What MG seeds are you planning to plant this Spring?

Here's the deal written about the Neem Cake:

"Ahimsa Organics Neem Cake - OMRI Listed
Slow Release Nitrogen, Aerates, Nourishes, Promotes Plant Growth & Resistance, Improves Soil Quality. Excellent for Vegan Organic Gardening.
Neem Cake is the residue obtained from neem seed kernels which have been crushed to extract the oil. Rich in N-P-K, it is an excellent organic fertilizer. Neem cake has been known to enrich the soil and protect the plant. Earthworm populations have been known to increase where neem cake has been applied.

Use full strength or mixed with other organic (kelp, seaweed, manure, etc.) or inorganic fertilizers to an extent of 10% to 15% by weight. Apply before (the area can be prepared up to a week or 10 days before planting) or during planting or for established plants around root zone. Use mixed into the soil 6-8 inches or as basal dressing. Coverage:180 to 360 lbs./acre, 1lb. for plots 100 to 160 sq.ft.

Exercise caution while using in potting mixes. Using more than 1% could cause a lack of seed germination or stunt young plants.

For more information on Neem Cake, visit
www.plasmaneem.com"

Apparently ... it hasn't hurt my seed germination! LOL!

I have a huge container of Neem Oil that I use in my Spray Mix.. would that work in this case?

Not sure, Debra. Probably. First time I've used it in soil. This is going to be one of those experiments that I shall wait and see what I think of it.

That's awesome about Tropicman's MG growing so well! :-) Getting another gardener hooked on MGs, huh? :-) I am afraid to use the Brayer because of the butterflies and hummingbirds that nectar from my MG blooms. Which is why I am trying the Neem in the hopes that it works to keep the Rust away. Fingers crossed!

I have always used the Bayer in my backyard and it hasn't kept the hummers or butterflys away in the past so far.. but I spray the ground, not the foilage.. keep me posted on those neem cakes

My big fear is that the Bayer is such a strong chemical that gets absorbed into the plant through the roots, that it might also get into the nectar and slowly poison any wild creatures drinking the nectar. It's a really strong chemical combo and I have emailed Bayer and they told me not to use it if I was concerned about nectaring creatures and not to use it on any vegetables or anything I plan to eat. So that helped me make my mind up. Just a personal preference for me since I value my critters as much as my flowers. :-)

I'm stepping down off my soap box now ...

Apparently I planted more Lady Yaguruma's Kaleidoscope than I thought! LOL! Look at all those babies coming up in the pot! I will be interesting to see what kind of blooms I get on each vine. I can already tell some are different by looking at the stem and leaf colorations.

ut oh now u r planting like I plant.. LOL what a crop! those will look cool!

Nothing exciting here, but here is the first pic of my setup . . . on the left is the Kniola's Black seedling, on the right is the I. albivenia that I dug up and brought with me . . . both are in 5 gallon grow bags . . .

The Kniola's Black seedlings are starting to vine . . .

And the I. albivenia is showing me that it does not harbor any hard feelings for having its root broken . . . this was not here 2 weeks ago . . .

This message was edited Mar 24, 2009 9:26 PM

wow.. that I.albivenia is huge! You luck! My kniolas Black has not changed one bit in two weeks..:P!~

Nichole - So good to see that the I.albivenia that incurred a broken root is showing leafy life...although I'm wondering if your I.albivenia has developed some new smaller fibrous roots extending off of the much larger caudex...the new rootlets will enable the main plant root to absorb water...otherwise if there are no new smaller roots to absorb water,the plant may expend more water from the storage reserve than it can replace...

I certainly do hope that your rescued I.albivenia continues to do well,but I thought I should make you aware of an aspect that could result in a potential decline...just something to be aware of...


TTY,...


Ron

Nichole - Oh my! Don't they look good! Can't wait to see the blooms on both of them. Tell me something ... how do you like those grow bags? I have been reading up on them and they certainly sound interesing and something worth trying. I like how you put the grow bags INSIDE the pots! Good idea to help keep the roots cooler. :-)

Well, there were some smaller roots when I dug it up . . . I suppose I can move some of the soil aside this weekend and see what is there . . .

Becky - I did a grow bag co-op in the last year or two . . . I haven't had a chance (or need) to use them . . . until now! I've been reading alot of good things about them in the Self-contained Box Garden forum . . .

I have been using heavy duty contractor bags to line boxes with for winter sowing outside.. for the past three years , this one box has remained intact... in fact, it is full of seedlings right now from last years fall planting.. I just poke a couple holes in the bottoms .. I use large bags to put pot and plant in all inside and tie up at night to keep the frost off if it freezes unexpectedly.. it has worked for me.. love using bags in pots and boxes both!
okay help! any ideas on this little guy that surprised me?

Can someone tell me a little about the Alamo Vine? I planted a seed in one of my window pots and it sprouted. Are they invasive in warmer climates?

Updated pix . . . this one actually had a bloom the other day. I didn't get to see it open, though . . . just the shriveled up bloom . . .

I. albivenia updated pic . . .

Becky????? do you by chance have any of the Dark Sazanami seeds left?? if you do, would you be willing to spare a couple? I've got several of the light, but have been wanting the dark also.

TTYL.
A,.

looking good there in Texas! Cold here, everything is still inside.. waiting..

Nicole, you guys are probably warmer than where I am, it has been cold and windy as all heck here the past two weeks. I hope it starts to warm up again soon. Good job on that I. albivenia...

I'm with joeswife there, everything is still inside, the adendiums are starting to leaf out and the plumeria plants are taller than me.

A.



edited to say:

Becky, don't know if you remember the Blue Asagao Willow Leaf I sent you two years ago, well, you sent me some seeds back and I sowed three of them two weeks ago...one of the seedlings is a willow leaf/needle leaf... isn't that something?

This message was edited Apr 5, 2009 8:48 PM

my I.albivenia...

waiting to go outside to the alley tree

Becky's LYK.. (well, most are LYK's I think)

It's interesting how the cotyledons stand out. I think you can tell them apart from most cotyledons becky

LYK

Becky, are your LYK hypocotyl's colour similar to these?

Nandina from becky again. One half of the plant has uncurled leaves. They initially started out as curled leaves and uncurls as they mature

other half of nandina

Eliz

Eliz - They look like my LYK did as new seedlings. What is the name in the baggie for the one that you are refering to as Nadina? I don't recognize that name. They all look great and very healthy! :-)

Antoinette - I finally had a few moments from my crazy and challenging day to look through my seeds to figure out if I have any more dark Sazanami seeds left. I can share 2 with you that I got from seedsower, but I don't know if they are the dark or not. Do you want them anyway?

That is soooo cool that you got a needle leaf form from the Blue Asago Willow seeds I sent to you. I have grown so many of them and have yet to get a single one with the needle leaf form. LOL! Congrats! Glad you got one of the special seeds! Those are a rarity!!!! :-)

Debra - Your vines look great! Boy! You are becoming the MG grow-out queen here! :-)

I'd love to have them, and I can send you some light colored ones if you want some, mine are from last year and original seed from Onalee.. yeah, can you believe that about the willow leaf... it is so cute.. I only put three seeds in too. Thank you..

Let me know if I can send you something, also can send some postage.

A.

Antionette - Don't worry about postage. You've sent me seeds so many times before. Is there any other seeds you'd like? Reply to me in a dmail and I need your mailing info once again too. My brain is NOT intact lately. My stress level is off the charts right now with so much stuff going on ...

this is my blue willow asago... it looks like it has split blooms.... and there is another bud forming...
:-)

another pic... i'm so excited about this one, as it's from my very first seed trade with another DG member.... (thanks Becky)

Great photos, Colin, that blue colour is out of this world!

Joseph

Hi Becky, sorry I labelled them as Nandina, but you have labeled them Nanding. My bad.

These are very sturdy plants, your LKY, Nanding and the other mutants. I also received Blue Asagao Willow from you, which germinates really quick within an hour; I had three set germinated at different times and with heat they'll sprout within 3 hours. and if not kept in check with heat, the sprouts will turn black and rot.

I think I have been fortunate and unfortunate with your Blue Asagao Willow; I was hoping to get parent plants, but I end up with the mutant leaf. However, this mutant form is not as hardy as the other mutants. I am able to grow them but they do not grow lush. Just yesterday 2 died on me with wilt/damp off. I find that I might have to really take care of the mutant form of Blue Asagao Willow and make sure that I plant them during our summer months here in Toronto, because right now it's really dark.

Colin - Congrats on the beautiful MG vine and bloom! The split petals are a mystery to me, but this is what the blooms should look like (and probably will in your future blooms): http://davesgarden.com/community/blogs/i/54167/

Eliz - I thought the "Nandina" might be seeds from my Mutant Blue Needle Leaf Nanding, but I needed to verify with you. This is what the vines should look like: http://davesgarden.com/community/blogs/t/beckygardener/9406/ If you need more seeds, let me know. Both the Mutant Blue Needle Leaf Nanding and Blue Asago Willow seeds/vines grow like crazy here. I had lots of volunteer seedlings of both after the season ended, but the freeze killed them. They do prefer hot/warm conditions to grow and thrive, as do most I. nils vines. When you talk about "mutant" leaves on the BAW, can you describe or show a photo of what the leaves look like?

Becky, sent you d-mail.. and Thank you..

Ceej, looks like you got some of the regular leaves.. They usually have great color on those flowers too, I love that blue.

I forgot what they looked like when they are full flowered, you should get both kinds.. These are short vines here, I like them because they don't take up a lot of space and you still have some flowers without a whole lot of work.. then come the humongous ones that take over..

Eliz, I know what you mean with the heatmats and domes, they germinate really quick, that is why I didn't bother to nick them this year, but, I think I probably should have nicked them though. The germinationn on mine are sporadic and the percentage isn't all that great. There were some seeds in there that I really wanted to germinate too, I may have to dig them up..

thanks Joseph, Becky and Gourd... it's such an intense blue, it's lovely... i have another two young plants one at the cotyledon stage and another just started to grow up it's stick. and now i've planted the last of my BAW seeds... just because they're gorgeous!

i'm planning on sowing all of the mutants i have in one go, i will grow these in my greenhouse at home.... i'm also sowing some purpureas and tricolors to plant out in the garden after the last frost (early to mid may here)

it's all go at the moment

Colin