Easing Back to Greenhouse Mode

It's too hot even with shade cloth to keep much in the greenhouse in summer. I kept 2 tomato plants going but they can't set fruit above 90º so they just grew vines.

 This tomato has bare stems up to 5 feet. Old Leaves turn brown and are cut off. I saw photos of the tomato trees at Epcot and decided I could do that, too.I just opened up a board or two on the shelves so the vine could grow up and be supported. It eventually got taller than the shelving.

 Some PVC pipe and a strip of hardware cloth improvised a trellis of sorts for the vines which were falling down among everything else. I did some pruning and now we wait to see if fruit will set when the weather moderates just a little more.

Notice I'm bringing in Bromeliads: Tillandsia cyanea above. Below is a Bilbergia I bought about 4 years ago for $1.25 after it had bloomed and the original plant was dying. There were three pups. They bloomed for the first time after I put a ripe pear beside the pot and let it rot.

Bilbergia. Rabbit's Foot Fern at right is new this year.

Bilbergia pyramidilis

 The big tomato in the corner grew in every direction. When I was cleaning the old foliage off, I had to give the vine in front of the fan a haircut where it was growing into the fan blades.

I think it kind of likes growing across and down. I hope we'll see tomatoes this winter.

Some of the trimmings went into a glass jar to see it they'll root. The jar went into a cache pot to help stabilize the jar. Behind is an Episcia, new this year and blooming for the second time.

Episcia in bloom

Something is chewing on the Episcia leaves and I saw frass. There must be a little worm feasting on it, maybe a moth larvae.

Pink and White Pentas cuttings took a whole year to reach blooming size. They will bloom through the winter and be ready to plant out next spring.

Our first frost date will be here soon. Still have cuttings to take and jungle cacti to bring in. I did manage to fill 2 pots with Agapanthus that will stay outside until the first frost hardens them as instructed by Claus Dalby.

Did I tell you that I gave away the white Agapanthus that I grew from seed? The friend who brought me the Rabbit Foot Fern and the Episcia among other things took it home with her. She sent a photo when it bloomed. I'll post when I find it again. The joy for me is in the growing.

Pink Quill

Pink Quill has not only a pink quill but a blue blossom.

I was so excited when the 3 pups from Tillandsia cyanea that I left in a single pot each had a Pink Quill bract. Something (probably a squirrel, perhaps a falling limb) broke one. Today I discovered a blue bloom.

The second pink quill does not yet have a bloom, just color.

The blue blooms are not long-lived but the pink quill will 

persist for weeks, blooming the occasional blue flower.

Once the quill bract dies, the plant will grow pups and die.

Tillandsia cyanea is one of my fav Bromeliads.

No Blooms in the Greenhouse for Bloom Day

The only thing blooming in the greenhouse is a lanky tomato plant. The temperature is too high for fruit set so it just gets taller.

Outside, Tillandsea cyanea has bright bracts but no blue blossoms as yet.

Most of the greenhouse plants summering outside are waiting for cool weather or short days before setting buds.

You Can't Keep a Good Neoregelia Down and other Bromeliad Excitement

When the two oldest Neoreglias gave up their pups for potting, I tossed the near-dead old plants aside and ignored them, meaning to take them to the compost bin. Today I noticed that one lying on its side on the ground had some still-pink leaves.

Further inspection revealed a pup.

Dear to a grower's heart.

I set it up and gave it a drink. I'll leave the mother plant until the pup gains size.

Some of these were repotted this week.

There are 8 smaller pups potted up and growing.

Whatever will I do with all these, come winter?

Fortunately I decided not to separate the pups on my other Bromeliads.

I repotted the cluster of 3 Guzmanias into a square pot today.

Tillandsia cyanea, also a group of 3, has bracts. As the quills 

grow, they will produce blue flowers eventually.

Thursday Throwback: Tillandsia cyanea

Tiny Tillandsia cyanea in a 3" pot, Early December, 2012

May, 2013 after the bloom bract died, tiny plants commenced to form among the leaves, unlike some bromeliads that have pups around the base next the root.

Eventual repotting gave the growing plants room. In the interest of conserving greenhouse space I left all four in a single pot after I read that was okay.

Early June, I moved them out under trees. Yesterday I was wondering if they were happy there. I looked closer and discovered a sure sign of happy, happy.

 Three of the plants have bracts forming.

Pink bracts have blue-purple blooms when they reach maturity.

 If this is an ideal spot, then of course I moved the Guzmania out there, too.

No sign of a bract here. 

Maybe I should bring Neoregelias over here, too.

The long container of Persian Shield and Purple Heart kept blowing over so they are moving elsewhere to plant in shady soil where they should be happier too.

Neoreglia Bromeliad and Pups

Some months back, the Outlaw Gardener showed us a couple of Bromeliads that were on a sale rack that he considered buying. At the time, I thought it best that he passed up these really good buys. They looked something like this:

or maybe a little worse, like this.

Both the above are my same plants, weeks apart. One of these two is my first plant, the other was a pup. The original has continued to throw pups as it slowly declined. I went from one Neoregelia to 8, just potting Pups.

Here's what could have cinched the deal, had Peter looked underneath the leaves:

After a Bromeliad blooms, it commences to die but during the dying process, it makes Pups. This one has 5, the other has 3. The first time my original Neo had Pups, I removed them and thought the plant would die but it went on producing new plants.

 These 6 Neoregelias were in too much sun and some leaves suffered sunburn. I made them portable so they can follow the shade until we find the ideal spot.

Usually a grower takes the pups off the mother plant when they are about 1/3 the size of the parent. If they're left in place, the old plant dies off, the leaves can be pulled or cut and the Pups fill the pot.

I left the Pups when my original Guzmania died off, 3 pups filled the pot very well. I left them in a single pot because, as you can see, my house of Bromeliads commenced to fill very quickly.

The Tillandsia pot has 3 or 4 pups. They were interesting to see develop as pups started from within the thinner leaves of the Tillandia cyanea rather than beneath. My luck ran out with the Vriesia. Developing Pups declined and died from neglect and no more appeared. I like Neoregelias in separate pots, or maybe I could put 3 in a row in a long container before winter. None of these Bromeliads can winter where there is frost.

 I wish the Outlaw Gardener had thought to check under the leaves of the Neoregelias he saw on sale. There may have been a whole family of Pups under there.

Outside for Summer, Line Up for Haircuts

Burro Tails and Mistletoe Cactus. I saw these displayed together on Martha Stewart's blog. Of course her burros have 4 foot tails and the Rhipsalis matches that length and there was a Selloum Philodendron.

My mistletoes would be happier in bigger pots and I will oblidge.

 Last year this was a single Tillandsia cyanea, now three. The stem from the bloom of the original plant is just visible in the center. I gave it a tug; it is firmly attached. I like these Viet Nam pots. I put the Cycad seedling in one that matches this one. It is already outside with the Christmas Cactuses.

I brought over one of the pots of Chlorophytum comosum, Asparagus densiflora 'Myersii' and a white Begonia from the Front Garden. I've had this pot for more than 30 years. The patina is real.

 Purple Heart and Persian Shield have almost outgrown their planter. A haircut will do the Setcreasea good, getting those bare stems off. There are more of these in the greenhouse. Sometimes I get carried away with cuttings.

Another candidate for a haircut: Firecracker Fern. This Rusellia also has split ends. Its graptopetalum companion has some leggy stems, too. If there wasn't a water source very near, I would never have brought all these out so far from the house to seek shade. 

I've far too many plants in pots and lots of them are asking for division or haircuts and rooting the trimmings. I am afraid to pick up any pots of Christmas Cactus -- I know they have roots sticking out of their drainage holes. I bumped up a half dozen that were in really tiny pots.

My immediate goal is to get everything out of the greenhouse before the temperatures get really unbearable.   

Stormy Weather

The weather radio alarmed after 3am, warning of a tornado watch. I let the dog out before the rain which was not far off. By good daylight there were severe thunderstorms.

I went out when the rain let up to see if jungle cacti were still secure on their summer patio. The blossoms mostly are gone off the Easter Cactus in the green pot but the large one in the left bottom corner is intact. 

I checked my rain gauge which collected an Inch or water.

Yesterday before the rain I planted out 23 Chartreuse Alternanthera. I did not plant the 3 Porterweeds nor the Joseph's Coat Alternanthera that will go with them.

I meant to directly plant marigold seeds between tomato plants which are now clean of Toadflax and Poppies. I did get irrigation drip pipes into place and gave tomatoes a drink yesterday before they totally wilted. This inch of rainfall and all that nitrogen in the air should give them a boost.

Activity in the greenhouse is almost nil except for assuring that nothing gets too dry. I am eager for this cycad seedling to get big enough to go in a square pot.

 I repotted a burro's tail and some Graptopetalum together. I don't think I like it. The pebble trays are cleaned and replenished for giving humidity this fall. I haven't decided what to do with the Tillandsia on the right. The original plant produced 3 pups and I have not divided them. They take up less room as a unit. Maybe just a bigger pot? I think they're usually found as singles because it's more lucrative to sell three instead of one group. I think they're okay to grow in a crowd.

While there is little planting going in here, there's plenty of  activity. 

A Look Back at April in the Greenhouse

 

 

 

A look back and a look forward.

 

Easter Cactus bloomed late. Maybe we'll call it a Mother's Day Cactus.

 

Perhaps we chould use the botanical names of all these epiphytes; my cactuses that are designated as Thanksgiving Cactus by some growers because of the segment shape bloom precisely at Christmas. I call them Christmas Cactuses even though they're not the old Christmas Cactus my Mother grew.I can remember Schlumbergera but Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri does not roll easily off my tongue.

 

I spent time setting up a stepped bench for the cactuses in the greenhouse today. I think they might be happier spending the summer out on the north side of the greenhouse rather than trying to keep them cool inside. All those little rooted pieces are turning into a bigger collection that I expected. A good plan might be to set out a row of Gardenia cuttings on the north side and make my temporary benches behind the Gardenias so they are less vulnerable to pet traffic.

 

The little Kalanchoe cuttings are suddenly 8 inches tall and it is a long time until Christmas.

 

 

 

Bomeliads are needing a summer home, or should  they stay inside under mist?

 

Tillandsia babies will be ready to pot before summer is over.

All the tomato seeds sprouted, Cassias are sprouting, another legume for butterflies.

Only one Pride of Barbados seed sprouted. There's still time for the others. Outside, I have 7 Caesalpinias that returned from roots. Two are established plants. The other five are second year seedlings that I hope will bloom this year.

There's a fat bud on one of the Agapanthus outside! It took forever last year to get a few blooms. These are starting early after a mild winter in which the tops were not killed back.

I think I saw two tiny Tithonia seedlings today and I am sure of Madagascar periwinkles coming up thick and fast. These two do not have to be started in the greenhouse here, reseeding in place.

 

I noticed today that there are tiny tomatoes on a volunteer I let grow in the new flower bed on the south side of the greenhouse. We'll have 'Tommy Toes' for salad and then I'll pull it when the Lantana beside it gets going. I have only one white Lantana plant. I'm waiting for white blooms in the front garden so I can take cuttings.

 

Many of my chores were outside. I gave the self-seeded petunias a haircut to keep them blooming and get rid of the seed heads of the rye grass in that bed. I pulled a few weeds, too.

 

I moved an Echinacea, moved some 'Sweetness' daffodils, transplanted some striped Cannas. It doesn't seem like much when I'm doing little chores but they add up. We got sprinkles of welcome rain, hardly enough to run me inside. Tonight it's raining again. 

 

Indoor Greenhouse Plants are Moving Outdoors

Before the rain started, I planted out 5 Brugmansia cuttings, saving 2 to give away and one to plant in a large container.

 

Brug awaiting potting.

 

Last year's Brugs are starting to put out new growth from the roots.

Underneath the Brugs, I'll put Purple Datura seedlings with White Daturas below

them, layering by size.

 

I never meant to become a Bromeliad collector. Starting out with just one, then another, as they put on pups, suddenly I'm growing bromeliads everywhere.

This Tillandisia was a tiny thing with a pretty pink paddle with blue blooms.

The blooms have finished and pups are forming in the center.

Pups forming around a Bromeliad Guzmania.

 

 Easter Cactus Rhipsalidopsis that failed to bloom on our schedule is putting on buds for a season of bloom. Someone gave me this beautiful Cactus. I have an intermediate size that I rooted and a smaller rooted cutting -- another collection along with 5 colors of Schlumbergera. I'm delighted to have all the Christmas Cactuses in season. They just need maintenance the rest of the year.

Angel Wing Begonia Blossoms

 

My Begonias are turning into a collection, too. I cut off the tops of some leggy Angel Wings back in the winter. The tops rooted, the original stems put out new growth. Suddenly I have a pot full of new. I'm looking for more, different.

 

 

Night Blooming Cereuses -- another collection

Epiphyllums have lined up on an improvised bench under shade of a Juniper tree.

 

Am I becoming a plant hoarder?

 

By the way, I cleaned the Cycad seeds and planted a half dozen, just to see if they sprout.