Mississippi Squad

[Motlife]

On 12/10/2023 at 12:20 PM, JohnAndSancho said:

 

 

Got these guys soaking next to Cham. Radicalis. I can't find anything on Google w/this name. @DoomsDave I think I need your help identifying literally everything in this post 😆😬

Hey mate, the species name for this one should be baronii if you want to find out more about it

[JohnAndSancho]

Welp. I'm killing stuff as new stuff grows. The date hybrid from @Reyes Vargas looks like it's shrivelling up, so I cleaned out the drainage holes in the pot. We'll see if that helps.

 

The larger Washy from @Dwarf Fan doesn't look great either. Also killed one of the tiny babies. 

 

I know these are NOT supposed to be houseplants, but we keep getting low temps in the 30s and these feral cats are... A moderate inconvenience. Also, @Barry I managed to kill both of the Rhapis you sent me. On the plus side, there's more room on this table aka Future Spider Mite Factory now. 

Frees up some shelf space too. These Clivia seem to be pretty fast growers, and the Hedyscepe is getting fat and rooty - I think my next batch of nursery pots will be the clear ones so I can watch the roots do root things. It's gratifying. 

spindle and c. plumosa are still big. My BxLyto is back in the laundry room due to cold low temps again - I need to do more reading on here and just full send and plant it in the spring, really. It had no issues taking full, hot as hell Texas sun for 2 years. 

Ghetto germination station isn't doing much, BUT these Washy Filifera seeds haven't even been in the baggie a week yet and they're popping. Maybe they'll inspire everything else. 

[JohnAndSancho]

I think what I'd like to do with this shelf is line it with heat mats and add some strip/tube style LED grow lights for community pots and tropical stuff. 

I also got this idea for outside stuff - I want to get a wire rack shelf with wheels, and zip tie 6" or 8" pots to the shelves for the same. The zip ties are to keep jerk feral cats from knocking everything over. It'd be super easy to wheel this around into/out of sun and inside when it gets super cold here. I guess it's not that innovative, BB stores have carts like these, but I do need to cat proof everything outside. 

[subsonicdrone]

lately I have been on a bug killing spree

spraying with 10% isopropyl and a drop of dish soap (not antibacterial kind) for spider mites

I've been getting the iso from the dollar store so it is 50/50

so I put 200 ml into spray bottle then top up to 1000 ml with distilled water and then drop of soap.... spray thoroughly daily for a couple weeks

( I don't usually get to it everyday though but I should be)

[JohnAndSancho]

1 hour ago, subsonicdrone said:

lately I have been on a bug killing spree

spraying with 10% isopropyl and a drop of dish soap (not antibacterial kind) for spider mites

I've been getting the iso from the dollar store so it is 50/50

so I put 200 ml into spray bottle then top up to 1000 ml with distilled water and then drop of soap.... spray thoroughly daily for a couple weeks

( I don't usually get to it everyday though but I should be)

Good to know. I'm shocked I haven't had any issues here, at all. I keep the window open most of the time since it's been really nice during the day (50s-60s), but I've had ants in the bathroom and I had to drop my size 11s on a brown recluse the other day. But none of the fungus gnat issues I had in my apartment. 

[Darold Petty]

John,  your Clivia plants won't flower,  or will flower poorly if you keep them indoors all year.  They require a drop in the overnight low temperatures during autumn to stimulate the flowering cycle for the following spring.  Leave them outside down to temperatures of 28F.  Slugs and snails won't damage the foliage, as it contains mildly toxic alkaloids. (no risk to pets). 

These pests will eat the flowers, however.

[subsonicdrone]

good to know about the clivia

my moms clivia has only flowered once and it was right after I gave it some compost tea in the spring

it stays indoors near a sliding glass door 

 

[JohnAndSancho]

On 12/20/2023 at 3:09 PM, Darold Petty said:

John,  your Clivia plants won't flower,  or will flower poorly if you keep them indoors all year.  They require a drop in the overnight low temperatures during autumn to stimulate the flowering cycle for the following spring.  Leave them outside down to temperatures of 28F.  Slugs and snails won't damage the foliage, as it contains mildly toxic alkaloids. (no risk to pets). 

These pests will eat the flowers, however.

I didn't know they were that cold tolerant. It's been down in the 30s almost every night for a while, but I do open the window all day - highs have been in the 50s-60s for a while. Unrelated but the Hedyscepe you sent me is fattening up and pushing it's 2nd leaf already, and it's getting nice and rooty. 

[JohnAndSancho]

More updates - no pics of this, but the Washy Filifera in the baggy are popping like mad. At what point do I need to throw them in pots? When I see green?

Hedyscepe from Darold is starting a 2nd leaf. I haven't done much to it, water it every 10 days or so, it stays cool since it's by the window. I leave the window open a lot when it's not in the 30s. It's also putting on weight so I know it's getting rooty, too. 

Livistonia Decora haven't really done much since the green shoots popped up. Should I move them somewhere warmer? They're by the perpetually open window, too and kept moist via misting and rare watering. 

 

Two in one pic - after almost 3 months, the cutting off my mom's ficus rubber tree is showing real roots. Also, the hybrid date palm seedling from Reyes Vargas is looking really sad. I dunno if it doesn't like the window location or what. I don't over water, it does get misted, and like all of my palms I occasionally wiggle a chop stick around the drainage holes to make sure nothing is clogged or complicated. 

One of the Kentiopsis looks rough, too. It's treated the same as the other, which looks great. 

 

 

Finally, I've got another new baby in the Future Spider Mite Factory - a baby Foxtail from @floridaPalmMan. This is from seed from the late @NOT A TA

I need to throw it in a taller pot this weekend. Lookit that little baby tap root already getting serious. 

[JohnAndSancho]

No pics this time, sorry y'all. But on a personal note, I started a job this week. It's obviously a lot less than I was making running hotels, but my living expenses have also dropped by like $1500 living at my mom's too. 

 

Anyway, plant stuff - SADLINGS. The one KO pictured above still looks rough, the hybrid date looks bad but is still green, and the larger Washy still looks the same. None have spear pulled, other stuff looks good to great. I take that back, one of the Areca Vestisomethings died. It spear pulled. Also my Aztec Gold plumeria has started leafing and rooting, and the other one is dropping all of its leaves, but it's also January. 

 

All of these just look crispy and dried out even though I'm making sure not to over or underwater, everything gets misted at least once if not twice. I've checked for spider mites and see no webbing anywhere, I've shaken foliage over white paper and seen nothing. It's 28 degrees tonight and the windows in my room seem a little drafty at the bottom, I'll caulk those up ASAP. 

 

I've been using a space heater, we try not to run the central heat because the house is huge - there's a big in-wall propane heater in the living room and there's one in my room which is wildly impractical because it'd melt all the furniture but I digress. 

 

Anyway thoughts on why these guys are crisping up? Is misting not enough? Is it the space heater? It seems like my issues started when I started using it. 

 

I've been saving empty 1L bottles for a while and I guess when it warms up, I'll put my fresh Filifera seedlings in those and find a safe spot where hopefully the cats don't bother them. 

[D. Morrowii]

Hey congrats on the new gig John! 
As far as the the palms go as you know this time of year for growing is tough. I’ve brought in some of my tenderest palms and they don't look great either. I’ve lost a couple seedlings and small palms that I’ve got outside in my makeshift greenhouse and my temps have barely dropped below 50 this year. I don’t have any experience growing in the zone you're in but I imagine it would take some acrobatic feats to keep the balance of light, air, heat, soil moisture and humidity right for all those palms. Try to have fun figuring if out and if you need more seedlings let me know. 

[JohnAndSancho]

On 1/5/2024 at 8:24 AM, D. Morrowii said:

Hey congrats on the new gig John! 
As far as the the palms go as you know this time of year for growing is tough. I’ve brought in some of my tenderest palms and they don't look great either. I’ve lost a couple seedlings and small palms that I’ve got outside in my makeshift greenhouse and my temps have barely dropped below 50 this year. I don’t have any experience growing in the zone you're in but I imagine it would take some acrobatic feats to keep the balance of light, air, heat, soil moisture and humidity right for all those palms. Try to have fun figuring if out and if you need more seedlings let me know. 

I'll def hit you up once it warms up a little. In the meantime I've moved all of the more tropical stuff closer to the wall. How is it that the lipstick palm, literally the most sensitive and tropical seedling I own, looks fine when these others look crispy? Lol 

[JohnAndSancho]

Ordered some heat mats this morning, should be here Tuesday. Was gonna get some with adjustable thermostats and everything but I had a really good coupon for the cheap ones, so I bought cheap ones. I've got a few different Sabal sp seeds, maybe get some sprouts before Spring? Optimistic that they'll be more effective than this old heating pad, too. And if things go well enough, maybe buy more and throw them into the Potential Spider Mite Factory. 

 

It's hilarious to me that a few years ago I was just pissing money away buying any and everything, especially stuff I had no use for. (Why did I buy a 50 pack of 2" pots???????) Now this is a poverty operation and I'm literally using pots I found in the woods and gravel from the driveway. 

 

Anyway, still waiting on my tax refund and an insurance check - Plantvine has Chamaedorea Hooperinas in stock again, and every time I've had money they've been unavailable. That'll be my "instant gratification" purchase. 

[JohnAndSancho]

Welp blue big box store has a special on their app. Cat Palm in a 10" pot plus 3 random houseplants in 4" pots for $40ish and free shipping. Costa Farms plants. I miss my old Cat Palm, it was a single and it blew up like crazy despite sitting next to a drafty French Door and being mostly watered from Sancho's leftover water from his Taco Cabana cup. 

Next check we're getting a hybrid cycad and some Dypsis Pembana from Scott aka Gator Ventures. 

 

Gonna need to buy more shelving and grow lights after that 😂

 

 

[kinzyjr]

@JohnAndSancho Glad everything looks to be on the upswing for you!  New job, new palms, etc. 

[JohnAndSancho]

1 hour ago, kinzyjr said:

@JohnAndSancho Glad everything looks to be on the upswing for you!  New job, new palms, etc. 

Preciate the good vibes sir. Still have tons of seeds to sprout, lol could have an Etsy store in the next 2 years 

[JohnAndSancho]

WELP 

 

My order got held up in Memphis for 3 days due to weather delays, so today I opened up a box of very dead plants that all have the look and feel of overcooked spinach. Some of the cat palm stems look ok, but all but 2 are very squishy. One leaf on the pothos is ok, the rest are all very, very dead. There was a heat pack in the bottom of the box, but it didn't matter. 

 

Hopefully I can get through to customer service at the blue big box store and get them to resend. 

[JohnAndSancho]

Welp, I had to drive an hour to return all this dead stuff. I checked the clearance rack and came really close to buying another Cataractum clump in the same condition for $11 but passed. The same low temps that killed my mail order plants probably hit those. They had a couple indoors and bunches of Majesties too, but I'm not in the mood to keep dragging plants indoors every week while hoping the feral cats don't shred them. 

[Paradise Found]

Sorry to hear about your plants not doing so well.  This palm looks cool 😎 what is it?  Chamaedorea?

 

Edited January 28, 2024 by Paradise Found

[JohnAndSancho]

On 1/28/2024 at 12:18 PM, Paradise Found said:

Sorry to hear about your plants not doing so well.  This palm looks cool 😎 what is it?  Chamaedorea?

 

It's a baby fishtail 😀

[Paradise Found]

Thanks I wasn’t sure which fishtail so I had to ask. Thank you.  
 

[JohnAndSancho]

Welp 😥

 

The K. Olivformis went into a Hefty bag. Another of the 3 Areca Vestisomethings went into the bag, and the last one looks like it'll join them soon. I'm pretty sure my big Washie is dead, I'm pretty sure this bromeliad is dead. My C. Plumosa is mad because I just now got around to rotating it.

I'm wondering if it's a temp issue since they're getting pretty good light from these LEDs and the window....when it's sunny anyway. But we aren't using the central heat in this house because it's a huge house, and we're all antisocial and pretty much stay in our bedrooms all the time. But KO's are supposed to be relatively cold hardy? It's not like it's freezing in here. Even when I fell asleep with the window open I doubt it got to 50. 

 

On the plus side, having 2 actual plant heat mats seems to be much better for germination than like, a back and body heating pad. 

 

The palm gods giveth and the palm gods taketh away. 

[JohnAndSancho]

Okie dokie. I bought some stuff. 

 

I bought some wire rack shelving to squeeze into a corner. It's not huge at 18x24x72 but it was like 40% off. I also bought what they called a candelabra something, it's a light socket with a switch and a cord. Gonna hang a grow bulb from the top of the shelf with it. 

Bought one of those tall sideways LED grow lights, too. And some sphagnum moss for seed germination, but I'm not 100% sure on it. Likely gonna buy more coco coir and use that instead. Found a 1.5cu/ft bag of 70/30 coir perlite for like $30. That seems like a good price to me. 

 

For the fun stuff (actual plants), I ordered 2 Dypsis Pembana and a hybrid cycad from Scott/Gator Ventures, and a L. Chinesis and a Philodendron Congo Rojo from the orange big box store. Gonna replace the "Fire Flash"/orange spider plant I left behind, too. Man, I bought that one for like $8 and now they're $40. Smh. I want a Whale Fin too. I'll post pics when everything shows up. And I'll check my seeds and see how they're doing too, I've been sick for weeks with a sinus infection that I can't shake. 

[JohnAndSancho]

Holy Lord this thing is bright. Had a $20 coupon for me so roughly $50. 

https://a.co/d/ebcfTHy

[Leelanau Palms]

29 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Holy Lord this thing is bright. Had a $20 coupon for me so roughly $50. 

https://a.co/d/ebcfTHy

Looks like you're a Jedi ! May the Force be with your palms!

Edited February 19, 2024 by Leelanau Palms

[JohnAndSancho]

Ahsoka the Grow Light 

[Leelanau Palms]

Uh oh, you better get that second light/saber !?! 

Ahsoka Tano:  "You don't have to carry a sword to be powerful. Some leaders' strength is inspiring others."

[JohnAndSancho]

The Palm Gods giveth: Dypsis Pembana and a cool hybrid cycad. 

 

The Palm Gods taketh away: Areca Vestisomethings, Dypsis Cabadae (I really liked these 😭) and a Washy. 

[Leelanau Palms]

Congratulations and condolences.  

[JohnAndSancho]

L. Chinesis arrived today. Obligatory shower pose. It was from United Nursery via the orange big box store if anyone cares. Bigger than I expected 

[Leelanau Palms]

3 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

L. Chinesis arrived today. Obligatory shower pose. It was from United Nursery via the orange big box store if anyone cares. Bigger than I expected 

That is suggestive! Nice looking palm. I won't touch the size comment 

[JohnAndSancho]

Did stuff. Still not a great day to be one of John's palms. Anyway first, with the relatively positive. Washy Filifera are out of the Ziploc bag. Sacrificed 2 of Sancho's water cups (because my dog refuses to drink out of his own bowl, but drinks out of every bowl and puddle he sees) for the 2 healthiest looking ones, and a community pot for the rest that looks like green spaghetti. I expect most of these to die, but I think the tiny runt that barely has any green will be a unit. 

 

Literally seconds after I took this picture, the kittens found the community pot and pulled out 3. 

 

For the sadder stuff, my C. Plumosa.... I don't know what's going on with it. I don't know if it wants to go back outside with the kittens, I don't know if it wants to be repotted... Which it probably needs at this point. It's been fine and then the biggest fronds just started drooping over. While I was outside one almost tore itself off.... maybe I need to rearrange things so it gets more light, I really don't know. It stayed shaded on my patio in Texas for a couple years, and in a perfect world I could keep it outside here except during freezes, but...... Cats. Is it possible that it's still suffering from cat damage and just now showing it? I'm gonna throw it in the shower and see if that perks it up. 

 

Anyway last but not least, I threw some more seed in baggies and I'm not sure I bought the right sphagnum. Sabal Bermudana and something from @DoomsDave that I've already forgotten the name of, but it's close to Erythromycin. 

 

Go Cubs

 

 

[JohnAndSancho]

Ok let's do another mini update. This one I've had for a few years now and never gets any love, my money tree that I named Kendrick Lamar. (great tune, Money Trees) Anyway, I always wanted a taller singular one instead of the braided ones you find everywhere... So I bought a braided one and waited for the other 4 plants to rot and die. Worked out great. It lives in the kitchen window now and is getting super tall (cough cough leggy) as it tries in vain to get sunlight from the covered carport it faces.

 

I had some of @DoomsDave's C. Radicalis stepchildren in a deli meat container marinating. The ones that sprouted earned their freedom into a dingy 4" pot. Their cousins lay in wait. 

 

Tragically, because I have literally zero energy physically or mentally, my new plant shelf is still in the box. I guess I need to do that pdq since 4 more plants (whale fin, orange spider plant, and 2 philodendron) are supposed to be here Monday, along with my new ghetto fabulous light setup. 

[JohnAndSancho]

Ok one more, last one for the day 

 

Potted the cutting from Mom's ficus. @Fusca @ZPalms I have to say that these Wendys cups are superior to other fast-food based planters. They're taller and easier to poke holes in than anything else I've tried. Also I get my Homer Simpson pint glass back now. 

[ZPalms]

32 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Ok one more, last one for the day 

 

Potted the cutting from Mom's ficus. @Fusca @ZPalms I have to say that these Wendys cups are superior to other fast-food based planters. They're taller and easier to poke holes in than anything else I've tried. Also I get my Homer Simpson pint glass back now. 

I don't get wendys often but I'd have to agree those cups have some squishy like plastic and soo much taller 😂

[DoomsDave]

On 2/21/2024 at 1:43 PM, JohnAndSancho said:

L. Chinesis arrived today. Obligatory shower pose. It was from United Nursery via the orange big box store if anyone cares. Bigger than I expected 

Separate them brother! Each in a gallon pot. Harder to kill than Bruce Willis!

[JohnAndSancho]

17 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

Separate them brother! Each in a gallon pot. Harder to kill than Bruce Willis!

😂 I have killed literally everything I've separated. Including L. Chinesis. 

[Leelanau Palms]

19 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

😂 I have killed literally everything I've separated. Including L. Chinesis. 

Sounds like a pathway to abilities many would consider....unnatural.

Edited February 25, 2024 by Leelanau Palms

[JohnAndSancho]

2 hours ago, Leelanau Palms said:

Sounds like a pathway to abilities many would consider....unnatural.

Wait my bad,I didn't separate those. They cooked in a Texas heat wave. I did have some Chinesis sprouts though and I killed them by planting them upside down. 

[JohnAndSancho]

Today's arrivals, I think I'm done for a little while unless I can find some more cool chamaedorea

 

Another L. Weddellanium. I'm kinda nervous about this since it got knocked over as soon as I unwrapped it, and that's what killed my other one. Anyway looks really nice for $36 

 

Philodendron Brasil. Is this variegated or do they all look like this? I know nothing about Philodendron other than HEB had some really nice Hope Philodendron a couple years ago for $14 and I wish I bought one. 

 

Philodendron Congo Red. 

 

Replaced the orange spider plant/fire Flash/whatever that I abandoned. This is really nice! 

 

And last, whale fin. This one is really nice, too. Has a pup that's as tall as the mom. This and the orange thing came from EasyBreezyBotanicals on Etsy.