Ugh....my little bitty Maya...."bit the dust" - died....such is life....I have more survive then die so I guess I'm doin' something right.
Gita - I have to say, I have more plants indoors then I care to admit to...and it doesn't seem to be an issue....even in my little ole modest townhouse. Jill has that that big ole house and plenty of room for her's so personally I don't see where it would be an issue. Whether you have 10 or 100 or a 1000 plants...something like spider mites or mealies is bound to travel from one plant to the next regardless. Yes, using the Systemic Granules is a good preventative but not everyone wants to go the "chemical" route - not saying one way is right or wrong just saying some folks prefer going the "natural" route of getting rid of the unhealthy buggies.....ya know? The systemic kills both good and bad insects...yes? I worry about using things that might ultimately affect any hummers when I put the plants back outside...just my personal thought....not to mention with dogs and grandbabies - well....I just have to be careful.
One reason for me to not be annoyed this morning
It's hard to avoid bringing pests inside when you move plants in for the winter, and some things like scale are just stubborn. Systemic granules work, but Eliot kitty tends to nibble, so for the most part I can't use systemics. I just tossed out my two huge spider plants because of scale, and I'll restart them from some spiders I saved that seem to look OK so far (will spray them a couple of times, but it's easier to stay on top of it with little starts than with big hairy plants).
Some pests, like cyclamen mites on african violets, are just too bad to tolerate ever... (I tossed much of my AV collection on suspicion of mites) but for the most part it ends up being more a matter of controlling pests rather than trying to completely eradicate them... Neem and similar products will give you control, but if you have zero tolerance for pests then you have to have more tolerance for harsh chemicals. It's a trade-off, like lots of gardening stuff.
"if your cutting came from above a "Y" on the mother plant you will also get blooms sooner."
Chantell is absolutely correct! If you get Brug cuttings from someone else, make sure to specify that the log cutting is above the "Y".
The picture that Gita attached of her Brug shows a well formed "Y". You will also notice that hanging off the "Y" is a flower bud. That's were they grow!
Brugs in general are all very heavy feeders. During the Winter months they rest, but once you put them back outside in the Spring, then you resume their feeding regiment. The amount & consistancy of feedings will definitely affect the number of blooms.
Devon: Since I don't have a heated garage, I have to keep my Brugs inside. My garage will go below freezing and I'm afraid that the temps would damage and/or kill the cell walls of the Brugs. Yes, the plant is poisonous, so you have to make sure that animals and/or small children know not to touch it.
I have had Datura's, which are annuals in certain parts of the country act like perennials in my garden. My white Datura's were dropping seeds like crazy one year and wouldn't you know they re-sprouted the next year and kept on growing! I eventually pulled them all out because they were too prolific and would have taken over my garden, if they had their way!
Chantell: Your Epi's are beautiful! I grew two large Epi's for several years, but all I ever got was foliage, never any blooms. I tried fertilizing them, but had no luck. I finally just threw them out.
Shirley,
Everyone I know that has the White Daturas--they come back every year, from seed, I presume.
Yes--they are straggly, and I have heard that it is the simple "Jimsonweed", not really a Datura as we know them. Maybe it is the predecessor of the fancier Daturas.
ALL the Brug cuttings I took were from above the "Y". Hope they all do bloom sooner.
OK! Got lots to do for dinner tonight. So--I better get going!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Gita
Sallyg, a queation about your baby Meyer lemons. Were they grown from seed or cuttings? It looks like one on the left has flowered. If it possible to get results like that from seed I will be buying a bag of meyer lemons the next time I see them. Robb.
Hi Robb!
Sorry, but it's just a bad picture. None of my Meyers have flowered. I've been asking a little on the tropicals forum about Meyers, and reading a little. Here's the story on seed Meyers, by me so far.: My friend has a Meyer lemon from florida. She gave me a fruit, I planted the seeds, and got about 90 percent or better germination, easily. These guys are about six months old. It'll probably take 2 to 6 years for flowers, depending on who you read and I suppose on how much you keep them growing thru winter. They may not be true to seed. As far as I could tell, I had one plant per seed. Meyers and other citrus, can have more than one per seed. One plant will be a pollinated embryo and the others will be clones. If you're lucky, you might be able to tell a difference between the seedlings and figure out which one is the pollinated one which won't be true to the mother.
The good news is that all citrus seem to be easy to grow and have very sweet scented flowers. The typical lemons in the grocery are not Meyers.
Hope that addressed your question. Please com on back if not, or just join in. We could use a couple more guys around Mid Atlantic sometimes. ! docgipe and claypa might get lonely...
Thank you for your answer sallyg, I have a lemon tree that I have had for about 10 years... loaded with lemons at the moment. It is a Lisbon lemon, and I find the fruit dry. Part of the problem might be that I won't let anyone pick the fruit, they have to drop off, my wife gets frustrated with me. I know that meyers are very special and I've seen them for sale on occasion at the local grocery store. I have yet to try them, but their moderate size appeals to me. Twice annually, I have had to be brutal with the pruning of my lemon tree. A more peaceful relationship might be nice. Robb.
Ah, so you are an experienced citrus grower. You should grab a Meyer to eat next time you see them sold. People love them. Yes. Lisbon is the common grocery store lemon.
My friend's Meyer produces lemons in a fourteen inch pot, a semi-sad looking bush that lives on a stool near a north facing sliding glass door, an impossible situation it seems to me, but its a champ.
Tangerines are supposed to breed true. ( Then again, I am supposed to be working on an article, or getting to sleep, or Xmas shopping...)