Medinilla Magnifica - Growing and setting Bud again



This is a flower bud looking cute

These are 2 new sets of leaves coming out.
 New leaves come out from the sides

This I think is a new leaf pair coming
from older wood

  I have not posted anything in a while.  I've been really busy recently but I'm back now..  :)  I bought a Medinilla Magnifica sometime before Christmas 2011.  It's a new plant in Canada so the care information is limited so I've been playing with it, trying to see how it grows best.  It seems to really like a bright indirect location.  room temperature is treating it well (my home is between 17 C - 21 C.  and it seems to like drying out somewhat between watering's.  That said..  It doesn't like to dry out completely.  I've let it dry out completely a few times and the growth at that time show signs of stress, they are twisted and stunted.  as long as they dry somewhat between watering's you get nice full beautiful leaves.  Right now it is putting out new leaves and flower buds. :)  Check out some photos :)

This was the plant in bloom early in 2012

These are new Flower buds



Air Plants - A New Addiction

Tillandsia

So I have a new addiction :)  This family of plants is very interesting and quirky.  They come in many shapes and sizes, usually on the smaller side than what I'm used to growing.  I think that's why I'm so interested :)  I can grow many in a small space. 

  They are really easy to care for as long as you can follow these few simple rules:

1. Well lit location.  They prefer not to be in full afternoon sun.  They would rather be in a bright indirect location.
2.  Even though they don't grow in soil you still need to water them.  I find it easiest to toss them into my aquarium for 24 hours every week or 2.  You can mist them regularly or spray them with the hose when you water your other plants. 
3.  Make sure to provide high humidity.  You can do this by misting them regularly or resting them on a pebble tray like you might do for ferns, orchids or any other high humidity loving plants. 

   I will post some photos of my Plants..  They are still new to me but I will keep you posted as they grow.  I am not good with their names so if your an expert I would love some assistance in identifying them.  Please leave the names in the comments section :)



Plant A

Plant B

Plant C



Plant D



Plant E



Plant F

Propagating Mexican Butterwort - Pinguicula Caudate

Propagating Mexican Butterwort

Pinguicula Caudate

Leaf Cuttings

This is one of my Favorite plants right now!  My Mexican Butterwort has been a power house in my war against Fungus gnats over the winter in my home.  This particular Butterwort is a tropical variety and doesn't need a cold dormancy period and that really makes my life a whole lot easier.

This is my Butterwort when I first bought it
Notice the black specks on it :)  Those are the
Pesky Gnats.

The Butterwort has done such an Amazing job that I wanted to propagate it.  I have been reading that they grow VERY easily from leaf cuttings :)  Well I'll be the judge of that..lol..  we will try this together.  I have taken lots of photos so you can follow along with me. 






         What you'll need:

1. 1 butterwort Plant
2. Peat Moss without fertilizer added
3. Ziploc bag
4. Distilled water

I've filled my pot full of Peat moss

Carefully pinch off healthy looking lower leaves from your plant.  It was easier to do than I thought.  You might need some scissors or a knife.  try not to damage the crown of the plant.  They should snap off like your taking a leaf off your African Violet.  As you can see I removed 3 leaves for this experiment :)








Then you want to poke the tips of the "stem" into the soil.  This is very similar to propagating African Violets. Make sure to support the leaf.  In this case I've used the edge of the pot.  If you were doing lots you might be able to use small stones.









Then water your plant with distilled water.  I'm using rain water (actually melted snow..  It's winter here right now).  make sure that the soil is well watered.

  Then put your finished cuttings in a Ziploc bag to hold in that humidity.  I also put a small amount of water in the bag to keep the soil from drying out.  Put them in a warm well lit spot out of direct sun.  Check back from time to time to see if the soil needs more moisture. 

  When these start to sprout I will have an update for you..  I think it will about a month for things to start showing signs of life..  but stay tuned :)

Check out my latest update video on my Butterwort plant and other carnivorous plant seedlings

Happy Growing :)

   Bill

Planting Nepenthes seeds (Pitcher Plant)

Nepenthes Seeds

No luck so far but I'm hopeful :)

Hey Everyone :),

As you probably know by now that I like to challenge myself with growing new and different things.  I am in an Orchid and Carnivorous plant stage in my life.  Well for now anyways.. I have a LOT of things on the go but that's where I'm focusing right now :)

  I recently purchased some seeds from EBay for a few varieties of Nepenthes (a.k.a. Pitcher plant).  the seller I purchased from is "albermarlesounds".  Here is a photo from the the sellers page of one of the plants just as a reference if you have never seen a Pitcher plant before. 

Please note that this photo is from the sellers page and is not actually my plant.  Please check out the sellers page if you want to order some seeds like I did :)  http://myworld.ebay.ca/albermarlesounds&ssPageName=STRK:MEFSX:SELLERID&_trksid=p3984.m1543.l2533

Time to Plant my seeds

First I chose my container.  For this I chose some take out plastic food containers.  They have clear plastic lids that will keep in any humidity.  There are no drainage holes in these containers.  I chose this to keep the soil moist. 
  I filled the containers with Peat moss.  Make sure that there is no fertilizer added to the mix as it will likely kill your plants.  Then make sure to moisten the soil with rain water or distilled water.  You could also use finely chopped sphagnum moss instead of Peat moss or Heck mix it up and use a combination of both :)

CHECK OUT THE SEEDS I BOUGHT!

Nepenthes Glabrata 

      Nepenthes Naga

 Nepenthes Maxima

 

Notice the large seed pod, The actual seed is that small dark bit with the threats on each end.  I spread them out evenly over the surface of the peat moss, each seed variety was given its own container so i know what is and isn't growing. With the tip of my finger I ensure that the seeds have firm contact with the soil.  I then watered them in again to really make sure that the contact was made and to add moisture to the seed and hopefully start the germination process.  Look at all the seeds sprinkled on the soil surface.  COOL!

 

I then put the lid on the containers and taped the labels on top with the date I planted them.

I will put them on a heat mat and make sure that they get some light.  I will keep you posted on the progress of these seeds.. My fingers are crossed that I have some success. 

Happy Growing :)

   Bill

Phalaenopsis Orchid - Easy and Beautiful

Phalaenopsis Orchid

Easy and Beautiful

Well to be honest I didn't know what I was going to write. I started off thinking that maybe I would talk about orchids in general but then I thought.. Hmmm, let's go through one at a time. I will only be talking about plants that I've grown an my own trials and errors. There might be some experts out there that think what I'm doing is completely wrong... But hey, I have had lots of success so it can't all be wrong right. :)

Phalaenopsis

Phalaenopsis is the first plant that comes to mind if you have never tried growing orchids before.  There are so many colour variations to choose from that there is surely a colour for everyone.  It is Low light tolerant..  Actually it prefers a North of East window.  You need a bright indirect location for this one.  If you want to put this plant in a dark corner of your home you will need to think about putting a light on a timer near by :)  They grow well under artificial light.  so an office environment can also be an option.

I made an instructional video of re potting a Phalaenopsis.  also in this video i was showing off my new orchid finds.  the sale rack can be a great place to look if you have some time to wait for more flowers and you want to save a few dollars.

 

Watering and feeding is the last topic for this Blog :)  I will soon have an instructional video on this too just in case you don't know if your doing it right :)  All I do is put my pot into a water tight container that is around the same height as the pot containing your plant.  I then water the plant filling the container full of water (careful not to submerge the crown)  i then let the pot and plant soak for 10 or 20 minutes. Then I remove all of the water and let the plant drain fully then place the plant back to its home :)  Every few waterings I will add a 1/4 - 1/2 strength of fertilizer to the water and just follow the same process.  I like to use a fertilizer with a higher middle number as that helps promote healthy flowers.

 

I used to keep my Phalaenopsis on my window ledge by the kitchen sink.  There I was able to remember to water it.  also these orchids are pushed into bloom when the night temps drop about 10F. In newer homes Phal's have a harder time blooming simply because they are insulated so well.  if you keep them closer to a window you will usually get the needed fluctuation in temp to promote bloom spikes in the fall and spring. :) 

 

Good Luck growing your Phalaenopsis Orchids.  They are Very forgiving plants. If you have any questions or concerns about growing these plants please comment or send me a message on my PlantzNThings Facebook page and I will do my best to help you out :) 

 

We're all in this together :)

 

  Bill

Amaryllis - Lets do some Math... :)

Amaryllis

Making your Bulb Bloom when You Want

Amaryllis is one of those plants that you can have bloom whenever you want.  It just takes a little planning first.  All you need is some basic information and i will help you out :)

1. I takes between 6-8 weeks for a dormant but ready to grow bulb to produce a flower.

2. It takes about 3 Months of dormancy to set the flower bud in the bulb.

Knowing that information gives you the power to have the plant bloom whenever you want.  Lets try that math out Shall we :)

Get out your Calender you'll need it :)

So lets say that you want your bulb to bloom by Dec. 25 here's the math. 


Count back about 8 weeks from Dec. 25th...  That Brings us to Oct. 30 roughly (this is when you need to bring the bulb out of dormancy.

Now from Oct. 30 we need to count back about 3.5 months :) that brings us to the window between July 16-30th (This is when you want the bulb to go dormant to set the flower bud).

So now that you know the math you can move the date around and play with it so the plant will bloom when you want it to. middle of summer.. early spring ... Whenever! 

Just remember that you need to grow the bulb after it flowers and feed it well.  The better you look after the plant the better the flower show will be :)

Amaryllis - They Want to Live Another Year

Amaryllis

They Want to Live for Another Year :)

 

 

  Amaryllis are one of those flowers that are known around the holidays. They are Huge and vibrant, they make people stop and way WOW!  Unfortunately most people will toss these into the compost after the flowers have faded thinking that they will never be able to make it bloom again.  I think this is sad because that is completely untrue.  They can be a lot of fun to make them bloom over and over.   In fact you can make these plants bloom whenever you want.  So in theory you could have an Amaryllis blooming in your home 52 weeks a year if you had the space to allow for many bulbs at different stages of growth.  I have made some videos of Amaryllis care on my YouTube Channel and i will share those here as well as some other helpful tips.  Feel free to ask me questions and i will do my best to answer every one of them to help you out :)

 

 

  The first video is actually my most recent.  I am putting this one first because it shows you how to plant an Amaryllis Bulb if you choose to buy it Bare root.  This video is also showing when to remove them from dormancy.  So I was considering this video to be the last one in the list...lol.. but this works,  you can always come back to this one at the end if you like :)

 

   After your bulb has flowered and all of your Oooo's and Ahhh's have finished and all you have left is a sad looking flower stalk you can watch the following video :)  sorry it was one of my first and I'm a little camera shy... but it does the trick :)  We are cutting the spent flower stalk back to the bulb and if there are leaves growing it's time to start feeding :)  your plant will need to build up its energy you it can WOW you next time with another Spectacular flower Spike or 3 :)  WOOHOO!

 

 

The leaves will need to grow for a few months.  I Know.. the leaves are horrible...lol.. they get in the way and flop EVERYWHERE.  I recommend using either decorative sticks or a tomato cage to keep things in check..  They love full sun so if you can put them outside for a few months they will really reward you later.  remember that they love lots of water (they're not water plants so not soggy) and lots of food...  I feed mine either 1/4 or 1/2 strength fertiliser once a week..  the bulbs will get bigger and you will get LOTS of leaves..  If you want your bulb to bloom again for you at Christmas you will want to have your plant go dormant around mid July...  And Hey!  what do you know... YUP i have a video for that too...lol

 

 

 

Here is a video of me chopping their leaves off to force them into dormancy because these plants just wouldn't go to sleep on their own... sheesh!  you might also need to show some tough love.. LOL!

 

 

 I will post a few more blogs with more updates as well as tips. I think this is enough for now.   You now have the basic knowledge on how these beautiful plants re bloom... and it's just Too Easy why not give it a try! 

Next time I'll show you how to back track so that you can get your bulbs to be in flower for a specific time frame.

Until Next time :)
   Happy Growing!

   Bill