tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83461504874999130892024-03-13T20:38:07.724-07:00My GesneriadsMy Gesneriadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323753498165417975noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8346150487499913089.post-51692974089407716592013-06-19T02:41:00.000-07:002013-06-19T02:41:26.456-07:00Streptocarpus and the making of more beautiesGood morning everyone and I hope you are having a happy June!!!<br />
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Lots happening here, Streptocarpus in bloom, African Violets in bloom and lots of hybridizing attempts occuring. I have some nice crosses coming along and it is one of the most enjoyable pastimes anyone who loves plants could take up. Having lots of Streptocarpus in bloom at the same time means, apart from all the watering and dead heading, you can choose the parents of your future beauties more easily. Once the seeds of the crosses are planted it seems an age before you can see your results. I am sure the buds on Streptocarpus tease me in the length of time they seems to take to open. Even when they are nearly open you cannot really tell what the flower will look like. I have been fooled many a time by what I thought was going to be a two toned flower and it turns out to be a solid colour. I have been known to peek inside the bud by forcing it open. I should not do this really and must learn to be more patient. I will post some photographs of some of my crosses so you can have a look. I hope it might tempt others to have a try. It was years of growing Streptocarpus before I tried to hybridize. This was mainly as I bought some seeds once a long time ago from a well known auction site. These seeds were of 'Crystal Beauty'. Well on growing the seeds out, I think I planted them all at the time, when the plantlets finally bloomed I was so disappointed to say the least. All the flower heads were split. I threw them all away into the compost bin and didn't think of ever trying to 'make my own'.<br />
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My passion in Streptocapus came from my dear old Mum, she grew them on her windowsills, propagated by inserting leaf into a coontainer of water, quite successfully I may add. By her love of these plants I am where I am today, I expect she is looking down on me now saying 'Oh not more!' I can thiink of lots of other hobbies though that would cost me a lot more money.<br />
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Well thats enough of my rambling, I will find some nice photos to show you all.<br />
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Happy growing, if you are attending the Gesneriad Society Convention in Toronto I will see you there. I would like to say at this point a personal thank you to the society for their organisation of this event. It has taken the worry of planning the trip over to Canada away from us. I am looking forward to seeing all the Gesneriads, meeting friends in person for the first time, and of course seeing Niagra Falls!!!!!!<br />
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Warm wishes and green fingers<br />
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Marion<br />
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Babcary<br />
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Isle of Avalon<br />
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Tilly<br />
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Streptocarpella Eyewell</div>
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Luella</div>
My Gesneriadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323753498165417975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8346150487499913089.post-76586879001665962922012-07-13T09:50:00.000-07:002012-07-13T09:50:51.102-07:00SuppliesAnyone wanting any Streptocarpus cross seeds or Petrocosmea leaves or bits of Streptocarpus leaves or African Violet leaves please let me know on mazrus@aol.comMy Gesneriadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323753498165417975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8346150487499913089.post-78158029786662200432012-01-06T01:28:00.000-08:002012-01-06T01:28:54.670-08:00New Year and High hopes<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Happy New Year to all friends of Gesneriads out there, I sincerely hope that you all have a wonderful growing year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I cannot believe it has be so long since my last post on here, where does the time go!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I have lots of projects on the go with help my friends both in the UK and those in distant lands. I hope one day to be able to meet up with these friends so there will be Gesneriad talk 24/7. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I have been trying my hand at hybidizing with a few glimmers of hope in the form of seed pods maturing. I have had success in crossing Streps, Petrocosmea, Sinningia and Streptocarpella. I have fingers and toes crossed that something exciting will come from these crosses. My only wish is that I started this quest years ago which would have given me a lot more time to experiment. I find Sinningia the easiest to cross and the quickest along with Streptocarpella, Streptocarpus and finally Petrocosmea which seem to take an age for the pods to mature. I have had no luck with African Violets as yet but have been sent some seeds from a cross a friend in Scotland managed so excited waiting for those to germinate. I have obtained by purchase and by being given a lot of micro miniature Sinningias for which I will surely need a new pair of specs before attempting crosses on them. A host of Streptocarpus leaves that I obtained last summer are now blooming their little heads off in my conservatory. The beauty of each and every one that comes into bloom is awesome. My particular favourite in this batch is Feathered Silk which I will add a photo later. I find that Petrocosmea HT-2 makes a wonderful pollen parent in that the pollen sacs act like powder puffs when squeezed with tweezers. Anything that makes the whole process easier is a bonus!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I will continue to post more photos as and when I get them and I promise not to leave it so long in between posts,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Best wishes to you all</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvDkRlgfKjCzBDSuGaiLy-_vjuoPvc5S3Mwtdilk05VNPIDVC9H5DB0W4-nl3Ffi2O7CsihG8NDHsDpIbWftrPtOfIsoHALak-itP5FgKpokgZJRUFC9S2nNpTjoYcjrJZ1oTjJlcLI_y/s1600/DSCF1002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvDkRlgfKjCzBDSuGaiLy-_vjuoPvc5S3Mwtdilk05VNPIDVC9H5DB0W4-nl3Ffi2O7CsihG8NDHsDpIbWftrPtOfIsoHALak-itP5FgKpokgZJRUFC9S2nNpTjoYcjrJZ1oTjJlcLI_y/s320/DSCF1002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Streptocarpus Feathered Silk<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOwIzESbJWivBu_fo69-AhJObVTlmrPHI2wnU4TtyrVhD0P46yffzGVzSOkjCZ3Fu3h19NbNNz-PJ-rzqZ5nUg01moRR2BOTBzioZP53tvebrVVK1szoXL77gNKBi5EgUkq55BJZou9ASb/s1600/DSCF1004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOwIzESbJWivBu_fo69-AhJObVTlmrPHI2wnU4TtyrVhD0P46yffzGVzSOkjCZ3Fu3h19NbNNz-PJ-rzqZ5nUg01moRR2BOTBzioZP53tvebrVVK1szoXL77gNKBi5EgUkq55BJZou9ASb/s320/DSCF1004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Streptocarpus Justa<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0MWjjtGv4zcGQ4_Rt2kVzgPYgFCPW1IgCMa8V2WGILDSlrRWtwhrtMB4t-8J8rRsTUWVhEXoiebPKAcyajUXciOhBigfd6y2WVhoNFcpUvdGEPktzqOZpNcaVjC0lUrOBlmeBOb6Ws5q/s1600/DSCF1003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie0MWjjtGv4zcGQ4_Rt2kVzgPYgFCPW1IgCMa8V2WGILDSlrRWtwhrtMB4t-8J8rRsTUWVhEXoiebPKAcyajUXciOhBigfd6y2WVhoNFcpUvdGEPktzqOZpNcaVjC0lUrOBlmeBOb6Ws5q/s320/DSCF1003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Petrocosmea Keystone's Angora<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOUuwFXyH0CYK9dj2hXxZ_HFQu67OcTnu7p6Dh_5frG6ksX6VtOC-757fpHuvqLyvAW1EZ9LJwcrOXn1n-lHnl5THZwHhxF1VO6fTNGsJsvmf1OjmvLG5Orpe1oDx6Mr3XEevQ23PE6a5/s1600/DSCF1005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSOUuwFXyH0CYK9dj2hXxZ_HFQu67OcTnu7p6Dh_5frG6ksX6VtOC-757fpHuvqLyvAW1EZ9LJwcrOXn1n-lHnl5THZwHhxF1VO6fTNGsJsvmf1OjmvLG5Orpe1oDx6Mr3XEevQ23PE6a5/s320/DSCF1005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Petrocosmea Keystone's Angora<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqBTW27VC4E1jjkvMMDtVdSGpWQZQunV8PLlVAPV_F1i7Uktoewg0m4HtGkDeJunkXQKXdl4yw3iFyHs3La2MhclpwgH3XCbMjKYSCtYLqKwGT8adk0wcuC55v2KIPLi1uQn9F9z2RlLr8/s1600/DSCF1704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqBTW27VC4E1jjkvMMDtVdSGpWQZQunV8PLlVAPV_F1i7Uktoewg0m4HtGkDeJunkXQKXdl4yw3iFyHs3La2MhclpwgH3XCbMjKYSCtYLqKwGT8adk0wcuC55v2KIPLi1uQn9F9z2RlLr8/s320/DSCF1704.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Petrocosmea Fluffer Nutter<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGD9eJoSxYzbh69fD6AmFsTYY82zqmd5WwaknA8xz3zw6EeF5z1NdCp4D75_i1g2eJ5KElEB7GCWXm2mJalVhVDtizUhzOuPpU48n3cmMhcjsiom6ZeUvO4iHWNaI4w8aH1_E6RzxJvvo8/s1600/DSCF1001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGD9eJoSxYzbh69fD6AmFsTYY82zqmd5WwaknA8xz3zw6EeF5z1NdCp4D75_i1g2eJ5KElEB7GCWXm2mJalVhVDtizUhzOuPpU48n3cmMhcjsiom6ZeUvO4iHWNaI4w8aH1_E6RzxJvvo8/s320/DSCF1001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> Streptocarpus Indigo Dream</span>My Gesneriadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323753498165417975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8346150487499913089.post-43836277327744155832011-06-20T12:40:00.000-07:002011-06-20T13:07:48.720-07:00Everything in Bloom except the Petrocosmea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhjjUptLR9z5eWixVOv6v53i8COwffcQJ7joxI2o7eo0FRxwrryZC9V7WFsQ9CR_-U702xK5ko7nw4M0hJqzcbU0ptkShDiyYAVTu1BvKBS0Ku_WVpO6_RIUQbbIvexKuUukh3P-ss28a/s1600/DSCF1508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhjjUptLR9z5eWixVOv6v53i8COwffcQJ7joxI2o7eo0FRxwrryZC9V7WFsQ9CR_-U702xK5ko7nw4M0hJqzcbU0ptkShDiyYAVTu1BvKBS0Ku_WVpO6_RIUQbbIvexKuUukh3P-ss28a/s320/DSCF1508.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg409aYfGgxAB4j7AM929NYZISgdc5AMahs6zAD8I5uPX3dl9atLSPavsKG-sopO1-HR1prFmnHSuLuixm8m3tkE8NhJN76ySqmY-2iwuTXw1l5B68PQfq3nKRyr55kreaXH3FqEingLmUW/s1600/DSCF1509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg409aYfGgxAB4j7AM929NYZISgdc5AMahs6zAD8I5uPX3dl9atLSPavsKG-sopO1-HR1prFmnHSuLuixm8m3tkE8NhJN76ySqmY-2iwuTXw1l5B68PQfq3nKRyr55kreaXH3FqEingLmUW/s320/DSCF1509.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsT8CEiHMfrnblYqfFTRaD7lQBarfj6FnMU9q6AuMu856clPG_r1R2pNP1Rjsm8QiiXuSVo0_RFcbDJiZ2jee4CWqtcyC5R8mlcP1OVJJxKtZjhWNTqofs-MlkVcbvHLDYQ1jstk5N7Tro/s1600/DSCF1504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsT8CEiHMfrnblYqfFTRaD7lQBarfj6FnMU9q6AuMu856clPG_r1R2pNP1Rjsm8QiiXuSVo0_RFcbDJiZ2jee4CWqtcyC5R8mlcP1OVJJxKtZjhWNTqofs-MlkVcbvHLDYQ1jstk5N7Tro/s320/DSCF1504.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Well everything Gesneriad wise is in full swing except for the Petrocosmea. I have so many Streptocarpus in bloom I cannot keep up with the dead heading. I have some lovely Russian ones coming along and they are certainly very different. The DS-Mirage and DS- Mysticism and Sashenka are stunning and I have attempted a couple of crosses with their pollen. I am not that brilliant with the seeds once they are produced so fingers crossed I can get something worth while with these. I have sown some seeds of a cross of Streptocarpus Very Nearly and Harlequin Blue but as yet nothing is appearing. I sent some seeds to a good friend in the States in the hope he can get something out of them. Only once have I ever got any Streptocarpus seeds I have sown to germinate and then they were very dissapointing and ended up on the compost. The seeds were bought from an auction site and were from Crystal Beauty x Self. When the plants produced flowers they were very weird and split open. It did put me off a bit but now with my friends all producing such wonderful crosses I must try and get to grips with it.<br />
I made a terrarium on the 8th March this year and planted it with Sinningias and Petrocosmea. I made it from an aquarium which I bought especially for the project. It is now crammed full of flowering Sinningias and is a lovely feature of my lounge. It is a dark part of the room so the lights are on for 12 hours a day. The lights were in the aquarium when I bught it and one is blue and one is white and they certainly seem to make the plants grow.<br />
Weather in the UK today has been very wet, after we had months of no rain it is really welcome. I do hope though it does stop at some point and we get back to some sunshine. <br />
Happy Growing everyone and Happy Summer Solstice...XXXXMy Gesneriadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323753498165417975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8346150487499913089.post-51987890874475236812011-03-27T02:41:00.000-07:002011-03-27T02:41:50.004-07:00Pricking out Petrocosmea seedlings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnrbQc27O_qxZD-ITW4_PqX0WaCNleOMsR2TuwEYitSwNZD1WHdhb2RytiYR7nieq6gAhL9cyXswEIuQ7Rw1VbaHzAlsZ2LssRgHTNbLz5OUlnVdGbBdRZd1F9eRfIeCL3MJ5LXJesmWi/s1600/DSCF1292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnrbQc27O_qxZD-ITW4_PqX0WaCNleOMsR2TuwEYitSwNZD1WHdhb2RytiYR7nieq6gAhL9cyXswEIuQ7Rw1VbaHzAlsZ2LssRgHTNbLz5OUlnVdGbBdRZd1F9eRfIeCL3MJ5LXJesmWi/s320/DSCF1292.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBBQlxZBu6zqWWeYOxKWXImCBPlnucAykyWfgOYjd2sffdvVRk1zo_ADDsUoA-0Ruazceu0S8VVTAGIdKkrI0G7nb45Y9ZiVqZHJNzkOg8w6vrDWPBPQgINtBURNs_jkvTCIM2nSFeOkOZ/s1600/DSCF1294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBBQlxZBu6zqWWeYOxKWXImCBPlnucAykyWfgOYjd2sffdvVRk1zo_ADDsUoA-0Ruazceu0S8VVTAGIdKkrI0G7nb45Y9ZiVqZHJNzkOg8w6vrDWPBPQgINtBURNs_jkvTCIM2nSFeOkOZ/s320/DSCF1294.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil97uWvou8I6KjI-D5EcqWUZng_Yks_tcejmqnd-pqnuR6wEY07SYUPUjluevDh7DLXBs08ovBHoTwDqCnPwXSrKAhlUyvPvBxd-Lj4FgQIXEX1ZdcpMkCoCIVhQNbMRNa9LVHFZoJW4EO/s1600/DSCF1301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil97uWvou8I6KjI-D5EcqWUZng_Yks_tcejmqnd-pqnuR6wEY07SYUPUjluevDh7DLXBs08ovBHoTwDqCnPwXSrKAhlUyvPvBxd-Lj4FgQIXEX1ZdcpMkCoCIVhQNbMRNa9LVHFZoJW4EO/s320/DSCF1301.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI46A14YmW4X_VavP24WevPJXTYi4L0zPQMG8kmy7_9RGZQ3q_ci_-HSbKjIpOPR89aaS2v-dWaqAAocsrXicoZD9dgOwbbpsY37d-HOhnVY51rnTodlXfCvRaAIQbVC1XJSR334AVZyq4/s1600/DSCF1302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI46A14YmW4X_VavP24WevPJXTYi4L0zPQMG8kmy7_9RGZQ3q_ci_-HSbKjIpOPR89aaS2v-dWaqAAocsrXicoZD9dgOwbbpsY37d-HOhnVY51rnTodlXfCvRaAIQbVC1XJSR334AVZyq4/s320/DSCF1302.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Well the time has come to try and get some of the minute Petrocosmea nervosa seedlings into a bigger home. I have not been looking forward to this task as they are still so small. I thought the best way to do this is with a toothpick. I put some Perlite into a plastic container and on the top put some soil mix made up of Perlite, Vermiculite and houseplant compost. I used more Houseplant compost in this mix as the Perlite is much bigger than the seedlings and didn't want to over shadow them. They came apart quite easily surprisingly and they seemed to stuck onto the toothpick. I have left some of the mass of seedlings in the side of the new container in case the others don't make it and I can try again. I have covered with cling film and left them in the conservatory where the seeds have been in their little specimen jar since sowing. Good luck little ones, grow well!My Gesneriadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323753498165417975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8346150487499913089.post-68444675749971776212011-03-04T00:57:00.000-08:002011-03-04T00:57:52.116-08:00Petrocosmea seedlings at lastAt last! I looked at my third attempt on getting my Petrocosmea nervosa seeds to germinate this morning and they are! These seeds were planted in a specimin pot in ordinary houseplant compost. Well there they were, as you can see from the photo they are just beginning their lives. These were planted on the 11th February so it hasn't taken long at all really. The other two specimin bottles also containing another batch of nervosa seeds are still doing nothing, these were sown on the 4th January in Sphagnum moss, and the other in normal sowing mix i.e. 1 part houseplant compost,1 part Vermiculite and one part Perlite. The latter in the Perlite I am not too sure whether there are stirrings or not as the Perlite is turning green as it does. The latter two pots have been kept in cooler conditions in a North facing window, the one that has germination taking place is in my light stand with a lot of other Gesneriads.<br />
Spring is coming here in the UK at last, although we have frosts at night it has been sunny during the daytime. Streptocarpus are showing lots of new growth, African Violets are looking pleased for themselves also. <br />
I will keep posting the progress of the babies and hopefully I can keep them alive!!!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ckCJ_R6f2gB7olTPe3s18IOIBByfAAKaTEPweJZky7gZjNk8L9UiNdghsasuEEDiaIXFSu4ZcjcCdE9N_jwv4yZkwz1F47sm6avuD8HlQ-GGFtxTAMQyz1UTk-X3ZDCNjcfhbK6T75CZ/s1600/DSCF0969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ckCJ_R6f2gB7olTPe3s18IOIBByfAAKaTEPweJZky7gZjNk8L9UiNdghsasuEEDiaIXFSu4ZcjcCdE9N_jwv4yZkwz1F47sm6avuD8HlQ-GGFtxTAMQyz1UTk-X3ZDCNjcfhbK6T75CZ/s320/DSCF0969.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>My Gesneriadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323753498165417975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8346150487499913089.post-57530783663772313442011-01-09T05:47:00.001-08:002011-01-09T06:26:27.014-08:00Making more Petrocosmea and Streptocarpus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRtjxwcmkCRq57ZWh6ME5Ilan9U9I-gRQH2gtciVHzFnKS7FZEI_UIdUQsgvgyKr7Bk1Ta5HUto3Rq8XjMRcVpcCDP8lFgGRExiddhcaYc8Ng76ik2Yw7Fx_Gu4QZNofiDOJ4d5osMdqW/s1600/DSCF0909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRtjxwcmkCRq57ZWh6ME5Ilan9U9I-gRQH2gtciVHzFnKS7FZEI_UIdUQsgvgyKr7Bk1Ta5HUto3Rq8XjMRcVpcCDP8lFgGRExiddhcaYc8Ng76ik2Yw7Fx_Gu4QZNofiDOJ4d5osMdqW/s320/DSCF0909.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGh_mfInxkByXBi0KYxljRIY-w03Ll0XZFErAsrt9CkXZ2zPd0QOAShLpXVG7HH65dIwUwKcQHXfZ-uB30-J-omSpNlbq2skTW4NAFe-JbCHY4DMP2iFFHUDOLvc5IgxMLwM0ndNxip1Gt/s1600/DSCF0935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGh_mfInxkByXBi0KYxljRIY-w03Ll0XZFErAsrt9CkXZ2zPd0QOAShLpXVG7HH65dIwUwKcQHXfZ-uB30-J-omSpNlbq2skTW4NAFe-JbCHY4DMP2iFFHUDOLvc5IgxMLwM0ndNxip1Gt/s320/DSCF0935.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Well it is the 9th January 2011, the sun is shining here in the West Country UK and I felt like working on my plants. I have had a Petrocosmea forrestii leaf with babies on for some time now and to tell you the truth it isn't a job I relish taking them off. The problem is that they seem very delicate and when I take them off I usually manage to break a lot of leaves off too. I have been told to let them dry out so they are not so brittle but when I usually feel like doing the job they are always quite damp. I have taken photographs so you can see how I did it and the finished results. I have also taken photos of some Streptocarpus Mother leaves with her babies and some more Petrocosmea leaves that are just starting to produce babies. To divide the Petrocosmea babies off of the Mother I used a craft knife, a blunt one! I managed to get 5 or 6 babies some really small and they probably wont come to much. I transplanted them into a plastic trifle dish in 1 part houseplant compost (Homebase) 1 part vermiculite and one part perlite, there is a half inch layer of perlite in the bottom. The Mother leaf was in a plastic flowerpot in this container when she produced the babies, so I thought I would put them back in the same humidity. The lid is another trifle dish upside down. I have added a photo of some of Daniel's Sinningia seeds after transplanting too :). The last photo is of seeds of Sinningia muscicola they are very small and I just watered them....All in all an enjoyable hour or two!My Gesneriadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323753498165417975noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8346150487499913089.post-59804079621258860992011-01-04T01:17:00.000-08:002011-01-04T01:17:14.961-08:00I have Petrocosmea seeds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQMpZI6zvW9Z2cKUpLfgwmqdOtm3SPnrTEBD51dthdnnS8FQncH-ik4DQdgg_1oXIMaskKyOCy2CnmlUCLT1MOW5vhrhc5PmrMWRZn3Ka0MA8pj9v5IsdlcPUAd-iuYiGuNnkVDB2szDnn/s1600/DSCF0881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQMpZI6zvW9Z2cKUpLfgwmqdOtm3SPnrTEBD51dthdnnS8FQncH-ik4DQdgg_1oXIMaskKyOCy2CnmlUCLT1MOW5vhrhc5PmrMWRZn3Ka0MA8pj9v5IsdlcPUAd-iuYiGuNnkVDB2szDnn/s320/DSCF0881.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh2PW8x3x9CMh2BHOYF0ZGkpl0CbnKQQhVB72RoW27ZknJhEBzJtBibghqI4yGcGlq9BNF5sSGQ9c2APAmJ3t712J0bXqADZMjtkuIqhuRfUp15hxlGVjCL6ZxJ3wap8ThdDIXToHRXBRa/s1600/DSCF0899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh2PW8x3x9CMh2BHOYF0ZGkpl0CbnKQQhVB72RoW27ZknJhEBzJtBibghqI4yGcGlq9BNF5sSGQ9c2APAmJ3t712J0bXqADZMjtkuIqhuRfUp15hxlGVjCL6ZxJ3wap8ThdDIXToHRXBRa/s320/DSCF0899.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>At last I have found a seed pod on my Petrocosmea nervosa. I thought all hope of getting any this season had gone. I was watering this morning and there it was, a little pod. I have had little pods before, but they had nothing in. I expected the same with this one, but on getting some paper towel out of the cupboard and gently opening the pod there they were. I will sow the seeds today and now the next puzzle is what to sow them on. Shall I use the normal seed mix of one part compost one part vermiculite and one part perlite? Or shall I sow them on damp NZ Sphagnum moss. Maybe I will hedge my bets and put some on each. Having got this far I don't want to fall at this hurdle and use the wrong method. 2011 is turning out to be a great year in the Gessie dept already, long may it continue...Good growing everyone...My Gesneriadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323753498165417975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8346150487499913089.post-36900976204403565402011-01-03T11:17:00.000-08:002011-01-03T12:05:16.309-08:00A New Growing Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfB_oKboInxdVKigz2qPnT1PcD8x5cwbGNEN1ydj0JRyH5g7EldTLeDTGpyKomkrDDAy20giewQ7apSIiSZXlNfCb0Fthy5LVm5vh6GHP1eF7QPEb0NqVnynqMKRYvFIMj8t9LF76uei_P/s1600/DSCF0891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfB_oKboInxdVKigz2qPnT1PcD8x5cwbGNEN1ydj0JRyH5g7EldTLeDTGpyKomkrDDAy20giewQ7apSIiSZXlNfCb0Fthy5LVm5vh6GHP1eF7QPEb0NqVnynqMKRYvFIMj8t9LF76uei_P/s320/DSCF0891.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Well here it is 2011 and a brand New Year to look forward to. One of my New Year's resolutions is to look after my plants better. I have made steps to do this during the last few months of 2010. I now do not keep weak plants in the hope that they might recover. I now compost them and although I still hate doing this it is the only way. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I have plenty of new to me Streptocarpus coming along in the propagation department. Petrocosmeas that I have received from friends all over the globe, Sinningia seeds are coming along nicely. I am not usually very good with the seeds I sow apart from a batch of Streptocarpus seeds I planted a couple of years back. I gently nurtured these seeds expecting Crystal Ice and when they bloomed I had big disappointment with the flowers. They were split and distorted nothing like i was expecting. I think in a way that put me off of growing from seed. I and a few others in our forum recently acquired some Sinningia seed from a friend in the U.S.A. Well that has aroused my interest in seed sowing again as we are all eager to see these little beauties develop. The rate at which these seeds are sprouting may mean that the whole globe may be covered with beautiful Sinningias by the end of the summer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Petrocosmea are now starting to again look very nice, especially P.minor after her long spell covered in blooms. She started looking a bit tatty with all the flowers going over but now I have removed the stems...no, no seeds pods were found, drat and double drat!!! She is looking top notch. I have tried to pollinate all of the Petrocosmea I had in flower but no luck with seed pods at all. I will try again this year when hopefully nature will give me another shot. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">My African Violets have continued to bloom away in this horrible winter we have had in the South West of England. We had below freezing temperatures for weeks on end and had a couple of weeks with snow on the ground. It was awful walking on the icy pavements and was safer walking in the road. I have a lovely AV Starstruck that is so beautiful. Wranglers Swinging Blues is so impressive I am delighted with the length of time that the blooms have been on the plant. AV Storm's Eye is another brilliant performer and will try and propagate some more this year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I have no Streptocarpus in flower at all at the moment. I find it difficult to keep their conditions just right, a fine balance between too much water and not enough. Luckily they don't seem to mind too much when they go limp and I give them a little drink again to perk them up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Well to all the Gesneriad growers out there......Happy New Year and good growing x</span>My Gesneriadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323753498165417975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8346150487499913089.post-55191679569874823082010-11-15T11:50:00.000-08:002010-11-15T11:50:43.481-08:00Looking Good<span style="color: #7f6000;">Well all were looking good when I went around watering earlier. I wish I could wave a magic wand and make Spring come. My African Violets that are under lights which were borrowed from my daughter are certainly looking better. It was very cold here last night -2C. The Av's in the conservatory under a large grow light that lights up the whole street are looking good too. I have a few Petrocosmea leaves in that grow stand too. Also have Sinningia seeds growing well in an old ice cream container. Streptocarpus leaves that were put down also in ice cream tub are starting to show bunny ears and are lovely and green. A couple were lost I think I let them dry out too much. It is a very fine line between keeping them just moist and too wet. I always start off by just putting them in the soil mix and enclosing them I never add any water until about 3 or 4 weeks from putting them down. I am still trying to get some seed pods on my Av's. I think I will stop looking so often then perhaps one day I may get a nice surprise :) Streptocarpus seem so easy to get seed pods from I have a lovely Cape Baby that has about 5 pods on without even doing anything. I love that Streptocarpus as the flowers change colour as they mature so you get several different shades on the same plant at the same time. </span>My Gesneriadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323753498165417975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8346150487499913089.post-55513409629350650222010-11-10T09:36:00.000-08:002010-11-10T09:37:38.620-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSWW67Zhq_gdanXtVoV2_eAYc6wZzCEN9UJ6vufi2qAFX4xIA7XSMBQh9HNburqMf-zdG4KImk_mWPEYc03SyuJ4V8H8XNTmqrGjpqVAl5bQ3VliV1O96zVHqL0I0FbrbwuXIymStTxYu7/s1600/DSCF0882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSWW67Zhq_gdanXtVoV2_eAYc6wZzCEN9UJ6vufi2qAFX4xIA7XSMBQh9HNburqMf-zdG4KImk_mWPEYc03SyuJ4V8H8XNTmqrGjpqVAl5bQ3VliV1O96zVHqL0I0FbrbwuXIymStTxYu7/s320/DSCF0882.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #7f6000; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Well it certainly looks like I have missed the boat with the seed pods on Wrangler's Swinging Blues. I don't think I am very good at this creating a new hybrid lark:( I do however hold out more hope with the Petrocosmea. HT-2 had so many flowers on them that I felt sure they would produce. I took a seed pod off of one of the plants yesterday but after much poking and prodding no seeds could be seen. Petrocosmea nervosa though is also showing signs of producing seed pods. With this Pet I put it in a seed tray with a propagating lid on. In the bottom of the seed tray I laid a towel that had been soaked in water then rung out so it was just damp. I think little nervosa looks very happy in there and I think the flowers are turning their heads up which I am told they do when pollination has taken place. Fingers crossed for me. I AM VERY DETERMINED! Other Gesneriads take no intervention on my part to produce seeds. Chirta Stardust, Dreaming Pearl and Tamiana seem to produce pods like crazy. Same with my Streptocarpus the ones I really want to produce seeds seem very reluctant yet others that I am not really bothered about have pods 3 inches long on them. I think someone out there is teasing me...Come on give me a break LOL!!!!</span>My Gesneriadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323753498165417975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8346150487499913089.post-65909403072327120352010-11-10T02:24:00.000-08:002010-11-10T02:24:18.124-08:00My Gesneriads<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #7f6000;">Well here I am at last with a blog! This morning I checked on my African Violets to see if there is any sign of a seed pod on Wrangler's Swinging Blues which I pollinated a few weeks ago. I can't see anything after a quick inspection will have another look later when I return from work.The sun is out here today after a very cold night. I have tried on several occasions to get some seeds from my special Violets but no luck yet. Well it is off to work now and I must wrap up very warm as although lovely sunny day is still very cold about 4C.</span> </span>My Gesneriadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10323753498165417975noreply@blogger.com0