Current Plants

As a reference for future posts, I wanted to keep a record of all the plants that I have and have had.  I will make a pre-emptive strike and say I've only managed to "kill" one type of plant.  Ever.  Damn carnation seedlings.  Oh well.  So much for "I can't kill plants if I try".  I'll wait until I'm better able to provide better light and growing conditions.

Indoor and houseplants:

0.  Two 24" fluorescent growlight bars.  One chromish metal wire shelving unit.

1.  Croton - unsure of what Walmart does, but the soil hasn't dried out all week.   Their is a decomposable "bag" the roots are packed in, and it might be what helps retain moisture.

2.  Dwarf Cavendish Banana - saw this at a local Publix and thought, "wow that looks sad".  It is now under the lights.  At first it lost two of its lower leaves, but it seems to enjoy its placid place in my apartment.  It grows slower than it could, but I'm not terribly disappointed.  It's growing that's what counts for now!

3.  Aloe (most likely vera) - Gift from my family.  Smallish.  Got a bacterial infection that I had to slice and dice for to get rid of.  Sad, but I got some free lotion from that....  It seems to be doing okayish, but I want to give it more light.

4.  Fittonia - this was actually my very first plant.  Grows moderately fast in a lowish light.  DRINKS water, I swear!  It's a little leggy, but I love it.

5.  A hypoestes-like redpink plant - just got it.  Doesn't mind me so far.

6.  Doritaenopsis orchid - I got it when it had about four bloom pods.  Three fell off due to blast.  The fourth one BLOOMED OH MY GOD YES.

7.  Onion - found an onion at the grocery store that started to sprout.  Amused and amazed, I took it home.  It's already grown a quarter inch since I put it in soil.  Yes I AM crazy.

8.  China doll - bizarre behavior.  Wilts and then explodes somewhat randomly.  Perhaps I should expect it.  I have repotted it from it's original little Walmart starter cup.  I can see myself repotting it yet again in other six months.

9.  Ivy - for some reason, it barely even grows.  In the past four or so months, it's grown about ..... 10% of its original tiny size.

10.  Peperomia - somewhat slow but remarkably steady growth.  It even bloomed.   Flowers are .... unattractive, but the plant itself is cool.  I've already repotted it.  Twice o_O

11.  Gynura aurantiaca - I have a quadruple Purple Passion plant that I got on clearance from my nearby Pike's Nursery.  After being repotted, it has quadrupled in total size in only three months.  I only say this because one of the four has grown by a factor of......who knows....ten??

12.  Unknown plant - unbelievably nondescript.  No markers.  It was only a dollar.  And is now sloooooooowly dying.  I will rectify this.  But that requires knowing what the hell it is.  :-|

Outside:

1.  Rubber tree - started out indoors, but the summer sun's angle prevented sunlight from getting to it, so....outside.  It it on a covered patio and receives about 4 hours of direct sun.  I know this is slightly too much, but since it's surviving, it beats dying from no light at all.  As it's my largest plant (but not the most expensive, amusingly), it shades a few of my others.  I seems to like it when I clean every single leaf, but probably frets over my obsessiveness.  What a team we are.

2.  Coffee - tried to give it partial shade outside to speed up it's rather slow growth.  That worked!  Unfortunately, the lower leaves were starting to burn, and I'd rather not risk the plant.  It'll be back inside before sunset tonight.

3.  Dendrobiums - I have two of these finicky things, and both are a story unto themselves.  The first was found at a local Super Walmart stripped of its soil, laying on its side for God-knows-how-long underneath one of the unlit trays of plants inside in the Lawn and Garden section.  Needless to say, I got a price reduction.   The second one had its flower spike snapped off!  Incompetent fools.  Or maybe not, as I ended up buying it - the purple flower this one makes are un-be-lie-va-ble.   Currently, bother are on the patio and shaded by the Rubber tree.  Precarious situation, but it's working.  I can't *believe* I managed to save orchid number one.

4.  Daphne - Two of them now, but at first, I got a flowering one back in March.  They smell like fruit loops!  And they look elegant.  And they like me.  I noticed that Monrovia has chosen its soil very well, and my daphnes don't seem to mind staying in their starting pots....for now.  Interestingly, they branch at the flowering points.  Here's hoping for much larger showing next year!  Though currently out of bloom, they are enjoying their stay being shaded by....you guessed it.

5.  Gardenia - I was a FOOL and started this Walmart plant inside.  Idiot!  Gardenias are famous for dying inside.  The web is literally littered with rants and eulogies to the pretty little plants that just didn't like their owners.  I got spidermites within a single DAY.  Yikes!  It is now happy in a new bigger pot.  And double the size.  Outside.

6.  Catnip - mother gave it to me hoping that it wouldn't die.  I may never get the chance, as it prefers full sun, and the only place I can provide that is outside.  Where it serves its obvious purpose.  Oh well.  At least the two stray cats nearby LOVE me.

7.  Minirose - I think I got this one at Walmart - looked purdy enough.  It grows rather quickly, and I had to stake it cleverly with well-placed chopsticks and twist-ties.   As those who have experienced these things may know, mass-produced mini-rose plants are planted in about fours, and in a single pot.  When repotting, it does well to remember to move the root systems apart from each other.  Sadly, it was a recent victim of a leafcutter-like bug.  It took me a whole day to realize that the bushes are trees near it that weren't mine had every since leaf chewed on.  And only a couple leaves of my Gardenia, and nothing else.  I hope I didn't cause it =O.  My rose system likely wont fully recover for another month.

8.  Strawberry - not sure why I like this, as it's so unexotic.  Then again, who really ever grows a single strawberry plant?  It's doing well, has and has had a total of about 8 flowers now, and it looks like I'll be getting a STRAWBERRY HARVEST OMG.  I Will likely surround the entire plant with a fine-mesh case after everything sets fruit.  Obvious reasons.

9.  Stargazer lilies in pots - the first time, I just got a plant from Kroger.  Amazing.  I purposely got one with the most unopened buds.  And they all performed.  Just amazing.  Sadly it passed, and I realized that it CANT END THERE.  I then got three bulbs, a large pot, and some Hyponex soil (more on that later), and waited a month.  Up comes green shoots through the soil!  Three months later, I have four buds on each stalk, and possibly more on the way.  Exciting!  The bulb from Kroger might be used again in the future!

10.  Confederate Jasmine - amazing fragrance.  Nice leaves.  Likes a lot of water and a LOT of soluble fertilizer.  I probably should be feeding it again right now :-S .  Not really sure about growth.  It seems to be about the same size.  Perhaps vegetative growth waits until the flowers are gone?

11.  Dracaena like thing - small little plant.  Seems to take abuse.  The little pot was knocked over, and it even lost half its soil!  I should repot and take better care of it.  Hasn't changed at all in several months.

12.  Dead carnations - not really sure what to do with the pot.  The two carnations that managed to survive for a month will be laid to rest in my version of an Arlington cemetery (cries).

Next post.....the seeds I'm attempting to start.  Wise....or not?  Next time!