vivap waterlily propagation, NEW THREAD

Green smoke came today with some duckweed and 2 baby snails that were hiding for the ride here. Also one of your special surprises came too, so you better hurry home so it, and some extras, can come see you. YOU'RE gonna love THIS box. I want to see pictures when they get established. AND-I'm sticking my ear out to hear your screams when you open. SO THERE. Think about that while you're gone having fun all week.

I'm already screamin!!!! What ARE you up to, my girlfriend? You're gonna go crazy like I told you not to, aren't you.... aren't you! Wow, haha! You're gonna spoil me rotten I have a feeling! Then what in the world am I gonna have to do to find awesome stuff for you in return! I'm sure you won't need another Tina baby.... right?..........................................................
I'll be in suspense the whole time you're gone. I feel like a little kid coming up on Christmas!!!

That's how I was when you sent me baby girl tina, I'm not saying anything else. Just that I think you will like your surprises when you get back. Love ya girl, you are worth more than I could ever do. You just wonder for a while. We'll talk after you get back. AND i love your pond. It's so pretty. Tina will be very happy there.

My first water lily bloom. Thought it might be a lotus bloom, but turned out to be the water lily that I sent my friend a baby from. Yours will look like this one day soon. They grow fast and bloom georgeous. Hurry back, I'm missing you.

that's nice mekos. : ) can't wait for mine to bloom. i might drop in some more fertilizer. there are three buds hanging out near the bottom. wondering why they just don't shoot up!

Not sure why it takes longer sometimes, but this one is my hardy lily. My new green smoke came a couple days ago, letting it get readjusted to the climate. I'm going to take pictures as mine bloom so If you want any let me know while blooming and I'll pick a tuber from it. I've had this one for 3-4 years. It made a lot of bulbs. I sent flower one small one. This greens moke has blooms on it but just starting it so may be a few weeks before it's able to be cut on.It's tropical. I have abunch more I just got in trades of hardy many colors too. I don't mind sharing as I have them available. Let me know.

Is the water warm enough or does it get enough sun?

thanks for the offer! : ) yeah, tina gets lots of sun. the water is warmish. we are still in the 60s at night. lately, it has been chilly. well, at least to me.

That may be the problem, it needs to be upper 60's( water temperature) all the time to shoot on up and bloom. Water temp is cooler than air temp. Tropicals are a little more fussy than hardys.

This message was edited Jun 12, 2009 3:23 PM

i added two fertilizer tablets around the roots and below the sand two days ago. i noticed in the early morning twilight that one of the buds is about to break the surface of the water. woo hoo!

my lotus isn't doing too good. i think the arizona sun is starting to be too much. right now it is in shade after 11a. perhaps, i should give it less morning sun.

How deep is the water the lotus is in? They told me to plant 4-6 inches under water, and mine are in full sun. It's in the 90's sometimes and they seem to be doing great. Putting up new pads all the time. Be careful to keep plant food tablets away from the roots. Put on edges of container and go deep with it. You can burn the roots if it's too close to them.

4-6 inches. our air is very dry here. yeah, even just above the surface of the water. LOL they look like they are getting bleached by the sun. it could be the fertilizer tabs, too. how do they get the nutrients from the tabs? does the fertilizer diffuse into the water slowly?

I'm not real sure, I just know if it's too close to the roots it can burn them. (I've done it). Might be getting too hot, I just don't know. Maybe check with someone who knows more about your climate.Do you have a plant nursery close around that sells pond plants? Call them and ask. I'm sure they'd be glad to help.

i've been told they will not work in the desert. haha! what can i say - hard head. : (

tina opened one bud today. the fragrance is heavenly!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! So happy for you. Maybe take the lotus inside somewhere. Do you have room inside to put a small dish garden?

she closed up for the night.

all the pond plants will have to grow outside. i will just have to give it less direct sunlight. hmmm...

My water lilies close at night and reopen in the morning. They are so pretty and graceful I think it may be getting too hot on my tropical green smoke.I'm thinking about putting it in my pond and out of the holding pond.

my water is still cool to the touch...

I just got my husband to help me and we put the tropical green smoke in the pond. Hope it does better there. At least it won't get too hot out there. It feels just right at night but in the day time it gets real hot in the small premolded ponds on the deck. They are small.

Check this out, I found a vivap occurring naturally on Panama Pacific yesterday lol. The pad is still attached via the stem to the mother plant and this little growth is starting on it. It is so cute!

I just noticed there are lots of tiny tadpoles in the pic too if you look real hard :)

woo hoo! angel, you even roots on the vivap.

i am letting tina go naturally like that, too. there are several that she has started. i am just going to let them be and see what happens.

keep us posted! : )

HOW COOL IS THAT? WOW. That is so neat. Pass out cigars. I wish mine were the kind to do that. Maybe my green smoke will. It's tropical. I have some lotus seeds sprouting. See if I can get a picture of them.

way to go mekos! they look cute. and i see are living the high life in crystal. LOL

Here is what they look like today. And a yellow one is sprouting too.

Here is my yellow one.

they grow fast!

I'm getting things ready for them to start growing. I'm loving it. Hope they survive me.

Where is my flower gone??? MISSING YOU GIRL. Where oh where has my F-l-o-w-e-r gone, where oh where can she be?!? Hi tucson. How is it coming along out there? Man everyone is quiet.

hi mekos, : )

not much going on for me in the water garden dept. LOL tina is still blooming well! the three vivaps have been moved to another bucket outside. they continue to grow albeit slowly. i put a fertilizer tab in the sand. hopefully, the fertilizer is dispersing in the water where the vivaps can get the nutrients. my lotus is not looking pretty anymore. i don't know if it's too much fertilizer or not enough or too much sunlight or not enough humidity. i'll take a pic and see if anyone can offer suggestions. i flushed out the water today in the lotus tank. it's now clear. was cloudy and green. i do not what that means.

Sorry. I got a uv light like everyone was squawking about to stop the green water and it's slowly helping. Not clear yet though.

Hey peoples! I'm back!! In Holland we have a funny saying literally translated; I'm back from being gone!
So baby Tina is growing big! Now I'm hoping for a bloom soon! Angeltree, Tucsonplumerias and Mekos- it's great to read up on your stories! By the way! I have 2 plumeria seeds that have germinated and I am just busting out with excitement!!!!!

IIIIIIKKKKKKEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!She is really BACK!!!!!!! Yipee!!!!

welcome back flower! hi mekos and angel_tree_baby.

here is tina. she is so beautiful and the fragrance is heavenly. she is doing well in here container. lots of pads that are pushing over the edge.

please help! does anyone have any idea what is wrong with my lotus? here's the skinny...

the first pads were normal. they they started opening up pale yellow. the latest one is small and all dried up. it is the leftmost pad. at one point the soil was pea green. i thought that this had to do with the fact that the sand i used had granular fertilizer in it. i eventually flushed the water and you see it clear now. there are organisms in there that are okay. the reeds are fine. another pad is coming up pale yellow again. does this mean it needs some fertilizer? more sun? looks like a nutrient deficiency to me, but i am no expert. let me know. i have the fertilizer tabs.

regarding fertilizer tabs. does the fertilizer diffuse into the water even though it is buried?

I was told by the lotus company I buy from not to add plant food before it puts up 2 pads, then add a plant tablet for every gallon of soil. I actually had a couple bad pads like that in the beginning but it cleared up on it's own. They also told me that clay kitty litter WITHOUT chemicles, or perfumes was good to pot them in. I have several potted in kitty litter. They are growing great.

hmmm...sounds like i need to fertilize???

yeah, i am thinking about switching to the special kittly litter in the red bag.

If you are using sand it could be weighting the little roots down, the kitty litter is airy and light. I actually do like it better and it is so much cheaper than potting material you buy. But that's just me and my opinion. And you know the saying----everyone has one.

it's course sand. so it is airy. plus, don't people get them to grow in clay soil?

Yes, I have some in clay soil and some in kitty litter, they all are growing good, I, me personally, like the feel of the kitty litter best. It just feels like the roots and tubers can move faster and better in the kitty litter. That is just me compairing my own plants and how fast they move in one compaired to the other.