Sunday, August 30, 2009

Vertical Gardening

Saw this at the Goodwood Florist.
A lot of the nursery selling this white colour container for vertical gardening.
Me too tempted to make one. hahaha...Monkey see monkey do... but 1st must find a piece of wall.

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Coral Bead Plant

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Saw this plant @ Fareast Florist ..very cute and interesting.

Fareast Florist Cut Flowers

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3rd African Violet Plant - Apache Freedom

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Another gift! Just got this from Thomson Fareast Florist @3.80 , limited choices mostly purple and maroon colour flowers left.

Then before leaving, I pop by to the Goodwood and these are what they have @4.80. But more choices available
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Thursday, August 27, 2009

How to Get African Violets to Flower

Also from the web: http://www.ehow.com/how_2319516_get-africa...ets-flower.html

1. Keep your African violet in the four inch pot it came in. Putting African violets into larger pots will make them grow weedy and encourage leaf growth instead of flower growth. It just won't bloom well in a large pot.

2.Check the soil. If you bought your African violet, be aware they are often planted in peat moss instead of high quality potting soil. These flowers need to be in a rich soil to flower.

3.Water your violet from the bottom. Watering from the top inevitably gets water on the leaves, leading to yellow spots. African violets need to be watered from the bottom to ensure the roots get adequate water. Place the pot in a shallow tray or saucer of water and let it sit there for about thirty minutes. Empty out the water. You don't want the plant to sit in water because that will cause the roots to rot and eventually, the African violet will die. Let the soil dry out in between waterings.

4. Add plant food specifically formulated for African violets to the water. Follow the directions on the bottle. Usually just a drop or two is all you need. A properly fed African violet will produce more flowers.

5.Place the plant where it will get filtered, not direct, sunlight. Because of their compact size, many people place them on sunny windowsills where they dry out too fast and refuse to bloom.

6.Prune suckers as soon as they appear. African violets put out suckers to propagate new plants, but if you don't remove them the mother plant will become misshapen and won't flower. The suckers can be removed carefully with small scissors or tweezers and repotted to grow new plants. Place the sucker in a four inch pot with good potting soil. Water it well and enclose the whole pot in a zipper bag. Use a straw or stick to prop the bag up so it's not touching the baby plant and leave it out of direct sunlight for about two months. When you see vigorous growth, remove the bag and about two months later it will be ready to start producing flowers.

7.Be patient and don't give up on your African violet if all the flowers disappear. These little plants are dormant for about three months out of the year and produce no flowers. Keep watering and feeding it and the flowers will reappear once it's had a rest.

Why your African violet isn’t blooming

Extract from the web: http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/afrviol...3713032083.html

Under the right conditions, many varieties of African violets will bloom year round. If your violet hasn’t bloomed in a while, it may not be getting enough light. Try moving it to a brighter window or growing it under florescent lights. Your violet may also need some fertilizer to bloom. Fertilizer each time you water, using one-quarter of the strength recommended on the package. If you violet has been in the same pot or soil for a while, repotting may give it the boost it needs to flower. If it looks like there is more than one African violet in the pot, it probably has suckers (baby plants growing off the mother). Removing the suckers will help the mother plant bloom. African violets bloom best when they are rootbound. The pot should be one third the diameter of the plant. For example, if your plant measures 12 inches across, it should be in a 4-inch pot.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

The DO NOT for African Violets

Things you DON'T do to an African Violet!
Don't let water get on the leaves, it'll cause dead spots.
Water that is room temperature is not so bad, but I don't do it at all.
Don't allow sucker plants to grow on the main stem of the plant.
Don't try to grow them outside. Don't place them in direct sunlight.
Don't keep them in dark areas.
Don't use any other pot other than a cheap 4-inch plastic pot.
Don't use peat moss. Don't keep your plants' soil wet.
Don't let the plant stay dried out.
Don't leave dead flowers or leaves on your plant.
Don't subject them to sudden temperature changes.

African Violet Blooming continue ...

Unknown Pitcher


Hubby got for me the seeds from internet and this is the outcome of the plant.
Suppose to be a VFT and I do not know what turn out to be like this. Got Con?!?

Sunday, August 23, 2009

My Garden Today



2 pots of orchids bloomed.
Propagation of African Violets see some sign of hope as there are plantets appearing after growing it with pertile.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Gift from Darling


on 18th my darling brought me a pot of African Violet. Although it is still in green, by next week I would know what colour flower it has. Stay tune for it. :)

Friday, August 14, 2009

Balcony gardening



Small garden with a mulberry plant, 2 pots of orchids and an African violet plant.

Propagating of the African Violet

This is what I have it the office for propagation. It did have some sign of roots growing, but do not know what the leaves have patches of brown on it.

African Violet growth as of 13 Aug




Still have a few flowers not bloom yet.
But I do have a prroblem as the leaves seems to be quite small as compared to when I brought it from the nursery. Wondering if it is due to the environment that is HOT and not COLD.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Adenium update

Adenium plant that Dad for me...



Adenium plant that I grew from seeds...

Mulberry Tree update

Jambu Air (Syzygium javanica) or Rose Apple - Green Type

My loving partner gotta me last wednesday and only last weekend then I have a chance to take a photo of it. It aleady comes with lotsa of flower buds, but some still dropped out when transporting in back home. :( Let see how it will grow.. hope can give me those sweet sweet Jambu.


African Violet Blooming - Part 2



Some of the flowers start to bloom, however seems to be much small in size as compared to i initially brought them. Wonder if it is due to the temperature, I have it on the balcony which have hot air due to sunlight most time.

Monday, August 3, 2009

African Violet Growing Tips

LIGHT. Adequate light is most important for abundant bloom. Any window that has strong, bright, light is good. Most gesneriads prefer bright light, but not direct sun. Which window provides this will depend upon climate, season, and your particular home. Grown under florescent lights, plants will nearly always be in bloom. You can use shoplights found at your local department store, and place bulbs about 18" above standard African violets and streptocarpus, and 10-12" above miniature violets. Keep lights on 12-13 hours a day.

WATERING. Use room temperature water, when the soil surface feels "dry to the touch". Plants may be watered from the top, from the bottom, or by wicks.

FEEDING. Regular fertilizing is needed for maximum growth and blooming. Follow "constant feeding" directions on the container, usually about 1/4 tsp. of dry fertilizer per gallon of water (follow instructions on the package for feeding every time you water). A balanced fertilizer, such as a 15-15-15 or 20-20-20, for example, is best. Feed each watering.

ATMOSPHERE. African violets and most other gesneriads thrive in the same conditions in which people are comfortable--not too hot nor too cold, with 40-50% humidity.

SOIL. Use a light, "soil-less" mix, consisting of at least 30-50% vermiculite or perlite. When buying a prepackaged mix, don't believe the "violet soil" label! A bag of a good soil mix should feel like a nice, fluffy, soft, pillow. Most commercial mixes are too dense and heavy, and will need to have perlite and/or vermiculite added. The wetter you plan on keeping your plants (such as wicking), the more perlite you will need to add.

GROOMING. Except for trailing varieties, do not allow extra crowns ("suckers") to form on violets. Streptocarpus, episcia, and other gesneriads can be grown multiple crowned. Remove old, yellowed, leaves and spent blossoms.

POTTING. Most flowering houseplants will need repotting into fresh soil every 6 months or so. When repotting a violet, remove some of the bottom of the root ball and lower into fresh soil to cover the bare trunk ("neck"). Pot into larger pots only when root ball fills pot, never into a pot more than 1/2 the diameter of the plant. Shallow pots are best.

PROPAGATION. Use very light rooting media. For violets, cut the leaf stem at 1/2" to 3/4" and push down into lightly moistened mix. For streptocarpus, remove midrib from leaf, then firmly insert two halves (rib or center-side) down into media, like "slices of bread in a toaster". Leaves can be protected by placing in a clear plastic bag or covered container. Place in moderate light and separate and pot "babies" when they are big enough for you to comfortably handle.

What is Mini African Violet?

These days I came to know about there is something called mini african violet and after doing a search this is what I found between the different classification of the african violet.
Standard African violets when mature, will exceed 8" in diameter. In practice, most grow to about 10-12". When grown for exhibition, they can exceed 18-24" across. We grow only those varieties that we deem superior to others in growth habit and bloom.

Miniature African violets When mature, miniatures grow to less than 6" in diameter, semiminis to less than 8". With proper culture, actual plant size can be much smaller in practice. Because these are small-growing plants and have small root systems, never use a pot bigger than 2 1/2" in diameter.

Trailing African violets Have a naturally crawling or spreading habit. They produce branches or "runners" which then often grow along the soil surface, rooting and branching as they grow. They can be grown either as ground-covers or as hanging plants. Though their leaf size will remain constant, the size of the plant is limited only by the grower. Care is identical to that of other violets.
Spreading plants that can be grown in baskets or as ground covers

Based on the above definition, now I know my plants is a Standard African violets that is easily available in the nursery.

Miniature and trailing African violet hybrids (All 'Rob's' varieties)are proven, show-quality plants that grow and bloom readily, even under less than ideal conditions. They are bred to shape nicely, bloom continually, and typically will have unusually colored and larger than average-size blooms. All do well under either artificial or natural light.

Here is a samples of the Rob's varieties that I found on the web - Mini African Violets:
Rob's Ice Ripples
Rob's Gum Bubble


Rob's Combustible Pigeon

Rob's Boondoggle