Plantcapades and Growing Experiments: August 2014

Friday, August 29, 2014

Adenium Trimming

My Adenium at home is going bald, possibly due to overwatering and lack of fertilizer. After digging in the GCS Adenium forums, as well as seeing evidence from other gardeners (http://mysunnyhappygarden.blogspot.sg/2010/07/adenium-given-haircut.html?m=1)

I've decided to give my Adenium a brutal haircut.

Photo on Friday, 29 August 2014

Update: 15/9/2014:

It has finally begun to produce new stems! Look at the tiny red dot on the end of each trunk!

Photo on 15/9/2014

At first I was afraid I had killed it after repotting it twice!
Hopefully the 3:3:1 perlite:peat:burned earth soil mix would fare better than the original soil containing burned
earth which had broken down over the years.

Update 23/9/2014:

Instead of 1 new shoot per branch as seen earlier, now each branch is producing like 4-5 shoots! Woohoo!!!

Update 29/9/2014:

Success!!

Update 16/1/2015:

It has finally begun flowering. 5 months from the hard pruning and soil change.

/future text (hard to publish posts via the iPhone app, what with no text wrap and all.)

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Loot from The Violet Barn!!

YESSSSSSSA MY PLANTS HAVE ARRIVED!

Bought 9 African violets from The Violet Barn in the US to be shipped to Singapore:

https://www.violetbarn.com/shop

This is the packing list.

The box that contains my treasure!

Lovingly packed by Rob

Plants safely cushioned in all the wool

My 9 gems

My timeframe.

-Order made on 7 Aug 2014

-Phytosanitary prepared on 11 Aug 2014

-Shipped from the US on 19 Aug 2014

-Arrived at the sort facility at ISC NY on 20 Aug 2014 before MIAing until 23 Aug 2014

-Arrived Singapore on a Saturday morning 23 Aug 2014

-Finally transferred to customs on monday evening 25 Aug 2014

-I called up AVA on Wednesday afternoon 12:26noon 27 Aug 2014 for collection.

Total took 20 days for ordering to collection. I have a good impression so far. If my plants do well, I might order from The Violet Barn again!

Update 8/9/2014:

My 'Bewitching Blue*' succumbed to crown rot and Passed away today. I tried to save a leaf, but I trimmed too hard and there wasn't much left to save. Shit >.< Nvm, i'm gonna pick it back out from the bin and try.

8/9/2014: Single Bewitching Blue leaf in a modified styrofoam cup containing water and H2O2. Leaf was wiped with H2O2 beforehand.

Top view:

Thankfully my 'Blue Dragon' has begun growing a root. So happy.

Update 12/9/2014:

My Wrangler's Jealous Jewels have grown 2 tiny roots, each 1mm or smaller. I hope they didn't die from my 5s viewing.

Update 29/9/2014:

I should not have opened the bags to kaypoh and check. Now those hard grown roots have rotted away.

AVs in plastic bags (I do not recommend plastic bags in the future. Use the tabao boxes instead.

I swapped to tabao boxes

Update 9/10/2014:

Not much change for the other plants, but Ma's Ching Dynasty's pot is giving off a faint rancid smell. And the leaves still look floppy.

I've decided to remove it from the plastic container and place it along the window.

Space for future posts

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

African Violet

My NOID African violet is about to bloom!

27th August 2014

Update:

My NOID is putting forth flowers! And it's blooming its true colours now. Swee lah.

2nd Sept 2014

Update 15/9/2014:

Photo on 15/9/2014

Look at the flower spam!! So happy!

Sunday, August 24, 2014

NOID African violet and lavender living happily together under 4500K lights.

Friday, August 22, 2014

Lavender Cuttings Results

23/8/2014

I did my cuttings on 14/8/2014

After 9 days, on 23/8/2014 (today), my findings are:

Pot with 4 cuttings and permanently bagged, placed in corner with direct morning sun - ROOTED

Pot with 4 cuttings and permanently bagged, placed in corner and direct morning sun - ROOTED

Pot with 2 strong cuttings with flower spikes, bagged and placed in the office with indirect bright sun all day - FLOWERED (most probably rooted)

Pot with 3 cuttings unbagged, placed in corner and direct morning sun. With added seaweed extract foliar spray - UNROOTED & 1 DIED

Pot with 5 cuttings in clayey soil and open air - ALL DIED

18/18 accounted for.

CONCLUSION:

- Need to bag for around 9 days outdoors

- Morning sun and indirect sunlight are good

- Best not to use seaweed extract liquid fertilizer

- 1:1 peat & perlite potting mix with added worm casting is the best combi

Update: 26/8/2014

Rooted plants survived acclimatising (1h, 2h, 3h, permanently unbagging) as of yesterday. Total of 12 days to root a cutting successfully.

Unrooted plants still did not take root. Had to return them into the bag.

Update: 4/9/2014

1 cutting in the pot with 4 cuttings apparently did not root as previously assumed, and was removed before it could fully rot. The 3 remaining cuttings are doing fine, unbagged, in bright indirect light, away from the rain.

Pot with 4 cuttings doing fine unbagged, in bright indirect light, away from rain.

Pot with 2 remaining cuttings is still bagged, in bright indirect light.

Pot with 2 cuttings containing flower spikes have flowered and subsequently deadheaded due to a mealybug found in one flower, and a few black dots found on the other flower spike. I suspect that the black spots are lavender shab. Leaves and stems affected were heavily pruned back.

Here's the picture of the pot with 2 ex-flower cuttings.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Lavender Cutting with Flower Spike Bloomed!

I made the mistake of taking cuttings containing flower spikes because I've heard that the flowers will sap strength needed for the plant to root.

But it seems like the cutting is surviving well enough to put forth flowers! Wheeee!

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Hippeastrum Personal Guide

Hippeastrums that Do Not Require Dormancy:

Hippeastrum puniceum

H. Roseum (salmon orange one)

H. reticulatum var. striatifolium 'Mrs. Garfield' (This should be the common pink one in SG)
H. reticulatum var. striatifolium 'Bangkok Rose'
H. vittatum ( dark orange, almost red http://www.wellgrowhorti.com/Pictures/Landscape%20Plants/Shrubs/Web%20Pictures1/H/Hippeastrum%20Vittatum.JPG )

Okay, I am going to keep this page updated with info that I have found online. This is to prepare for my future hippeastrum experiments in hot and humid Singapore.

Timeline to Prepare for Forcing:

"Time to dry the bulb: 1 week
Time to store in fridge: 8 weeks
Time to expect blooms: 4-5 weeks

So suppose you want to have blooms for Lunar New Year, you'd need to start the process at least 3.5 months ahead, around mid-September.

The bulb to force should not have bloomed during the 8 months preceding to the time you start the process. "

http://www.greenculturesg.com/forum/index.php?/topic/27147-amaryllis-and-hot-weather/

"From planting out a barebulb (i.e. removal from fridge and put in pot with minimal soil) to flowering, it took 34 days. "

http://www.greenculturesg.com/forum/index.php?/topic/849-amaryills-flower/

So this means, assuming CNY is in mid February, I will have to start drying the bulbs beginning November.

Begin Forcing:

Step 1: Stop watering. Dig the plant out of the soil, or pot and wash off all the dirt but leave the foliage and roots in tact.

Step 2: Hang the bulb, upside down, in the shade to dry for 1 week.

Step 3: Trim off the dried out foliage, leaving a "neck" of about 3cm above the bulb. Allowing the foliage to dry with the bulb lets the nutrients in the leaves return to the bulb.

Step 4: After 1 week, wrap the bulb in newspaper and place it in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator for 8 weeks.
Also, don't store any fruit (especially apples) or vegetables in the fridge during this time lest the bulb can be damaged by the gas from the ripening fruit. I wanna try putting the dried bulb with perlite and place in a sealed ziploc bag to protect against ethylene gas, but I'll only try this when I have multiple bulbs to experiment on.

Step 5: After 8 weeks, take the bulb out, clean off any dried roots and leave behind those whitish, still-fresh ones.

Step 6: Place the bulb on top of a glass of water, with the whitish roots dangling in the water for 24 hours. Take care not to let the basal plate touch the water lest it might get rotted.

Step 7: Plant the bulb, which by now have all the whitish roots swollen up, in a pot of good potting soil. Remember to water the pot of soil thoroughly before planting and not to bury the whole bulb in the soil. Pot should be about as big as the bulb only. And the bulb should be sticking out of the surface of the soil.

Step 8: Place the potted bulb in shade, but don't water for 2-3 days. After these initial days, water sparingly until you see new growth. This new growth, if appears from the side of the bulb, is a flowering scape. If it appears at the center of the bulb, it's new leaf but soon the flowering scape will follow.

Step 9: Move the potted bulb to a brighter location and water as needed.
If everything goes right, you will have blooms from 5 to 6 weeks after planting.

Forcing without Cold Temperatures:

Step 1: Dig out bulb and leave to dry in shade.

Step 2: Keep in a cool, dry environment of around 20-28C for 1 month.

Step 3: Repot when scape appears.

Step 4: Water every other day.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/amaryllishippeastrum/msg041141032759.html

Post Bloom Care:

Step 1: Remove faded flowers to prevent wasted energy on seed formation.

Step 2: Transfer bulb into a bigger pot containing well-drained soil and place in direct sunlight.

Step 3: Maintain a regular watering regime (water once every 2 weeks. Better to underwater than to overwater) and use those pink granule fertilizer. Bury the fertilizer into the surface of the soil to prevent runoff. Maybe fertilize every 14 days?

Step 4: Allow bulb to continue growing until mid November to begin the forcing cycle all over again.

Credits:
http://www.greenculturesg.com/forum/index.php?/topic/27147-amaryllis-and-hot-weather/
http://tuysonvien-whereigarden.blogspot.sg/2010/03/forcing-amaryllis-to-bloom-for.html
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/amaryllishippeastrum/msg0115405127688.html?2

How to Harvest Seeds:

Step 1: Wait for the stigma to separate into the 3 sticky stigma before taking the anthers and dust with pollen.

Step 2: Also take pollen from the anther of one bloom and dust the stigma of others (because I heard it makes stronger seed ) the blooms fade within 2 - 3 days after you pollinate them and I don't remove the drying blooms, waiting for them to dry up in place and fall off.

Step 3: Watch seed pod as it turns from bright green to duller green or greenish-brown. When the pods begin to split open, cut the pod off just below the pod itself. This will take a 4-6 weeks. For Worsleya hippeastrum, it will take 5 months for seed pod to mature.

Step 4: If the stalk and the pod begin turning yellow before maturing, cut the scape near the bulb, turn it upside down, fill the hollow scape up with water, turn it back right side up with the thumb still covering the open end of the scape, and place the whole thing in a glass of water to let it mature. Change the vase water every 3 to 4 days.
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/amaryllishippeastrum/msg0118202414452.html?25

Step 5: Place the pod in a dry, safe place for a few days to dry off.

Step 6: Check for viability by holding each seed up to a light source and look for an embryo, which will look like a squiggly line inside the seed sheath of skin.

Step 7: Remove the seeds from the pod to store or plant them. Store them in airtight containers in a fridge. Label with scientific nomenclature: "seed donor" (mother plant) x "pollen donor" (father plant). Seeds should be viable up to 6 months.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/amaryllishippeastrum/msg041140149302.html
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/amaryllishippeastrum/msg1107562718467.html

How to Germinate Seeds:

Step 1: Select a clear glass container with as much surface available as possible. Fill 2/3 with water. Begin with very warm, but not hot, water.

Step 2: Float each amaryllis seed on the surface, either side up. They should not touch, but they may drift to touching and there's no real harm done.

Step 3: Put the container in a place with strong light but not in direct sun. The non-viable seed will sink to the bottom and may be removed. Change water every few days.

Step 4: After a few days, each viable seed will put down a white root. They may even take a month to germinate. When the root is a half-inch or so long, prepare pots with your choice of potting mix. You may make a community pot with several seeds in it, or prepare one pot for one seed. I prefer the latter because you do not have to transplant again nearly as soon. Poke a hole in the potting mix and gently put the white root into the mix, leaving the seed flat on the surface. Green grasslike blade pointing up above surface. Keep soil moist, not wet.

Step 5: Place mix around root. Water gently. Place flats with pots in strong light, but not yet sunlight. Gradually move pots into stronger light. Ultimately, place the pots in the strongest light available, but only early morning or late afternoon sun.

Step 6: The amaryllis will form tiny bulbs that increase as time goes on. A weak fertilizer (Peters 20-20-20 is fine, but diluted from usual strength) may be given every 10 days or two weeks.

Step 7: They do not need to go dormant until they have a rather large bulb. Sometimes a bloom can occur in as little as 18 months, but more normally, blooms occur from 18 months to 3 years. You need move the small amaryllis into larger pots only when they really get potbound. Even then moving them into a four-inch pot will suffice for several years. If the seed are good when you begin, there will be nearly 100% germination with this method. If you keep them moist, but not wet, they will continue to grow and thrive during the crucial first few months. Drying out is not good for the very young plants. They may also be grown successfully under fluorescent lights for the first year or so.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/amaryllishippeastrum/msg0319294623917.html?3

Scent Intensity:

Striped Panther - Strong
Alfresco - Medium
Apple Blossom - Medium
Estrela - Medium
Florence May Maguire - Light Medium
Jewel - Light Medium
Amoretta - Light
Blossom Peacock - Light
Boysenberry Swirl - Light
Desire - Light
Popov - Light
San Remo - Light
Santiago - Light (Blackcurrent/berries)
Splash - Light
Amputo - Faint
Baby Star - Faint
Dancing Queen - Faint
Gervase - Faint
Minerva - Faint
Picotee - Faint (Lemon and rose)
Sweet Lilian - Faint
Sweet Nymph - Faint

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/amaryllishippeastrum/msg0120035431015.html
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/amaryllishippeastrum/msg0114112527741.html
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/amaryllishippeastrum/msg0323254632507.html

Multiple Rebloomers:

Aphrodite
Blossom Peacock
Dancing Queen******
Estrela
H. Aulicum (winter grower)
H. Cybister hybrids (winter grower)
Minerva
Neon

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/amaryllishippeastrum/msg0815024513609.html?50

Constitution of Bulbs:

Elvas - weak (keeps aborting flowers)
Exotica - very tough

Gilmar - susceptible to virus
Limona - tough
Pink Floyd - very weak

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/amaryllishippeastrum/msg1110244317841.html?5

Useful Links:

Mature bulb has roughly 12 leaves:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/amaryllishippeastrum/msg021307586460.html

Guy wintering his bulbs (with pictures):
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/amaryllishippeastrum/msg0911511613156.html?4

Best to leave bulblets with mother bulb until they're sufficiently large (similar size) coz when separated, the bulblets will grow much more slowly:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/amaryllishippeastrum/msg0910021024484.html

Ploidy and Propagation:

Mother bloom X pollen donor

Useful info by user Haweha:

My general findings are:
TET x TET works well. Including self pollination.

Some cultivars however, and particularly pink hybrids do not produce seeds. Appleblossom did generally fail, but its pollen was effective, as was previously stated.

DIP x DIP works well too. But selfing works SELDOM. H.papilio (see above) H.aulicum v.robustum and "Pink Floyd" would refuse repeatedly. "Giraffe" refuses to become mother at all but its pollen is effective (situation like "Appleblossom")
With selfing H.cybister "Chico" I was successful - one season.

DIP x TET works but extremely seldom.
Of my DIPS only H.aulicum v.robustum does produce seeds in a kind of promiscuitive manner

with DIPs and TETs, either. And even with "Melusine" which I strongly suspect to be one of those modern hybrids which carry a triploid set of chromosomes.

TET x DIP never worked for me. N-e-v-e-r. I read much about successful pollinations in this direction, but I am wondering whether accidential self pollination or pollination wit pollen of another TET might have taken place instead.

http://www.landspro.com/forums/showthread.php?4591-Using-Donor-Stigma-to-Facilitate-Hippeastrum-Fertilisation/page4

Amputo - DIP (ovary fertile, success with Misty, Exotic Star, Gilmar)
Aphrodite - TET
Apple Blossom - TET (ovary sterile, self-sterile)

Baby Doll - TET
Baby Star - TET

Black Beauty - TET
Blossom Peacock - TET
Charisma - TET
Chico - DIP (self-fertile)
Christmas Gift - TET
Dancing Queen - TET
Donau - TET
Evergreen - TRI (ovary infertile)
Exotic Star - DIP
Exotica - TET (accepts DIP, TET, TRI)
Fairy Tale - TET (self-fertile)
Gilmar - DIP (accepts DIP, TET)
Giraffe - DIP (self-sterile)
Graffiti - DIP/TRI
H. aulicum v.robustum - DIP (self-fertile outdoors)
H. cybister - DIP
H. leopoldii (white) - DIP
H. leopoldii (red) - TRI
H. papilio - DIP (evergreen clone is self-sterile)
H. petiolatum - TET
H. reticulatum var. striatifolium (pure white distinct strip on leaf. Mrs Garfield as a yellowish diffused strip) - DIP (self-fertile with different clones)
H. x Johnsonii - DIP (self-fertile)
Intokazi - TET
Jewel - DIP (self-fertile)
Jungle Star - DIP (self-sterile)
La Paz - DIP
Lady Jane - TET
Lemon & Lime - TET

Lemon Lime - DIP
Lemon Star - ??? (very ovary fertile, self-fertile)
Lima - DIP (very ovary fertile)
Limona - ??? (very ovary fertile, self-fertile)

Minerva - TET
Misty - DIP
Opal Star - DIP
Orange Sovereign - TET

Party Animal - TET

Pasadena - TET
Pink Floyd - DIP (self-fertile)

Red Lion - TET
Residence (Orange Double Cybister) - DIP
Ruby Meyer - DIP
Ruby Star (Juicy Red, MUST GET) - DIP
Santos - DIP
Showmaster - TET
Sugar Candy - DIP
Supreme Garden - TET
Susan - TET (ovary sterile, self-sterile)

African Violet NOID Buds

Hoho. Seems like the window provides optimum growing conditions for my NOID plant. It has 3 flower stalks at the moment (last stalk is hidden under a leaf)

Hope the draft doesn't dry up the flower buds before they bloom.

I bottom water whenever the pot becomes light (twice to three times a week due to air conditioning and window drafts) and fertilize with this

once a week while watering (one or two sprays into the pot saucer for bottom watering)

Friday, August 15, 2014

Horti Seaweed

I've finally found the Horti Seaweed Extract. It was at hougang mall's NTUC.

Cost me around $4.50. Smells of rotten eggs. I opened another bottle to take a whiff, and it had the same smell. Oh well, hopefully it will work in saving my lavender from root rot.

Places that do not sell this (in case you wanna look for alternative locations. You can skip the places mentioned in this list):

All nurseries at kovan

Cold storage/NTUC at kovan

FEF Thomson/Hougang/Queensway

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Light Wavelength Calculation from Kelvin Rating

3,000,000/K rating = nm wavelength

Peak far red spectrum for best flowering results:

3,000,000/4100K = 731nm

Good growth + flowering = 6500K

Red light range for flowering: 4500K

Interesting diagrams:

http://www.hotwiredgardens.com/pdf/LIGHTING.pdf

Dying Lavender

Zomg it's only been 2 days and my lavender is starting to wither. It's turning brown from the bottom up, and those stems that are badly affect will droop.

I suspect it's root rot. I've propagated 18 cuttings (spread over 5 pots) just in case the parent plant dies. Gonna grow them in different conditions to see which will yield me the highest success rate.

4 out of 5 were potted with 1:1 black peat and perlite.

Worm casting was stirred into the final mix.

Water was poured through until water began dripping from base.

Last pot was leftover oil clayey soil from god knows when.

Cuttings were made along stems of various girth, and leaves near the bottom were removed.

The bottom most portion was cut and then drenched in honey (which acts as rooting hormone).

The cuttings were then inserted into the soil, and 3/5 of the pots were bagged and placed in the shade.

Of the two unbagged pots, I will leave 1 pot in the open (this is the clayey one and it will be hit by the daily rainfall), and the other will be in direct sunlight but out of the rain.

May the odds be ever in their favour!

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Loot from Far East Flora Queensway on 12th August 2014

Notable good loot are:

1.3L organic worm castings

Zagro RTU 21:21:21 foliar fertilizer

White summer oil 500mL

Perlite 5L

Lavandula plant

Update: My Future Indoor Gardening Spot

Hope the the 4500K light will be enough for the plant.

I'm not sure how I'm gonna find back these bulbs when they die. Those Philip bulbs I saw in NTUC didn't state the kelvin colour temperature .

Update on my African Violet

I gave up my twice a week watering regime and am now watering when the leaves are sagging + pot feels light. Look at the new flower stalk!

Upcoming Indoor Growing Area

Just bought two MT-3318 Sound Tech energy saving eye protecting lamps from NTUC Nexx! They're at $38.90 before a 20% off from the bazaar sale.

Look at these beauties!

Bought this Lavandula plant for $15 from Far East Flora Queensway. It has a unique smell even without any blooms! I don't dare to water it too much because I'm afraid it will die from root rot.

I'll have to find a way to multiply my stock hahaha.

Rose Plant Repotting

Repotted my rose plant yesterday after seeing it's leaves get attacked by thrips and soil being infested by ants. Replaced the clayey soil with new fluffy black soil (loam?) mixed with 1:1 perlite. Also scattered worm castings into the mix.

Sprayed white summer oil onto the leaves and soil (over and under leaf).

From the looks of things this morning, it seemed to have survived the repotting!

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

6th August 2014 Plant Diary

The African violet looks good!

I've been watering it daily since Monday, using the bottom watering method. I think I need to reduce to watering it once a week before root rot sets in.

Update: Found a nice website that links the health of the leaves to signs of ailments! http://www.reedsgreenhouse.com/leaves/leaf-id.htm