Someone here at DG gave me a shrimp plant about 3 years ago. It is been glorious and I am very happy with it. It was a favorite plant of a favorite aunt.
I'd like to propagate some cuttings for a fall round-up. I think this is a shrub and not a perennial, otherwise I could just divide it.Can anyone tell me what to do. I have never had much success with cuttings, but I don't think I know what I'm doing.
I take it back; I have done well with brug cuttings.
Were the Brug cuttings woody? If I remember correctly, the Justicia stems are pretty woody, almost from the start, but the plant flies say soft-wood cuttings. Your plant looks lovely.
My brug cuttings were all above the Y. A large majority did well and I used a lot of them at a round up. Didn't have as good of luck this year; I was unwell and didn't watch them carefully. Besides they got white fly and I couldn't stay ahead of it. In fact, the insecticide didn't seem too good for the plants.
I'm going to have to trim the tops of the justica so I will try them.
Wishing you luck!
Woodspirit, how did your shrimp cuttings do?
I just rooted a bunch of the Justica cuttings - just stick them in water and keep changing the water every couple of days - took about two weeks for them to root.
I had no luck, Smockette, but I think I will try Kay's method. I wonder if they'll root this time of year? Some plants that are easy to root in the summer absolutely refuse to root when cooler weather approaches. I tried some coleus already and it just died.
By the way, oddly my large shrimp plant kept blooming all summer, but the "blooms" turned red instead of orange. I have no idea why; it did not do this last year.
I just rooted these about a month ago - will stick some new cuttings right now and let you know what happens. Another almost sure method is to stick them in moist vermiculite - they root in about a month with this method. I have a terrarium with the bottom third being perilite, the middle layer is good potting soil and the top third is vermiculite. I thoroughly moisten all the mediums and stick lots of different things in it - so far, everything seems to root, that I have stuck.
I'm out @ Smock's in Katy. We were just in the backyd. He said his white shrimp cuttings were getting too big, so he reached down & cut about 4" off the top w/his fingernail & stuck it in the dirt over in another bed. Now, that is how easy they are to grow!
He has red, orange, white, & fruit cocktail! Thought he had some Lemon Sorbet somewhere, also!
Now, this is a man that wouldn't have anything to do with plants when we were roommates. But since I bought my 2 acres & moved to Magnolia & emptied out his backyd, he has gone nuts! His backyd looks like a jungle! And a lot of it is tropical!!! ROTFLOL
He says the shrimps do better in just 'dirt' w/no rootone!
If you don't salvage some cuttings out of your experiments, just let me know & we will send you some next spring! They are all perennials down here!!!
:~)
I have 2 of Smock's shrimp plants, a red and lemon sorbet (yellow) that I picked up at the spring RU in Arlington. They've done wonderfully for me this year! My mom always grew shrimp plants, especially the orange one.
I just got a white one off ebay with another plant and it is sure a scrawny thing. I had a pink one years ago that was very bush and had tons of blooms. Are the whites different?
Jnette, you got more $ than....? Smock would have sent you some for postage only!!! I love ebay but my Garden (DG) has much better plants. If yours has leaves all the way up & is any size at all, cut it in half & plant the top half also. Shrimps are alot like salvias. If you don't keep them cut back some, they can get awful leggy.
I think the white one is more upright. You should see what be came of a 1g that I planted in his yard! It must be 3' in diameter & just gorgeous!
Steph, if you are going to Arl tomorrow, he will be there & I'm sure he probably brought some more shrimps. I just don't know what color he has this trip.
:~)
Thanks, next time. I will do that.
Now, I'm serious! Write down Shrimps & write Smockette out beside it!!! You can always find me here or @aol.com!
LOL, thanks.
Hey Smockette, you don't happen to have a variegated Monstera Diliciosia (sic) do you? I would buy one for a reasonable price. Am looking for one for my daughter for Christmas. Someone else down there says you guys grow them outside?? That is amazing. I have lived in the north all my life, which is a pretty long time, so it is hard for me to fathom things like that.
Jeanette
This message was edited Oct 3, 2009 8:22 PM
Smockette~I'll be there, probably at the same table with him or near him.
J, I have one but it isn't variegated. But I bet I might could find you one, if they are around anymore. I got a couple of months to find one.
Where does your daughter live?
:~)
She lives in Seattle. We only have things like that as house plants. I guess we have nice plants too but just take them for granted.
Don't spend a lot of time on it, just keep an eye out in case you run across one. Appreciate it. Thanks, Jeanette
I have mine in a big pot and move it outdoors in the summer. It doesn't get too much sun so does not burn. Time to bring it in and cut it back so that's why the question about rooting cuttings.
I think you, or someone, wrote about cuttings rooting better earlier in the summer. I totally agree with you. At least up here. Probably in Texas they root most of the time.
Well, Santa's helper is keeping a look out for DD's Christmas present!!!
:~)
I will probably try a few rooting now , in the greenhouse and then again in the spring. Thanks for all the help, folks.
Smockette, sounds like you are on a mission. LOL
Jeanette
Yep!
Ck out the N Tx RU Pixs! Have clippers will travel! lol
:~)
Do those people know to watch out for you? Do a lot of people go to your RUs? Since you know where they will be you can find out where they live. I'll bet you ask them a lot of questions about what they have in their yards and didn't bring to the RU? LOL Watch out, here she comes!!
Jnette, have you never been to a round-up?
No, never. I looked at your pix. Looks like a nice bunch of people. I also looked at the pix of the NW RU they had this year. Looks like they had a good time too. They are the closest to me, about 400 miles away. The pix that one of their group took are lovely. Take a look.
we had one this spring in the mtns of NC. We call it the Southern Appalachian round-up. It's only 40 miles from my house. I usually take my stationwagon which ends up looking like a greenhouse on wheels. The swap is great and the food is great.
If you've never gone to one, check out the round-up forum and see what is going on nearest you. I start looking in January. I also went to one down in GA. so I spent the night. I looked for a motel that had some shade for my car so the plants ok until the morning of the round-up.
I will do that come January. But, I would have to count it as a vacation to go to most of them. Would be several days anyway.
You will have fun if you manage to go to one.
I wonder how far NC is from my home - I used to love the RUs when I lived in Phoenix.
Maybe there is one closer to you than NC, pc.
Jeanette
Most of the Tennessee folks are in the opposite corner of the state, down near Memphis, which is possibly further than NC. But I'm only 20 miles from KY...
Quote from Smockette : ( I forgot how to no quotes)
He says the shrimps do better in just 'dirt' w/no rootone!
That's how I did mine! I had to cut mine back in early summer as it grew too leggy. I stuck the trimmings in MG potting mix and they all rooted!
Thanks Yardqueen. I will try it, it just isn't a good time of year to do cuttings. I don't think the plants are ready to buckle down and grow new. I think they are tired and want to sleep. What do you think?
Jeanette
Jeanette,
Actually , I agree, although I do it anyway. Every year. There are a lot of plants I cut back when putting in the greenhouse. Many , like coleus for instance, root right away. Others will stay in the potting mix all winter, they lose their leaves and do not root, but do not die. It is the strangest thing. Then, all of a sudden when spring arrives, they start putting out new leaves and root. It is like the cuttings are dormant. I have done this for years with certain plants and it is the same thing every year. I do lose a few, but there are enough that work to make it worth while. I just hate to throw the cuttings away, so I just stick them in a pot. I have a lot of plants to give away, or trade that way.
Carol
That is what I mean about plants knowing what time of year it is and what they are suppose to do for each period. They will wait until it is time to grow.
I just don't have room to hold over plants that do not appear that they are going to grow thru the winter. If they don't put out I chuck them.
Jeanette
ydqueen, were is Emory? It is the end of a busy wkend & I am tired!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
