Gail, that Aly's Tiger Lily is simply stunning! I love it!
Lin, this is the recipe I used, which I got on the Hoya forum.
12 oz beer
1/2 C ammonia - not the lemon kind
1C epsom salts
2C water
1/2 C blackstrap molasses
4 TBS bloom booster fertilizer
250-500 mg vitamin B-12
Mix ingredients well and apply at the rate of 1TBS per G of water every 2 weeks.
I used Orchid Bloom booster fertilizer and I didn't put the vitamin B12 in it at all. I read somewhere that that doesn't do much anyway, and since I didn't have any, I just left it out.
The beer is supposedly pretty important to the recipe and I think you can buy just one bottle or can. Once you have this mixed up, it lasts for a pretty long while, so you wouldn't need to buy a beer very often. Or, no more than you'd need them, your friends would probably be happy to give you one. :o)
Anything Blooming? part 2
Ok........Lin, I do know the feeling about no more gro light space.................
LOVING all of the pictures. The only thing on that recipe list I have is B12. I have plenty. I had a very bad defficiency and was ill, so I get plenty now.
Sally, I have been taking Foltx.....Vitamin B6, B12 and folic acid for many years. It is wonderful. It is a prescription though.
Gessiegail- Your streps are beautiful!! Are you still wicking them? What medium are they in? Mine are not doing so good. I love them so and want them to live and thrive .
Gail- I have to agree with you on the Very Berry - That is just amazing! Love that one! Weird on the beer fert recipe: I have one for orchids that is so close. It didn't call for the bloom booster- which I did get for the orchids since the recipe seemed only for vegetative growth with what's in it.
I've heard of folks using beer fertilizer for orchids too! There have been different formula's posted, some with molasses, some without, some with B12, some without and some with bloom booster, some without. I guess it's all personal preference as to the ingredients used. I won't buy the B12 just for that purpose but will use the bloom booster that I use for orchids. I've been talking about mixing up a batch of this stuff for a year and haven't done it yet! Well, it's now a New Year and I'm determined to get organized and be a better plant caretaker! LOL. I am so bad about fertilizing on a regular basis but I know I will see better growth and blooming results if I feed them more!
dispatcher1, I just learn as i go and I quit wicking my streps (the big ones) (the baby ones still get to sit on a moist acrylic blanket). I also quit using any vermiculite in my mix. Today I just use about 1/3 and a little more canadian peat and almost 2/3 perlite. I have to pour boiling water over the mix when I make a batch or it won't mix. Then I let my streps get completely dry and then water in the tray from the bottom using diluted fertilizer each time I water.
So, Gail ... you don't have wicks in the pots at all? They are just sitting on the trays which you pour water into? And, they still "take up" water from the bottom of the pots?
I was using those water reservoir pots for a lot of things and I really think they got too wet so I took a lot of them off. Now I have a bunch of those reservoir pots dumped out on my deck to clean and sterilize and pack up cause I don't think I will use them again.
I am just using those inexpensive black flimsy trays on most of my streps. I just pour water and fertilizer from the bottom and an hour later go back and see if there is any water left. If there is way too much water, I take that rubber basting thing for a turkey and suction out the water. If there is just a little water left, I just leave it.
This is the best my streps have ever done.............I even have different size pots in a tray.
With out humidity so high I also quit using any vermiculite in my mix..........only canadian peat and lots of perlite......
Gail, will you be selling any pink blooming Sinningia plants? I saw one on ebay. I keep forgetting I love them. I don't have one.
You have a dmail, Sally
gail;
do you have any double streps?
mrsbonnie
No, I wish I did! They are my favorites now, but a friend sent me a lot of leaves and said there might be doubles in some of those.
After I get my order of sinningias i am going to concentrate on finding double streps.
I told Sally that I don't have any sinningias but will have some plus I have some good seeds from sinningias from a couple of friends and am excited about those!
hi all
i got 2 tray full of av.
there 8 in a tray.
they are the purple kind
went the flower die i just pull them out and more come in.
if i want more i just put leave in drit and they grow
i would like some outher kind .
ant idea
here picture
Why did you buy 16 plants exactly alike?? Maybe I am misunderstanding you.
What a wonderful way to spend my day.All I can say is ooooo and ahhhh when I look at all the beautiful blooms I have been missing.I'm not even going to try and pick a favorite...just soaking them all in : )
i grow them from leaf
i going to buy differed kind and see if i can mix them
Strep Sixth Scents is blooming again.Still no scent on this on.Bummer.
This ones like velvet Gail!
Deep Dark Secret
I love how simple and sweet this bloom is on Milky Way Trail
strep seed grown by Gail.The flowers are huge!!!!!!!!
First flower for Chirita Tamiana.Well worth the wait.
jannich, I love your flowers!! Each one looks so healthy. Isn't it amazing how big the blooms are on the one grown by seed. I have so seed sitting here that I need to get planted but not until I start my sinningia seeds from you and Bonnie.........
We started our seeds from that guy at the same time because I have my first chirita tamania blooming also (but my blooms aren't as big as yours)
I have to close this as my computer won't take my camera disk ???????????
WOW! Gorgeous flowers and plants Jannich!
Love that deep dark secret.
Cindy
hello Cindy and Sally,
jannich is a good grower! I am getting so excited about the show coming up, Sally. I am afraid that most things are blooming too early. What can i say.....i am still excited. My streps I think are going to be bloomed out for selling........hope I still have some with a bloom or so!
It will be my first time to see it all.
I have never been to a show either, Sally!
Shall we start another thread for dial up people? We will name it part 3......OK?
gail
fine with me!