lol* due to that fertilizer I sent you all).............this is chirita tamiana finally opening one small bloom
Petrocosmea flaccida just starting to 'do her thing'
Maybe this is a better pic of the whole plant
Another lost tag
Ummmm. The ladies in CC with the violet club say toss them if they don't have a name so I told her I might be untrainable!
Plants are so much prettier when they have been started from scratch with a leaf. At last i get to see what the first bloom on a Bob Serbin looks like, although first blooms are never like the second flush of blooms.
I got 'Nancy Leigh' as a starter plant and her blooms are soo big!
Victorian Velvet is the hottest biggest pink I have seen. Her bloom color reminds me of a fantasy bloom color on a strep.
Wrangler's Purple Moon is a very large plant.
Wrangler's Purple Moon bloom up close.
All the pics I take are under false lighting......but I am too lazy to take them all to a window with natural light. Here is Rob's Antique Rose. I love the pink and yellow in the blooms
This is another no name tiny mini that I just keep propagating!
Busy trying to catch up after a few days away! Gail I agree with you about sticking with what works with my gessie soil. I know others know a lot more about it than I do but I am going to stick with what works for me and maybe change a little bit here and there.
But right now I'm real happy with the soil mix in the ratios you have given above for all my gessies. I have always filled the bottoms 1/4 full with perlite as that is how I received the first plants I bought from various sources. So I just figured that was the way to do it! I have also been switching out my fertilizers with whatever I have out, seaweed, Eleanor's, beer fertilizer and the stuff that you sent to me. And plain water too. When I first joined here I read that that was what Keyring did, used whatever was at hand and she is such a good grower I went with it!
Kim I re use soil too! Not with my gessies but since they all need to be re potted more often I pour all their dirt and perlite into a big container and then add some fresh potting soil to that container also and I either bake the sealed rubbermaid container in the hot sun or freeze it in the freezing temps outside and I figure that kills anything nasty in it. LOL I use this soil for all my other house plants and so far so good. I've never had an issue with doing it this way.
I had a fun long weekend potting up my mixed gessie seedlings along with a lot of other stuff. I'll get pictures soon!
~Brenda
Ladies. I have noticed that in your pictures that the leaves all seem to be spread out. On several of mine the leaves are really tightly spaced together. Is that a sign of too much light? Am I doing something wrong or it just the cultivars that I am growing, grow that way?
oh good, Brenda always has good pictures and I am glad you are sticking for the time being to what we have learned. I can experiment with houseplant soil first.
Begoniadude,
The ladies from the African violet club are coming over during the holidays to show me how to groom a plant (which leaves to take off so it can be a show plant). In the meantime, I have no idea what I am doing.
Gail- You could NEVER get me to believe that you don't know what you're doing! Never ever!
diane,
I should have said that I have grown plants all my life, worked in greenhouses with handicapped adults (21 big bay greenhouses), but I just bought my first african violet this past January or February. I did take upper level propagation courses at New Mexico State back in '89.
The same principles apply so I am just new to the gesneriad family..........and besides that, my memory has left me from what I learned! When I see Al talking about soils, I keep thinking, "Gail, you should remember something from school". I think we only remember what we want to or interests us!
LOL Gail about remembering what we learned in school! Hey, I can't remember what I learned yesterday! When it comes to any and all of my plants I decided to stick with what I've been doing. An old saying my mom had, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." It seems like I am repotting things on a year round basis anyway so I am just sticking to what has worked for me over the past number of years. I did stop using the vermiculite in my soil mix because I think it holds too much moisture. I use a big tub and mix up Miracle Grow potting soil, lots of perlite and Orchid Bark Mix (the stuff with bark, charcoal and some perlite). This seems to work well for me. Years ago I used to kill plants by watering them to death! Now, it seems like they dry out real fast and I don't water them enough but they seem to do much better on the dry side rather than soaking wet.
Hey, I might try the orchid bark mix. I have a lot of it in bags but never thought about using it. I have also really cut back on the vermiculite. Do you think the Orchid Bark mix helps to drain the pots better? Obviously you do. And I am going to copy you.
My baby granddaughter Julia is preparing to go back into surgery again any minute when the surgeons get there. My son in law just called to say, "Sit still and don't come. This is abominable and I don't want you to have to see any of it". They don't want to have to put her under an anesthetic again and make a major cut so soon..........so they are going to put needles in her stomach cavity and try to drain the infection that has come back with a vengeance. My heart hurts even thinking about both the parents and the child. All he said was, "she has a humongous abscess in her gut".
An apology for raw details but this is so hard for me not being there. My older kids are always trying to protect me rather than let me help them.
Please keep Julia in your heart tonight.
gail
OMG, just checked in real quick. Teared up with the thought of the pain that poor Miss Julia must be experiencing.
I will again be praying for her tonight and continue to pray until she is well!
I'm SO sorry Gail......if you need ANYTHING....you know the number :) Even if it's just to cry.
SO SO sorry :(
She will be in my thoughts and prayer and hopes. They are receiving mentals hugs and positive thought waves. What a tragic thing for them and one so young. I can relate with your not being there and the feelings that must cause. You ,too ,will be in my prayers for I know , the hurt in your heart is as bad as it gets. Lou
ABSOLUTELY, Gail! That is the main reason I use it ... helps a great deal in drainage!
Oh No ... I am so sorry that little Julia needs to go back in for more surgery! Poor thing ... she has been through so much the past couple of weeks! I am so glad her parents are both Doctor's and know what is going on and what to do about it. I will keep her in my prayers and pray for Angel's to watch over her through this ordeal. You hang in there Gail ... I know how your heart must be aching for her and your Daughter and Son In Law and other grandchild right now. I know I would be worried sick but they will call if they need you to come. So, just stay strong and keep busy with your plants and keep us posted on how she's doing.
Begoniadude-I am new to all this , so don't take anything I say as gospel. I received 6 new "oyama" pots for an early Christmas present. In their instructions is the following paragraph relating to lighting.
"If adequate natural light is not available, plants can be grown under florescent lights. Use double tube fixtures, with one cool white bulb and one broad spectrum bulb. Lights should be 8 to 10 inches above the top of the plant and turned on for 12-14 hrs daily. If plants have tight centers or seem to be bleaching out, reduce the number of hours to 8-10hrs - a day".
Might be worth a try to reduce the number of hours. Lou
Please add all my positive energy and thoughts to everyone else's!! For Julia, her parents... and for you Gail!!
~Brenda
This is my last post about Julia. You will know she is OK unless I tell you. The surgeons have decided things are too serious and they will take her into the operating room in the morning, put in a main line (no more IVs) so that she can get the massive antibiotics that way and also any other things that she will need. They will have to put in semi permanent drains in the cavity of the stomach and leave in for an extended time.
My daughter just told me that they are in this for the long haul and not to come. Her brother is close to his mom and dad by staying with his other grandparents who live close to the hospital (my daughter lives a good 45 minutes from the hospital)
It is not unusual for perforated apendix to require antibiotics for a year so the main line they are putting in tomorrow morning can handle whatever she needs for a long time.
They went through a long haul with their first born when he was born. Julia may be in the hospital for weeks or months as her older brother was.
From now on we can be back to business with plants but keep her and her parents in your prayers. I didn't realize how serious this is going to be.
Good time to get out and do things for other people so I don't dwell on this.
I know that God is good all the time and He is watching over this precious baby.
((()))
gail
Gail- Extra love and hugscoming to you
Diane
I need to go find some cheery pictures today and thanks for the hugs and loves!
Off to find some new pics!
here is a picture of sinningia ugly girl. what a name for such a pretty flower.
mrsbonnie
Now, I wonder who hybridized that beauty and gave her a name like that? Someone must have been having a bad day, for sure! That is lovely. I definitely want to try some Sinningia's in the spring. The only ones I have are the micro mini S. pusilla and S. rio das pedras ... teeny little guys!
OOOOH Bonnie, she's beautiful!
I haven't ventured much into sinningia yet. I have a couple babies Gail just sent me and I put one in a terrarium and the other just on the stand. A little too early for me to decide if they are liking me yet or not but the good news is, they are still alive :)
She is SO cute. How could someone name her that? I think sinningias are adorable!
Great Growing Bonnie!
Ugly Girl??!! No, beautiful swan! I don't have a Sinningia...YET! Come on spring!
sinningia's are my favorite plants & i do have quite a collection.we can do some trades in the spring.
mrsbonnie