May blooms and lots of fun!

I have decided I am down on all big avs for now. Here is a tiny one called 'Ice Ripples' by Rob

***edited to say to Nancy, I still want leaves from some of your gorgeous big avs though!

This message was edited May 11, 2008 7:21 PM

Yes Gail ... Our "adopted daughter", actually we are her Godparents, she calls us Aunt & Uncle. We've known her parents for 33 years. Jacki is 27 years old and just graduated with her Masters Degree from Rollins College in Winter Park Florida (Orlando) yesterday. There was a luncheon at a really good Italian Restaurant and then we all met back at her and her husband's house for dessert! Her parents had gone over early (after Jacki & hubby had left for graduation) and decorated with balloons and crepe paper streamers, and then they rushed to get to the graduation ceremony! It was a very nice day, indeed.


I am sorta getting away from AV's also. I'm sure I will continue to grow two or three but I have really got to start cleaning the inside of the house, get organized and de-clutter! I kinda let the plant stand go in the guest room and most everything is about dead in there. I have another stand with lights in the study and one in our bedroom. Those two I can handle okay because I'm in and out of there all the time. I am really getting to the point where I know I have too many plants. I've seen news reports about "hoarders", people who "collect" cats and dogs. I knew of a woman who collected furniture and her home became so crammed with stuff and she ended up renting multiple storage spaces and her home was still full. I do not want to become a hoarder of plants or anything else! I want to downsize the next few years so I might as well begin now! It's gotten like a compulsion ... going into Home Depot or Lowes or even Wal-Mart and coming out with plants that I already have two or more of! It is so easy to get addicted! I love so many different kinds of plants but it sure is not sensible growing more than two or three of one kind instead of twenty! LOL.

Amizade is Gorgeous ... I just love the color of those blooms against that dark foliage!

I think my 'likes' last about 6 months of overdoing it and then I am off to something else (LOL)

Glad you got to have fun with your family yesterday and it sounds fun!!

Gail- I'm in love with Pink Sunrise- That is just beautiful!

I have to admit that I am a compulsive person in some things... First plumerias then passioin flowers and now streps... but I am going to down size my plumerias to maybe 20 if I can... I have 10 in 25 gallon pots so they say except one... My passion flowers I am planting and what comes back comes back what does not does not... or I may just take cuttings from each to grow during the winter..... Now I have to admit the compulsive with the streps and others are easier for me as I don't have to take them in in the winter, so that will help me allot. I am done buying streps for awhile now.. I think I have about 19 plants coming .. Not all streps but most of them... I also got a few Kohleria and a few Episcia but mostly streps.. I would like to get some more streps... So anyone out there wanting to share a few I would be grateful... I would pay for shipping or the cuttings... I love how the streps get really long leaves... they are just beautiful.... The only Av I bought is one called King of Kings. I hear it grows very large...
Ok I am hoping to sleep soon but have things on my mind so may be back.
Hugs,
Susan

Hope everyone had a Wonderful Mothers Day!..ooo lots of blooms I missed out on again today..Mulletman your streps look wonderful and Gail those sinns are gorgeous..you bet you are getting leaves from my big av's..LOL..they need a trim badly..Hope you had a Happy Birthday Amy..posted on the other thread but I like to repeat..lol..Oh Susan I know all about being compulsive when it comes to plants....I think most of us are right there with you : o...Is that King of Kings you won a strep? If it is you better have a big stand..lol..I used to have one and it grew huge..the leaves easily grew 2 foot long..no fooling... if I didn't trim them..lol...the plant is a gorgeous one tho as well as the blooms : )

No this is an Av called King of Kings... As you know I don't buy may AV but I like it and I also want one that has a green flower... Anyone got one out there?
Hugs,
Susan

I was so curious, I searched and cannot find any AV called King of Kings. All I found was this on e-bay: African Violet Kin - Streptocarpus King of Kings. WOW ... what a gorgeous Strep! http://cgi.ebay.com/Streptocarpus-KING-OF-KINGS-African-Violet-Kin_W0QQitemZ250247003155QQihZ015QQcategoryZ1510QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Hi Gail';
You can keep 2 plants in the same pot for awhile, but you are going to have to seperate them eventually.I can't wait to see the blooms, i have some here that are going to bloom also, always so exciteing.Yes you can put them or any cuttings or plants in daves mix or whatever mix you use.Just remember cuttings need to be domed for a little while.we will just have to wait for siloutte to grow bigger. lol
mrsbonnie

Thanks Bonnie..........I am pretty good at propagating and have all these domes and trays from Park Seed.......thanks again. I am going to change to my soil and see if these sinningias from Dave's will start growing again at a faster pace.......

I know we need a new thread, but wanted to share a picture of Jan's seed grown sinningia speciosa hybrids.

Jan, she has more pink than red but what a beauty ! Thanks so much

another view

Wow! That is Gorgeous! Looks to be one of the very large Sinningia's! Oh how I wish I had a lot of space!

That is really really gorgeous, I am falling for the sinningia but need to do some research as the few that I have seem to need to be in the greenhouse all the time to thrive for me??

mrsbonnie do you think that would be the case for me here Ineeding a greenhouse for them) in cooler and dryer Idaho or am I babying them too much?? Any tips on growing the sinningias would be much appreciated!!

I started us a new thread for May and here is the link ............. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/av/all/

See you over there!

~Brenda

I don't know if this has been answered before,if it was I missed it! Do all Sinns. go dormant like the Florist Gloxinia? At least it's my understanding Flor. Glox. go completely dormant- I just recently got my first one of those.

Good question ................ I'd like to know too Diane!

Those florists Gloxinias are gorgeous!! Wal Mart had some last time I was in the city but they were on the down hill slide so I passed them up. I'd also like to know if they only bloom once a year? Time to go googling I guess.....

~Brenda

I have grown many florist gloxinia's and they do go dormant. I always threw them away thinking they were dead and then a couple of years ago noticed some little green plant peeking above the soil in a pot on the back of one of my stands ... I let it grow to see what in the world it was ... A beautiful Purple Glox! My problem is things go dormant and I forget what is what and end up thinking there was a plant that died and just end up dumping the contents! If I would label things better I would know! LOL.

Well Lin you are correct... It is a King of Kings Strep... What a great surpise for me..LOLOLOL I bought it for the leaves and you know me in AV's but said Sue grow up you can grow one.... Lin, I may have killed my favorite AV with the pink leaves... I am trying my best to revive it... I was crying the other night when I seen what I had done... I am so sorry if I kill her..... BUT as I was tending to her and I had to take off the droopey leaves I replanted every singel one in a glass dome as that is how I have good luck with rooting them...So all may not be lost...
Hugs,
Susan

Good Job Lin..lol..I just knew that king of kings was a strep!!!..lol...but thought..well maybe I was missing something somewhere..Great plant Susan!

I actually saw that King of Kings Strep on ebay too. Almost tried for it- glad I didn't! I'm happy you ended up with it- It's a beautiful one Susan!

Diane,
As it gets bigger I will send you a leaf ... Hows that?
Hugs,
Susan

I already owe you big time! Do you do anything other than Streps and AVs?

Diane,
As some othere's here will tell you as I have told them ...YOU don't owe me a thing dear... I send when I can and do it because it give me pleasure to do so... So you don't owe me a thing.... I am into the streps now and making room for almost 19 more that are coming... but if I ever post something you want just email me and if I can I will put a leaf in or send you one... Hey is how we all started...
Hugs,
Susan

Oh I forgot to say it was Christmas here today... We went out to dinner at Olive Garden for my mother's day meal as I was going no where yesterday...LOL so I come home and I have 3 things... One was two cactus from Kim and then I got a plant from Brenda and then Rain/Amy sent me seeds.... I like those days... I just got my camera back tonight so I will take pictures tomorrow and show you all...
Thanks ladies...
Hugs,
Susan

not all sinningia's go dormant. I have alot of compact & mini sinns that never go dormant. also they like conditions the same as african violets.they will appreciate a little more humidity, but it's not a must. some do a little better with it. i live in illinois where it is pretty dry & they do very well for me. take top cuttings to increase your collection.most sinns will send up more than 1 plant also.so devide them.
bonnie

Thanks, Bonnie as I am learning so much from you!

anytime. always looking to help.
bonnie

Thanks from me too bonnie! Gail helped me out yesterday big time by mentioning that the sinns need more light, I think that is what my problem has been with them so I moved them to a much better shelf with better light!

But I do have another question for you. I took cuttings of two of my sinns and they have rooted and are looking OK, but they are getting kind of long and straggly looking. Based on this picture would you pinch them back a little or will they fill out some as they grow?

Thanks ~Brenda

Since I have the sinn expert at my fingertips here ^_^ I also would like to know what you would recommend for this sinn.

It is my new one called Playful Porpoise and it was tumbled about a lot on it's trip to me. Is there anything I can do to help it along as it seems just flopped over and sad? Does it need to be potted deeper? Or into a bigger pot? Or just left alone to recover? or is it even supposed to be growing upright? LOL

~Brenda

This is sinn Xanadau x self getting ready to bloom. This one has bloomed several times for me but the plant doesn't seem to get any bigger. I think it was the poor lighting it was under, would that make sense? I've had it for nearly 6 months and here it sits the same size!

~Brenda

I'm on a roll here with my newbie sinningia questions! Here is sinn Bonnie and Clyde also 6 months old and the same size as when I received it and it has never bloomed! Same fertilizer etc as my streps and AV's which do well so would just the lighting conditions make the difference? It was in natural light at first and then in a lower light shelf far from the bulb after that.

~Brenda

Now with sinn Xanadau and Bonnie and Clyde in the back ground here is a sinn I grew from the mixed gessie seeds. I figure it is one of the large growing ones (duh!) and that the first two are mini's.

Any advice on what this needs? I have two more to show you and then I'll quit bugging you and wait for any tips or advice. ^_^

~Brenda

Here is the second largest one from those same mixed gessie seeds. As you can see they are planted in deli containers. Do they need deeper or bigger containers?
~Brenda

Lastly the third biggest one with lighter colored foliage than any of the others. I am assuming these are all sinningias because of the tubers. They've all gotten moved to higher light conditions so I'll see what happens now...

Open to any and all advice, please!!

~Brenda

Brenda, I am going to wait for mrsbonnie to answer these because I want to ask the same questions.

Aha! It is MrsBonnie that grows the Sinningia's!! I knew I remembered someone who was the Sinningia person, just couldn't remember who it was!

I also am a newbie to Sinn's have a question! The ones I have so far are two micro mini's and they do really well in a terrarium type situation both are in glass jars and either have lids or saran wrap over the tops and are on the light stands ... bloom all the time and seem really happy! I just recently got a Sinn. Martha Lempke in trade from RainGazer and it is not looking too good. My question is - should I put it in a terrarium? I'm assuming since the little ones do real well in that situation that the larger ones would as well.

Thanks for any advice!

Thanks for the name, Lin. She sent me one, too! I have mine on a permanest tray as they benefit from the water underneath. Also, I have heard people say that they wick theirs and put the blanket material or capillary mats so the moisture helps the plant grow.

Here she is just sitting on a tray water and fetilizer in it. She is going to have a beautiful bloom. Don't give up on her at all. Jan has taught me that they need a lot of moisture but not a terrarium. Actually they are tough and need lots of light so snuggle her up close to the lights.

When she opens I am going to check and see what Martha Lemke looks like. I may not even have the right name but she did come from Rain.

Gail, that is not S. martha lemke ... here's what martha should look like: http://www.davesviolets.com/sinnmarthalemke.jpg

Your bloom looks to be longer and darker but it could be my eyes! LOL.

Thanks for the image and I am positive that she is Martha Lemke because her center has that double stuff going on ...........will take a pic later this week when she does open............