Tired of goodbyes and lasts; looking for hellos and firsts.

Posts tagged jade plant

Crassula Ovata.

Jun01
2011 Written by Mullenkedheim
crassula ovata

So, after the quake, my jade plants, all of them (big and small) were all over the place, and I couldn't be bothered, and they were barerooted in poor situations for about a week. I couldn't find two of the baby ones (found one later, it had fallen into and made a home in the passion fruit pot) but whatever. The large ones picked up once I replanted them and stuff. This particular one lost a couple leaves, but the top, the growing tip was fine. For some reason, though, despite the growing tip being fine, it's BRANCHING EVERYWHERE. Instead of two leaves it's always two leaves and a branch. I dunno why. Stress, something else? It's kind of bizarre.

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Gardening Sunday: Succulents and Cheap Plants OH MY

Nov29
2009 Written by Mullenkedheim
Succulents

Succulents

You may remember that I’ve been trying to get jade plants and christmas cacti to grow from leaves for some time now.  I decided to put them all into pots of soil and move them to the bedroom where they’ll get a bit of sun, and see how that goes.

The tiny jade plant leaf I had in water never really rooted, but when I popped it in the soil, I noticed that it had grown two tinier leaves, so maybe it’ll do alright.

Christmas Cactus

Christmas Cactus

Christmas Cactus

Christmas Cactus

The Christmas Cactuses had rooted quite well, so I tossed one in soil and one in hydroculture.  The jar I chose for the hydroculture one isn’t best, though, as it’s difficult to tell the water level, but we’ll see anyway. The one in soil has a bud that I really ought to pinch off (it’s still just one leaf — I don’t see how it can safely survive a bloom), but I don’t think I will.  I’ll take my chances.

In other news, I LOVE buying plants at the Daiso, the 100yen shop.  Once a month or so I’ll pop in and have a look at their plants near the door, and they always seem to have a selection of interesting plants, for just 105 yen, so there’s no harm in picking one up. If it lives, I’ve added a new, interesting specimen to my place; if it dies, I’m not out much.

Lucky Bamboo

Lucky Bamboo

Coffee Tree

Coffee Tree

I picked up the silk jasmine in this way about a month ago. This time, I’ve picked up a “lucky bamboo” (which is neither lucky nor bamboo), and what is allegedly a coffee tree.  Who has a coffee tree plant? Seriously! It’s a bit of a rarity, and that’s why I picked it up.

I do hope the jade plants do well.  And the christmas cactuses.  And those Aloe Nobilis cuttings I planted way back!  They’re still not rotting or wilting or shrivelling or anything. But are they rooting? Short of (1) seeing new growth or (2) pulling one of them out to see what’s going on, I don’t really think there’s any way to tell.  Patience, I guess.

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Gardening Sunday: Flowing Through the Jasmine in my Mind

Nov01
2009 Written by Mullenkedheim
Silk Jasmine

Silk Jasmine

Sunday! Gardening! Plants! Woo!

Avocado

Avocado

At the top, you can see the tiny “silk jasmine” (or, miniature orange jasmine, murraya exotica) which I picked up for 105yen at the Daiso the other day because it was cute.  It will apparently bloom and smell strongly, eventually.  Internet says it’s good for bonsai making, but I don’t really think I’m patient or stable enough to be embarking on bonsai silliness.  I’d like to one day though.

Baby Snake Plant

Baby Snake Plant

Next up, my avocado is doing well… I think!  Just recently it’s started getting this brown stuff on its stem.  Can I assume it’s “bark” or lack of a better word? Or is it moments away from imploding in a gooey mess of blech? :(   I’m also not quite sure what this dealie at the top is. It’s not a new group of leaves, or if it is, it doesn’t look like it.  Can’t be a blossom, can it?

Behold! My snake plant had a baby ^_^.  That side of the pot was turned to the wall this week, so it was getting sun from the side, but I couldn’t see anything. Turned it today and was like !!! HELLO TO U!  Maybe I’m not so bad at taking care of plants. Haven’t killed the snake plant yet!

Aloe Aristata

Aloe Aristata

But, on the other hand, maybe I am utter shite.  Here’s my aloe aristata. You’ll remember that my aloe nobilis self-destructed with rot from the inside out a while back.  Now my aristata has brown at the base of her leaves.  YES, the soil is moist there, because I watered her today, but I hadn’t watered her in bleeding weeks, and the soil was utterly utterly dry, so how the hell is it rotting? :(

Jade Plant

Jade Plant

And now back to my propagation attempts.  My christmas cactus cuttings are still rooting in water, and i’ll leave them there a while longer, until they have a goodish root system.  This is my jade plant cutting, which i think, FINALLY, AT LONG LAST, may be rooting. Those look like tiny roots, don’t they?

Of course, who knows how cold my apartment will get this winter, so who knows if any of these things will survive D:. We’ll see, I guess.

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Gardening Sunday: Autumn Begins

Oct25
2009 Written by Mullenkedheim
Davallia Mariesii / 忍

Davallia Mariesii / 忍

Just a brief one this weekend, as there’s not been too much which is noteworthy.

Avocado

Avocado

First, my avocado is doing really really well.  It just keeps shooting up, and it’s a joy to watch every day.  I’m not sure if it’s going to do well in a chilly apartment over the winter, but we’ll see, I guess.

I’m still not sure what’s going on with my jade plant cuttings.  The one in soil has started to shrivel, but I dunno if it’s rooting or not; the one in water hasn’t changed in forever, so I dunno what’s going on there, either.  Oh well, patience, patience.

My sago palm had some brown spots on its fronds earlier this week, and when I looked closer, I noticed TINY MEALYBUGS.  What the hell man, where did you even come from? I MURDERIZED YOU ALL.  So I’m back to being vigilant and watching for them, and spraying with the soap/wine/oil/water mixture.

Jade plant

Jade plant

Finally, my christmas cactus cutting!  I got it back in mid-September, I think, and it’s been in water every since.  There’s been no change at all forever. Every once in a while I’d have to top up the water in its shot glass, but yeah, no changes forever. No roots, no rot, nothing.

The other day while topping up the water with my little watering can, my hand jerked because I’m a spaz or something, and the two leaves went flying to the floor.  I quickly picked them and returned them to the water, convinced I’d fucked them up.

Christmas cactus

Christmas cactus

THE VERY NEXT DAY they started to root. One is rooting faster than the other, but there is no doubt about it: both of them have now started to root.  What’s the deal with THAT?

In other news, I keep seeing little tree-like things at garden centers or flower stores or the 100yen shop, and think I should pick them up, but then I decide not to.  Whether its little orange trees, or those… things… with the… i dunno what they’re called and I can’t describe them, but they look awesome! or the Silk Jasmine at the Daiso, I kind of want.  Don’t really have the space though…

Lots of bleeding crotons everywhere. Fucking hate crotons.  Bloody awful looking things.  HERE IS A HORRIBLE TREE WITH THE MAIN TRUNK CUT OFF AND SEALED WITH TAR ISN’T IT ELEGANT? Get out.  But anyway, I digress.

Now that’s actually getting colder, I wonder how any of my plants will do.  The ones in windows will necessarily have to be moved elsewhere but where would work, I wonder?  Away from the windows and they’ll get nearly no light.  Ah well, we’ll deal with that when we get to it.

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Gardening Sunday: Slow Progress

Oct18
2009 Written by Mullenkedheim
Aloe Aristata

Aloe Aristata

Sunday Sunday Sunday! Houseplants go!

Cycad: New Growth?

Cycad: New Growth?

I suppose now that it’s getting on autumn and the temps are cooler and the days are shorter, even houseplants are gonna stop growing a bit, etc.  I suppose I shouldn’t expect too much in the way of progress.  Nothing’s dying, so that’s cool!

I don’t know much about cycads / sago palms.  My cycad, which is now completely mealybug free, doesn’t appear to be growing. Or maybe it is, I don’t know!  If a cycad dies, does it very CLEARLY die? Or does it just look healthy until the end of time, even though it’s friggin’ dead? I dunno. At any rate, it still looks fine, and there may or may not be new growth.

A. Nobilis Cuttings

A. Nobilis Cuttings

The avocado is still growing well, too!  Lots of new leaves!

My aloe nobilis cuttings are kickin’ around and not really changing, but I think that’s okay. They tend to take forever, so it should be okay.  My jade leaf is doing the same dealio, but I dunno, it may be fine.

Spider Plant

Spider Plant

Finally, I’ve gotten around to transplanting my spider plant out of it’s little water bath into hydroculture.  Got a little foofy and added some coloured beads for fun, but whatever.  Also have it in a cute little jar from the Daiso, with leaves and ladybugs on it. ^_^  I hope it does well~

How about you? How are your houseplants doing?  What plants do you keep? What do you want to try keeping?

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