basic how to on propagation based on my experience

Heya: I should have my greenhouse ready in about a month. I am buying an exahaust fan and intake fan on a thermostat. The floor is pea gravel. As I live in central Texas, I am looking for a sight to buy a good commercial mister with at least a 5 second spray. I possible, it should have two timing devices for two separate outlet hose. If anybody knows of a good site, I would be greatly appreciative.

Hi: I will have to do some looking but it should be pretty straight forward.
Is the system one that is run off the garden hose?
I set one up on a delayed timer with a low volt control valve for pvc (sprinkler system type)

Hi, I just found this thread. I am having trouble propagation Abutilon 'Voodoo'. I have a couple others that I have made starts from but don't seem to have any luck with this one.
Thanks for any help you can give me. : )
Lynn

you have mail

Thank you for your help Dave. I'll let you know how it came out.

Now that you mention it, I have often wondered what the difference is between the Abutilon seeds you can buy from the seed companies and one like my daughter has that grows almost like a huge bushy vine. She cuts it back every spring and it still gets big and blooms all year.

She is in Seattle, zone 8, and has it as a house plant.

Jeanette

My Abutilon Voodoo is planted out side for 3 years now in zone 8. It's leaves are huge. It is slow to come out of hybernation, but once it does it takes off.

I wonder why you have problems with this one but not the others.

I'm not sure. I am going to try again. This one is so hardy (my zone 8) and spectacular (the leaves are so big). I would like to put another one in another spot in the front yard.

I still wonder what the difference is between those you have and the ones you get seeds from Parks etc.

I'm sorry Jeanette, I misunderstood your question. : )
Voodoo will grow in the house also. There are so many varieties, different colored flowers, leaf shapes & sizes. But just about all of them make good house plants. I have two that I keep in the house (different varieties from Voodoo). Voodo just gets so big with it's large leaves that I decided to plant it outside since I don't have very much space in the house for plants. The really nice thing about the abutilons is that you can have them in the house for winter flowers and then put them outside during the growing season, year round blooming plant. : )
This is one that I keep in the house. Next year I will plant a start from it outside to see how it makes it through the winter.
Lynn

They're beautiful, Lynn - but don't they have a lot of bug problems? Outside, at least?

So far I haven't had any trouble with bugs, not even slugs. : )
Hope that continues.
I will be planting the Pink Bella and the Varigated one outside this next Spring 2010.
I will take cuttings for the house just in case they don't make it through the Winter of '2010 - 2011.

Yes Lynn they are beautiful. If you would like to test hardyness in to zone 6b I would be happy to test for you. I hope you get the issues solvedlately I have been running my stuff on the dry side but I also have been doing a lot of seeds (lots of different plants) lately.
I love the pics...the voodoo is such a beautiful plant. most of what I am familiar with are a weeping type that grows in hanging baskets and smaller plant types. where do I get voodoo seeds from? anyhints would be deeply apreciated.
Dave

High Dave. If you would like me to send you a couple of cuttings I could do that (with your knowledge you can probably get them to root without any trouble). So far it hasn't set any seed. I keep watching. I know here they need to go in the ground as soon as frost has passed for the growing season. That way they have enough time to really get their root ball growing. They die back to the ground in the winter and come back around the middle or end of June for me. Once they break dormancy they really take off growing.

I would love to do that. let me know how much postage is so I can send it to you.
David Walton
7512 s 67 east ave
Tulsa, ok 74133

Dave

Okay, now walk me through doing this so they get to you in usable condition. : )
I've never done this before (sending just fresh cuttings). Don't worry about postage, it won't be enough to worry about. : )
I have a few seed pods from the pink one if you would like me to send those at the same time. I have never seen the seed so don't know if they are viable. Maybe you can test them out. I don't know what they look like (how big, etc).
Lynn

Good morning Dave. Did some research on the abutilon. I quess some of them can be difficult to start from cuttings. I pulled one of the pink seed capsules apart and found the tiny seeds : ).
Went out and checked on the Voodoo. There are a couple of places that look like they are going to make a seed head. Will watch over them and send to you. Everything I read said they start very easily from seed. : )
Will send as soon as they are ripened.

Hi LYNN:
I appreciate the seeds I Ilook forward to getting them. I will let you know what happens with them in the spring once its warm enough to start them. Please let me know if there is ever anyhing I have that you might want.
Dave

It would be very interesting to see if they can make it in your growing zone. : )
Lynn

I look forward to trying them.
Dave

Keep your fingers crossed. It looks like the Voodoo is going to set seed on two flowers. This one does not seem to set seeds easily like the smaller leaved varieties.
Lynn

oh yea.. I am crossing my finger's toes knocking on my head...(wood)lol and anything else to make it viable.
Dave

Bump

Hi Sharon. What is Bump? : )
Lynn

yes whats a bump ..... besides what thedarn moles leave in the yard???

bump is to move a thread so it comes up on top again after it has been a while since anyone posted.

Janet

so bump again....

Yeah, I know what a Bump is now. : )
Hi Dave. How did those Abutilon cuttings do for you?
I made cuttings the first of Dec of Voodoo just before our 10 degree weather hit. I still can't believe it, but they took and are growing in the house in a window. : ) It never did set seed.
Lynn

Lynn, how did you start them, just in a glass of water in the window? That is really neat. I am in the process of building a cloner. I am anxious to get started. I want to try the woody stuff. But, I think I will have to wait until it is warmer here and the plants are more in the mood to grow. Your zone 8 should be in full swing by now.

Dave did your Voodoos root? How cool.

Jnette, I just cut them in pieces with a leaf or two on each piece. I used rooting hormone and stuck them in a pot of MG and put a clean plastic veggie bag (produce from the store) over them. It sure did work great. I wasn't sure it would work because it was the first part of Dec. The plant didn't look like it was going dormant yet, so I went ahead and did it. I don't think it would work to well with the ones in the house right now because they aren't actively growing. I will make starts from the other three I have this Spring, then I will plant them outdoors along with Voodoo. It turns out that they are hardy here in our area.
I am new to doing cuttings so am very excited about this working. A friend here in Dallas taught me how to do it.

Heya Folks: I just recieved a batch of podocarpus macrophylla (japanese yew and/or buddhist pine) seed. Has anyone had any success in getting babies from these seeds? And if so, what is your prescription?

Yes Lynn, making mini greenhouses can start almost any plants. When you take it out did you acclimate it to the dry air?

I started out uncovering them for about an hour then recovering them. Just kept increasing the time and watching to see how they reacted. If they looked stressed I recovered them. They have been without cover for almost a month now. I think next week I will transplant them to individual pots. I have a lot to learn in this field, will appreciate any help I can get. : )
Out of 7 cuttings I have 4 living rooted ones. : )

This message was edited Jan 29, 2010 11:44 PM

Hi Lynn:
I just chexked on them. I think it was the cold snap we had that got to them. they were on a shelf in the garage where everyone else is and they seem to be doing nothing. I lost a few things with that snap. I still have the seeds to try and I will do them next month when I am doing a lot more seeds. I wish I had an andwer for the cuttings they just seem to curl up. I have had to run the garage a bit cooler during the cold snap as the propane heater eats up the little bottles. I am getting 4 hours out of two which run 4 dollars. I will let you know when the seeds germinate
Dave

Dave, aren't you paying for the containers of those propanes? Why not use the container off of your bbq?? That is terrible what you are spending.

Jeanette

Yes they are 2 bucks each. I just have to hold out for another year or so and then we should be able to buy a real Gas garage heater
Dave

bump

Rooting Gel.

Powered, gel or liquid root hormones.