I'm delighted with this new tropical in my collection. There are many different Medinillas, mine is labeled as 'Medinilla Magnifica'. Have you got one of these plants or similiar to share your experience with? I acquired this plant at the end of the growing season, thus currently it's in gh.
Let's see yours. We can chat about their habits, blooming time, cultural requirements ect.
Kim
A little close up of the plant.
That explains why I've a spraying bottle kept handy. Though, I live nearby a large water body area (with added humidity to the already high level usually), next year I'll try to keep it outdoor and share my experience here.
Lily_love: I'm wondering if mine is the M. magnifica? I got mine at one of our Wal-Mart garden centers a year ago last spring and it was labeled magnifica but the leaves on my plant seem to be a lot smaller than yours.
I've noticed the differences b/w yours and mine, so maybe we need to enlist the expert from trees/shrub forum members to help their identities for sure? Thanks Plantladylin for visiting the thread. Please everyone welcome here too.
Let's talk 'tropical';
On the subject of humidity level that certain plant requires. I had a 'BatFace' plant last year. It glorified the garden with its beautiful recurent blooms, then when I brought it back indoor, humidity wasn't high enough, so I lost it!!!
The pic of mine was taken back in Sept. It is a lot larger now . I have it on the pool deck in a partially shaded area and through the hot weather just sprayed it with the hose once a day.
When I bought it it said on the planting instructions to keep the potting compost loose.
Oh and it has stayed outside through the last few very cold frosty nights. No problem
closer shot of leaves.
When you say Batface plant do you mean Cuphea? http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2033/ or Tacca: http://www.rareflora.com/taccachablack.htm and PF listing: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54257/ I have heard both referred to as Batface Plant.
I tried the black Tacca once but it didn't survive long. I'm not sure what I was doing wrong. It was out on my pool deck and we have very high humidity here but I just couldn't figure out it's needs.
fleurone: Your plant looks identical to mine, flowers and foliage. Was yours labeled Medinilla magnifica: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/62134/ When did yours flower last? Mine blooms in early spring.
Mine stayed out the two cold nights we had this week. We had 41 one night and 45 another. If we get frost or the rare hard freeze I will move it inside.
How hard or easy are these things to grow indoors during winter?
I agreed with Plantladylin, Fleurone's leaves are identical to that of yours. My batface, I meant the Tacca. I purchase a small white, it died too, now I have another black tacca that withstand some high 30'ish F. I delayed taking it indoor until first frost threatens. I'll try to take it to the showers with me every so often, see if I can nuture this one this winter.
Fleurone, is yours blooming now? Your Medinillas that's.
Hi plantladylin it was labelled that and also bought in WM. But I think it is this one http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/114739/
It has never stopped flowering. We were down to 29 one night this last week , weird as it was colder here than in NFL.
Yes Lily will go get an up to date picture :)
hcmcdole, yours are forming buds!!! Is that a current pix? Once again, mine, the foliages are much bigger than most others'. :-)
Dole, I had mine inside over a month. With occassional misting, so far I've a teeny tiny new sprout from the base. That tells me it's liking the condition I provided well. The tiny makeshift gh is equipped with a few additional florescent light, with window that are facing West, NorthWest of the house.
There are only 8 Medinilla's listed in PF: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/b/Melastomataceae/Medinilla/none/cultivar/0/ Haven't had a chance to look through all the photo's yet to compare to my plant, but will try and get to it today. I uploaded a photo of mine to the M. magnifica listing so if I find that mine is a different variety I will have to notify admin to delete that listing for me.
Here we go
pic 1
pic 2
the white is from watering /hosing
pic 3 might be clearer than pic1
Wow, that is so pretty! I wonder if mine is a different variety since it only blooms in spring. I know a few bloom early and mid summer and some later in the year.
What type of fertilizer do you use?
Back of plant, more flowers, probably because it is sheltered and the new growth (pic 1 ) is also on the side away from the screen..
I will have to read all the different ones. Mine has never had any of the bracts on it that is why I thought it was the cumingii
lol plantlady er neglect mainly. Maybe once a month I throw a little epsom salts at it.
I haven't fertilized mine since it's newly purchased last month, and with the reduced light growing condition.
I've noticed M. cumingii (as in Fleurone's) the leaves structures is whorled (spelling?), where as mine are opposite and alternate 90 degrees angle.
That's true, yours looks like the magnifica to me
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/33299/
Isn't that a GORGEOUS specimen plant!
Have y'all tried rooting cuttings of your Medinilla's? I am thinking about taking a couple of cuttings from mine to see if I can propagate them for spring.
It is and I just love that photo, that is what I had visions of when I bought mine at WM!!!!.
I have tried one cutting weeks ago and it just rotted away. The dog broke it off and if you look in the pic you can see another broken bit ( hanging on though ) on the front left hand side.
Mine is still young yet. But according to pf, it can be propagated from leaf-cutting? The plant looks as though the leave can be severed from the mother plant and still withstands chlorafil? I've a partial torn off leave that I think I'm going to try leaf cutting, gotta find an ideal medium to do this task.
I wonder if that info in PF about propagating from a leaf cutting is correct. I think semi-hard wood would work better. I know one can grow african violets and other gesneriads from leaves but I'm not so sure about medinilla.
Oh yeah, I see that branch hanging there. I would snip it off at the break, remove the flower stalk and pot it up ... maybe put it in a plastic bag for humidity, in bright shade (no sun) to see if it takes root!
Hummm, maybe admin needs to investigate those infos. provided on pf. ?
I don't think Admin. has time to go through all the listings in PF. It is monitored by us as users and we can report any misinformation or errors. Maybe someone who knows a lot about these plants will be along and we will find out if that is an error or not. I might just have to take a leaf try to root it to see what happens!
plantladylin, wanna race? You and I? LOL, we can keep each other informed how the leaf-cutting turns out as an experiment? Are we in?
Sure! I'll go pinch one off right now and put it in the terrarium!
I'll be working on mine. Set, go! ^_^
Done! ^_^
Done NOT! LOL, I'll use a different method. Will add pix later once I'm done. ^_^
This is mine, Medinilla minata. The only real difference between in and M. magnifica is the color...its more of a lighter pastel pink. But its a very large shrub, has a spread in the ground of about 6 ft. The bloom racemes measure around 8 inches long.
gothqueen, those are gorgeous! Thank you, for sharing your pix. I take it you don't frost there where you're?
Oh yes, it frosts. It usually freezes at least once every winter. But this plant made it through 22F under the protection of nothing more than a roof overhang the first season I had it. In a container. Now its planted under protection,
nice pictures. this is the first time mine flowered. it is hanging in a mango tree i not sure if it needs more sun though. i think i will try a cutting too. i'll let you know.
Lovely, candela! Woohooo, you can grow Mango there, the Medinillas will benefit too being in ground?
I'm delighted to watch how successful we will be with the plants. Thank you, for posting.
Here's mine. I have it potted up in phal. orchid bark, perlite, and jungle growth potting soil. I read they are epiphytic in nature so they like the orchid bark or loose growing media. It has been in bloom all summer and is again now. It is in morning shade and very slanted afternoon sun and seems quite happy with it.
Hopefully I won't kill it this winter. It will have to overwinter on the screened in patio that I can enclose with plastic and put a heater in there if I need to. It is hard to find very much cultural information on this plant.
It makes pinkish ariel roots from the joints in the stems. I tried to root one in dirt but it died, I think next time I will just wrap some moss around the stem and try to airlayer it.
Does anyone know if the dried up purple berries will grow new plants?
I opened one and it had the tiniest seeds in there..-no clue if they are fertile or not.
~Lenette
