On the shelf down under Silver Skies is another small grower and my second episcia purchase a year or so ago. Another straggly one but I still like Checkerboard...
~Brenda
Share something new about growing AVs!
Gail I can't wait to see some of your 75 strep babies!! Were they all different streps or did you get some doubles??
I think it is fabulous that you can now grow so much and then sell locally with your AV club. Packing is such a pain when you have so much!
By the time my weather is warm enough (another month or two at this rate) you'll probably be ready to send those King of King babies to me. LOL
Another of my straggly episcias, Aloha Mauna Loa this time, she just popped these blooms out this past week and it saved her life.
~Brenda
I'll be keeping track of this road trip idea, doesn't it sound so fun?? Hmm, with the new large flat rate shipping boxes at$12.95 I could ship a nice bunch of plants home. Those 4 inch pots of hoya would be tough and could hold up to crowding into a box together. LOL
Ok, my last Episcia, which is trying to bloom and thus save itself from extinction! :)) Pink Panther...
~Brenda
I love the idea of a road trip in Texas! And, I had no idea there was a new larger flat rate Priority box! Well, sounds like we've got the plant shipping method out of the way ... time to start planning for a fall get together!
Oh Brenda ... don't you ever throw away any Episcia's ... if you ever have any you are wanting to get rid of I will pay you postage to ship them to me! I love episcias ... even though Pink Panther is the only one I have had bloom so far! For the longest time it would only have one measly bloom at a time but a couple of weeks ago it began multiple blooming ... finally! I hope some of the others will get to blooming soon!
Brenda, I ordered 75 'different' leaves. A lot of them are already potted up and and still have two trays of babies waiting to be potted up. Then I still have 5 big trays of leaves growing babies. I may get 'burn out' but it is still fun right now.
I am still amazed that you can grow episcias and Kohlerias. I have given up on them.
I am dead serious about a 'gathering' of us to visit and go to nurseries.........The best nurseries are 2 and 21/2 hours from here.........that is why I asked about flying into San Antonio if it would save a lot of money. (But we have good nurseries here, too)
Brenda- Silver Skies is so pretty! I love the sparkly foliage!
Glad to know that you cut the top off of an Episcia. I have straggly ones that I've wondered if I took top cuttings off what would happen?? I am just now getting into Episcias so am in the early learning stage. lol ALways wanted to try them but they just aren't available locally. But thanks to the internet :) I now have a few!
Lin I will remember that my episcias would have a safe haven with you! I think I might chop a couple of them up and put them in vases the way Gail showed on the other thread and see if they will grow with a prettier form
Diane I'd be happy to clip a stolon or two from Silver Skies if you want to root them up! Might have to wait about a month for my weather to be decent enough to ship though!
Gail did you post a list somewhere of the names of the leaves you bought. Just curious, I doubt I'd write out a list of 75 names! I'll wait for the pictures when they start to bloom and you tell their names.
I guess I can actually grow episcia and kohleria as they are living in my house! :0) But they sure don't look like the pictures I see, they just grow long a stingy looking.
Here are the 9 kohlerias I have kept alive, but without any form or beauty to the plant! The blooms are pretty though. Sorry about the bright sun from behind...
~Brenda
Brenda
We must both think alike as far as stands and lite I got this stand in 2004 It has the little green house but it is on the East side so I don't use to much lite and I do have 1 heat pad on here. and there is some on the other one also hope you can see picture and I have 7 more stands with no lites on them all Natural
Dimmer(AKA) Kim
Hope the picture got in
Brenda, Kim (Kimskreations) made a list for me (because I am so unorganized......) A few of the leaves from Jim didn't make it so this list she made is not totally accurate. I did get four miniature streps and one is blooming. This is not a good picture and she is still a baby, but here she is. I took her outside on a dirty table to take the pic........bad decision (LOL)
I will dmail you the list Kim made for me..........and.........I have also added some streps from friends that are not on the list I dmail you...........
Brenda- I would love to have Silver SKies but I don't want you to have to cut on yours! It's so pretty the way you have it growing now. I don't really have anything to trade yet as far as Gessies go am not taking anything form anyone until I have something to return. I did just go to Rob's Violet Barn after seeing your pic and finding out the name. They have it. I worked up an order but am having to go through it again to shorten the list....more list than money!LOL Thanks for offering though- Very generous!
I love the pic of your Kohlerias too! My favorite kind of plants are trailers so I think they look gorgeous! Haven't tried Kohlerias yet. NO! I'm trying to SHORTEN that order list!LOL
Thanks again
Diane
Gail- Do you have any pics of Chirita leaves you have rooting?
This is all I have left. See the picture of the two little Chirita Kitagunis in one solo cup.......the mom leaf has died and they need to be potted up.
Thanks Gail!
Looks just like I did mine except for the wicking. Maybe I'll have babies soon then. Makes me feel better. Have you ever heard of anyone rooting them in water? I have an AV leaf I rooted in water and stuck about the same time as my Chiritas that has babies. Maybe the water rooting sped up the process for me. But I still think maybe I wasn't keeping them wet enough for a while. I love rooting in water...Maybe I have little babies underneath just ready to pop through the soil! Then you'll have to post pics of how to separate the babies for me!LOL I think I'm a visual kind of person.
They are so easy to separate because you can see the little leaves in a crown and you won't get more than one or two babies.
I had to look up the kitagunis- I had never seen that one before. Cute little nodding pale yellow flowers is what I came up with. Nice foliage too.
I have C. kitaguni and had no idea it would have the yellow flowers! Woo Hoo ... ~ ~ ~ * * * ~ ~ ~ * * * doing a happy dance here ... wish mine would hurry up and bloom.
I found this photo when googling: http://www.robsviolet.com/chirita_kitaguni.htm
Anyone ever heard of this company? http://www.mountainviewtropicals.com/groups/view/3?MVT=d44af3882724f9883656d5a4464f353c I found it while googling!
No, I haven't heard of it but I bookmarked it...........don't ever forget Beslisle's Violet House..............they have cuttings of everything and they are so good!
Here is a pretty plant.
Wow, Laser Celebration is wonderful, foliage and blooms! Sally, you have some Beautiful Violets!
IF you lose a strep due to over watering,and the plant just goes limp
odds are its a goner but 2 things you can do so you dont lose the varitety, cut a leaf off and soak it,and replant it,the other thing is you can do is cut off the roots to the plant
and enclose it in something that has nice humidy,and replant it,sometime you get new roots and sometimes you lose it ,but it was a goner anyway so at least you have a chance to rescue it
JIM
Gail when your ready for more leaves let me know,im done with ebay for now
(course that could always change) ive really butched my plants and want them to grow out some but,I can always find extras for you or for trades,if anyone wants to trade leaves
Id be up for it, thanks
JIM
ps contact me at bigoldbuck@wil.midco.net
Lin- Mountainview is where I found the kitaguni!
Gail! I can't believe it! I got my magnifying glass out to look at close-up growth on a plant next to one of the Chirita leaves and something in the Chirita pot caught my eye- I looked at it with the glass and it was a baby coming up through the soil! I looked at the rest and several of them have them! Had to move the soil a little to see some but they're there!
Yipeeee!!!
Jim, I just gave a Bmedel you email to order leaves................I will send you an email Jim.......later this week. Leaving in the morning.
Patience and neglect is good!!!!
Dimmer your right, we do think alike with our stands. I like using natural light as much as possible. Seven more stands like that one, all with natural light, wow, that is a lot of available window space!!
I'm going to be doing my first "artificial only" light stand this coming week. DS is in the city and picking up the chrome shelving unit for me this weekend. It will be on a back wall and it will be an interesting change for me!!
I agree wholeheartedly with Gail's patience and neglect theory!! :)) That rule has saved more plant lives at my house than I have ever lost because of it! LOL
Blue Mars has done well this spring in a nice patch of light it gets each morning. It is one of my absolute favorite strep blooms. The colors, the ruffles, the large size, need I go on? :))
~Brenda
Way to go Diane! Looks like you are going to have baby Chirita's! I don't know why I am not having luck with rooting leaves! Only one that has taken so far is one C. 'Aiko' that I stuck a leaf from last year. Every other Chrita leaf I've stuck has just ended up dying ... no babies at all.
Beautiful Blue Mars, Brenda! ^_^ ... just realized how many B's that was! LOL. So, are all your strep's growing in windows with natural light? Would they grow and flower under a regular table lamp? Just curious. Gail is sending me a couple to try again. I am at a loss as to why I can't seem to keep a Streptocarpus alive in my house! Maybe I will put them outside in the front of the house ... there's a half brick wall there and they would get shade but very bright light all day. I don't think they could probably take the heat of summer outside though. I sure wish I had some floor to ceiling windows!
Lin, find the coolest place in your house with light. Remember that streps like it cool.........
I love my Blue Mars I ordered when I saw Brendas. I am a copy cat when it comes to plants.
Well....ahem...I have the neglect part down pat.
Streps like it cool? Going to have to work on that -Figure out a place to put Streps that's cool, and gotta do it pretty quick as it's really heating up here.
This is just my opinion.......
When the leaves are rooting and making babies, they like the same temps as african violets.
But as they start to grow bigger is when they really don't like heat..........
Just yesterday, I found my first babies from Chirita leaves with a MAGNIFYING glass. Today they are very visible just looking at the pot! I can't believe how fast they're growing.