Questions about seeds or plants from the Swap.

I thought I would start a thread where we could get info on some the the wonderful plants and seeds we all brought home.
I'll start off with the Ornamental Sweet Potatoes (OSP) Blackies that I brought. If any one wants more info on what to do with them please go to this link.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/809595/
If you have more questions you can ask them either on this link or that one. I hope they all do well for you and if they don't I have more don't hesitate to contact me if you need more.

I'll start first with the questions, too.
Buttoneer, What do I do with the air potatoes. They are the cutest little things.

Holly, Glad you posted about the sweet potatoes, I have some wrapped up in the basement and was wondering when to start them? Seeing the growth on yours I guess I should at least unwrap them to see how they look.

I also rooted some in pots and over wintered them just in case the others didn't make it.

Ok, I would plant your cinnamon vine (air potatoes) in a little pot as soon as you can and put them somewhere near a windowsill. They probably won't come up until it's spring outside, but if they do, just keep them in the sunlight. Thanks again for taking me. Next time, it's my turn. As soon as I get caught up on my rest today, I'll put some pix on of what I got.

African Violet leaves, Episcia stolons, and Alsobia Cygnet...

Rob's Violet Barn has a great lesson on propagating African Violet leaves, with photos: http://www.robsviolet.com/violets_by_leaf.htm

To root a sucker (little crown) cutting of an African violet, or to root a stolon cutting of an Episcia or of the Alsobia, just follow the last steps on the page above where he talks about potting up the little plantlet. Leave a stub on the stolon, anywhere from half an inch to the depth of the pot... that will help stabilize it as you pot it up and maybe some extra roots will form on it also. Since it doesn't have roots yet, a dome or a plastic bag will help keep extra humidity around the cutting. (Don't let plastic touch the leaves, and do poke a little hole or two for ventilation.)

Some people root Episcia stolons in a little glass of water, but I've only tried potting them up moist potting mix... YMMV.

Here's the PF link for the Alsobia. It has the coolest fringed blooms! If you pinch off any dangling stolons that form, you can encourage it to fill its pot with multiple crowns... Then let some stolons dangle off the edge of the pot, and you'll have a lovely, full looking plant!

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/167322/

Here's another good page on Rob's site about growing Episcias. Mine are badly in need of grooming & repotting... http://www.robsviolet.com/grooming_episcias.htm

Mystery plant I bought at Dutch Farms. It was labelled & I was so excited to be there, I forgot to write the name down. Holly, give me lessons in doing this. (smile)

Pretty silver-leafed string of hearts (Ceropegia to you, Gita) I bought at DF Nursery

Half price String of hearts (tear drop shaped leaves) I got at DF Nursery.

Truly tiny banana I ordered from Holly.

Micro Tomato plant I got at the swap. Can anybody tell me anything about this plant? I think it is a seedling & was wondering the size of the plant when it's full grown, the size of the fruits, etc. Thanks. B.

Ooh, I can help with that first one, Buttoneer! I took a photo a couple weeks ago that included the signage...

It's Nertera, "Coral Bead Plant" or "Pincushion Plant"

Buttoneer, did you not get a tag in the pot with that tomato? It's 'Micro Tom'. On the back of the tag, it should say that it will need only a 4 inch pot. So when the seedling gets big enough that the current pot is filled with roots, it's time to up-pot it. The tiny fruits (maybe 1/2 inch) are edible, but more of a novelty -- they're a little sour. Kids never seem to care that they're sour, though, they're so busy being enchanted by a windowsill sized plant!

Thank you thank you thank you for all the info. Yes, I read the tage. Just a little sluggish today, for some strange reason.

I got that Alsobia from Jill, so neat, I had already looked it up on PF last night, and it is potted.
Got a sweet potato from Holly in my jar by the window. Also a bunch of arrowhead vine.
Got three pieces of Buttoneer's 'tube' Mother of Thousands, all together cute in a 3 inch pot. I have the flat leaf kind if you ever want to back-swap!
Got two Drimiopsis bulbs from B in another lttle pot. Pretty leaves, look like dog tooth violets to me.
Hawaiian spider- I got one,Buttoneer- and at least one other was there, and we wished we had asked you about them. Any special notes from you?
I took seeds galore and haven't touched them yet. I think this week I'll get out some small labels, kind of sort by how soon I will start, and then start potting.
Pictures later- got to find camera.
Thanks again

Great looking plants...what a wonderful way to brighten up the end of winter....NEW plants!!

I was no help at all on the Hawaiian Spider... I have one, and all I know about it is that it seems to be very, very slow growing! Maybe I'm just not treating it right. It finally "spidered" this winter and has one medium size spider and one little one. Mine is more green than anything, not much variegation (I think it's supposed to have a light stripe down the middle, but mine is pretty faint). It's in a little hanging basket in bright indirect light, and it gets watered deeply every couple of weeks... It doesn't look unhappy, but it's not exactly taking off. Any thoughts?

BTW, I bottom water most of my hanging baskets... some have reservoir bottoms (the one that was on the table came from Walmart, and I love that kind -- they carry a smaller size too, in that green and also in sort of a putty color that I like better for most plants... wish they had terra cotta color, though), and the rest of them get plunked into a bowl or basin with a couple inches of water. When they've soaked up plenty, I just hang them up again.

I got my Hawaiian spider plant from DG'er Nan March of 2007. Mine is in a hanging basket where it gets good sunshine. First it sent out an underground pup and then it started with the stolons with the babies on it. I think the more sun you give it, the better stripey color it gets. It appears to be a mix of the green & the striped.

Hmm.. mine gets pretty good sun in the morning room (it's between two big south-facing windows and also gets light from the east and west), so maybe I just have a more green one. I think mine did get an underground pup, too, at least there seems to be more than one "crown" now. :-)

I like it, but I'm not sure what more I was expecting... hula dancers, probably. LOL

For anybody who went home with cuttings of my "Tiger Stripe" lipstick plant from DPF... A couple of folks over in the AV & Gessie forum have said they don't even try to root these cuttings in water; they just stick them in moist potting mix with a baggie over the pot (not touching the leaves, just something over it to hold in humidity).

Sally -- your Peruvian daffodil bulbs... I want to put them in a pot since they're tender (I think)... should they go outside or inside at this time of year?

Sally: I lost some peruvian daffodils outside a few years back, and this year have some in the garage. I'm really interested in your answer to Jill.

Peruvian daffs- I bought one three years ago. No bloom but grew well. Took inside with a clump of dirt in a pot and let dry Last spring it started sprouting in the pot before I even checked it, so I added some soil and started to water (I think). It had made some side shoots Last year it spent the summer in full sun and grew well again, but no bloom. I read they need a lot of water to bloom, I think somebody wrote hers finally bloomed after a heavy rain. Jill, what I gave you is the slightly smaller half of what I have after two summers, so I think it grew very well. Mine hasn't sprouted yet, but I think soon I'll pot it inside and start the season, then use full sun and all the water I can give it this year. Probably a heavy feeder too. It may be a relative of Amaryllis.

Now, critter- how can I start my Heliopsis seeds? I may have lost the plant- sniffle- but have some seeds- I thought they would be like 'regular' sunflowers, easy to start on the windowsill, but so far," no joy"-- This is one plant I will drive to Frederick to replace, if necessary and possible.

I don't think my Heliopsis has put up spring spouts yet, so your plant may still be out there...

I've had good luck winter sowing these seeds... It's one of the few perennials that will bloom the first year from winter sown seeds for me! I also get "volunteers" around my main clump of plants (probably where your plant came from last spring). I'm not sure why they wouldn't grow on your windowsill.... hmm... I didn't think they actually needed the cold stratification of winter sowing. Well, get them outside this weekend, and they'll get some cold! LOL

And thanks for the info on the Peruvian daff. I wonder if maybe the bulb just isn't big enough for a bloom? I brought one back from the Netherlands 10 years ago (didn't know what it was, and in my ignorance it stayed outside the next winter -- oops), and it was absolutely huge, probably 3 times the size of the bulbs you gave me. I'll treat it like my amaryllises, and we'll see what happens. :-)

thanks on Heliopsis--
and maybe thats the deal with the peruvian daff~~ although I 'think' it about the size as when I bought it from Pinetree, presumably big enough to bloom. well, it was on sale by that time, maybe a smaller bulb then... I'm thinking the plantfiles comments go along with finicky bloom

Please note: New discussion on trip to Lancaster County Nurseries: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/820942/