Starting From Seeds: Roses

I have had some failures and successes this summer.  I tried to grow roses from seeds and that failed.  I tried corn and they aren't looking to good, it was my own fault I started them way late in the season and had them indoors.   It was more for my son, his Aunty gave him a package of seeds and he wanted to plant the so we did.    I know, I know corn isn't a house plant. But I was really hoping the roses would have grown.   I was given the seeds, I really don't like flowers but roses are special, who doesn't like roses.    I read that Mini ones can be indoor plants, however I have bad luck with the mini's. I have killed 3 bushes so far. I See them on sale after Mother's Day, etc.. and say to myself "why not".   I wasn't going to keep these roses inside but love starting things from seeds and cuttings.

I followed all the direction I could find online.  I did some seeds one way and others another way to see if one way worked better.   However, I was not real hopeful after reading that starting roses from seed is very hard.


I gave them more then enough time to start sprouting, I even tried to re-pot and "freeze" them again to see if they would do anything.  But nothing happened.    So my advice to you is buy rose bushes, DO NOT start from seed. Unless you can get hundreds of seeds don't waste your time.


                                                             

A Few Facts About Snake Plant

This plant spreads by creeping, its stiff leaves grow up from a basal rosette.  Mature leaves are dark green with light gray-green cross-banding and usually range from 28–35" long and 2.0–2.4" wide.
It converts CO2 into oxygen at night. This plant also filters formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, toluene, and benzene from the air. 

  tolerant of low light levels and irregular watering

To propagate you can cut a leaf and place in water or cut a section(roots and all) off a place in pot.   I use the leaf in water method to bulk up my snake plant, as the babies grow off the leaf in the water just break off and place in soil of main plant.  One leaf will just keep giving you babies. I had one for over a year, it only died when we moved out of state. 

De-crowding My Snake Plant

While re-potting my plants I decided to break up my Snake plant. It was getting a little crowed. I know they like to be crowed but it was going to hard to get them all back in the pot.     I took a lot of it out but there was still a bunch left, I hope it it still happy after losing some of its buddies.   On the plus side I now have two Snake Plants. 

New Soil For 2014, My Plants Are Very Happy

 

I had put this off a little longer then I wanted too but finally got a big bag of soil for these poor plants.  I got all but a few done in 3 days but lost my ump to do the remaining 4 or 5.  You don't realize how many you have until you're changing soil. I was pleasantly surprised to see good roots  on some of the cutting I had recently put in dirt. It is so fun to see how the roots looks, sometimes you have a big plant you expect to have lots and they don't.   I also moved things around a little, trying to make some more walk room in the my "plant area", I am still hoping to get some out of that room and put around the house but light rules.  So they stay where they are for now.  I need to make some hanging planters for the plants that can hang, that wold make a little more room but with me that will just make me get more plants.

I have some cutting for my mother-in-law, she lost a lot of her plants when she moved. So I thought I would be the good daughter-in-law and help her replenish her stock.  I don't know when we will be making a trip across state lines but I hope to have some ready to go when we do.   A local friend on mine is supposed to come pick up some Spider Plants from my last batch of babies that are in soil and ready to go, but she is a busy person and hasn't come yet.  I have some new Spider babies in water so I need the room, cause they don't stay in the water too long.

      This is just half of what I cut off, I am worried about the main Spider Plant cause it doesn't seem to be growing the babies as fast as it did last year. But it is still early in the year so we will see. I may end up having to keep some of these babies. 

No Luck On Trying To Start Another Apple Tree In My Frig

I have been trying to reproduce the Apple Tree sprout that I found in my frig awhile back but no luck. I thought I was doing the exact same thing as before but I was not trying before.    I was hoping to have one growing and ready to plant outside before it got to hot but that isn't going to happen this year. I will keep trying and if it grows it will just have to stay inside until next Feb- March.

My Ficus Tree Is Growing Good

I really love this Ficus Tree, not only because I started it from a small cutting but it is so much like an outdoor tree that it really brings an outdoor feeling inside.  

I have seen videos about how to prune these trees but I never have. I would like to try and start another tree to give to my mother in law since her died ( hers was the one I got my cutting from) and maybe one for myself too.

I moved it next to the fish tank in the living room, I have been trying to spread my plants around the house since most are in one room.  I was worried because there wasn't much direct light  where I placed it.    However I was hoping the light from tank and opening the curtain around 2pm would give it enough light.  

We have since moved the fish tank so the plant got moved too but it seemed to be fine where it was.  I have heard Ficus Trees need lots of light but I have found that to be hogwash.  Mine does just fine in low-light areas.    

My False Aralia Hasn't Taken Its Winter Break.

Before winter started I began to worry about this plant, it was getting tall and stringy.  I moved it up off the floor hoping to make fill out on the bottom.  I thought if it wasn't stretching up to get light the plant grow more leaves around the base.     Will reading about the False Aralia I found out it likes humidly and they suggested putting a water tray under it.  One like you would use for a Bonsai Tree.

So I got a planter saucer from a pot that is bigger then the one it is currently in, had my son go outside and gather up small rocks.  I also had some left over yellow aquarium rocks.  I washed all the rocks and put them in the saucer, then placed the False Aralia's pot (without its saucer) in the bigger saucer with rocks.    When you put water in the rocks you do not want the water to touch the plants pot. If it sits in too much water you will have rotting problems.  

This has made my plant fill out, its looks good and healthy now. I recommend you do it for your False Aralia.

Tips:  If you are going to be watering the plant do not put water in the rocks until after you do. If you put water in the rocks then water your plant you could end up with to much water in the rocks.  

I check the rocks everyday (or have my son do it), keep water in there.  Fill even if your not watering your plants.

Will My Plants Survive My Mono

Over Thanksgiving I was surprised with Mono, and I will say getting that at 27 was horrible.  I had no energy and could barley take care of myself so my plants were the last thing on my mind.   In the four weeks I was bed ridden I think i gave them water once.  However I am happy to report that they all survived. Some even seemed to like being water deprived.  I think the timing was good since it is winter.  If it was spring/summer I think they would have dried up in the heat.

 It does make me want to get some of those watering globes.  My mother in law got some as a gift but never put water in them so I am not sure how good they work but if they could be the difference between life and death for my plants.   The ones they sell on tv are called Aqua Globes, I am sure they have other brands.     I bet if I look online there is instructions for making some.  Heck I might not even need to Google it, it is a simple concept.   But the glass globes would be prettier then plastic bottles.     Now that I am feeling better that is on my project list. I will keep my eyes open for some Aqua Globes on sale just in-case my home made ones suck ha ha.





 

Still Waiting For My Custom Painted Terra-Cotta Pot

My sudo-sister is a great artist. She has an Associates Degree in Art and does custom paintings, tattoo designs, etc... in her spare time.  So I thought it would be great to have a one of a kind painted pot from her.   I bought a small Terra-Cotta pot and saucer and gave it to her sometime last year and I am still waiting for her to paint it.  In her defense she has had many other paying jobs to do so my non-paying project has taken a backseat to those.       It has kind of become a joke when we see each other now, I say "have you started my pot?" and she says" No, not yet" then we laugh.     However I know when she does get it to me it will be beautiful!

I have been reading about how we can seal it so the paint says,  when we get there it will make a great post for potsofluv.com.