An October update on my plants

15 years ago

I am growing Sans in temperate NJ. I love this Genus, but have very little real space and really no good windows to grow them. Still, I am determined and have had some good success over the past few years. I try to get my plants outside in the summer, which helps a lot. This year I still have a couple outside as it has been warmer than most (often we have a frost by now). Some of the variegates have been the hardest to grow....especially those where the entire leaf is mostly yellow/white. The more striped variegates have been fine. I started mostly with small plants.....as the plants have grown, I have had to cut back on one or two of the plainer or more common varieties.

I really like the varieties of S. kirkii, esp. S. kirkii pulchra 'Coppertone' which is one of my favorite plants. S. cylindrica patula 'striated' and S. masoniana variegated (the latter is a new, second attempt) are some of my favorites. My variegated S. parva....which is mostly white, has done surprisingly well and a favorite. I also love some of the S. trifasciata cultiars, S. t. 'Midnight Shine' (beautiful dark, unmarked leaves with a thin gold edge on a medium plant', S. 'Asahi' (each pup a little different in color), S. 'Wagner's Gold' (each leaf different). I recently got a futura type with random yellow striping which is incredible (thanks M!). I have a S. zeylanica and an S. concinna (sp?) flowering for the first time this year....the latter has set seed which is a first for me. Some of the little 'Hahni' types are also great, my favorite being 'Streaker' (and the hahnis don't take up much space). Some great people have helped me get started, unfortunately I don't see some of them online much anymore (Russ!, Joe) others are here or otherplaces occasionally (Norma, Mike, Al etc.).

They are certainly a fun group of plants and fairly easy to maintain. They often sit there for a long period before suddenly spitting out a huge pup or new leaves. I would love to see more people active on this forum!

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Comments (3)

ricknyc
15 years ago
I live in NYC and would be interested to see a photo of your collection. I also have very limited space but unfortunately no outdoor space.
norma_2006
15 years ago
Mine are starting to flower again. Some are busting out of their pots, I am still trying to get help me repot, as now they are too heavy for me to lift. Even my large 6ft 2" fire chief friend can't lift many of them. Postage is so expensive for me right now I can't offer to send any at this time.
Hint the near white ones will not live long without a host mother green plant or leaf attached, they will also need more sun, but not so much to burn them. The also may need to be grown very dry or they will rot, now I am writing from my own experience.
I now have 350 of these plants and of course some are duplicates. If you take cutting off of any variegated off set be sure leave at least 4" or rhizome, or you will lose the variegation. Remember that they can break out of any pot you put them in so don't use expensive pots. I have had a lot of experience with this occuring.
This time of the year I have cut down on watering , when it rains I water them, and then wait 10 days before I water again, if no rain is in sight I will water them. Mine are under cover so are protected and are dependent on me for water and food, heat, air, yes they need air like we do, a fan going will help them with the cold weather, that is what they use in the winter in England where I visited many green houses with snow on the ground.
Now with this little game I play, it is okay for the leaves to wrinkle and if your not using Peat Moss for the soil to dry out a bit, however when you water the rhizomes will swell and this just may break the pot. Dried Peat Moss if hard to get wet again and will shrink away from the sides of the pot, and the water will go down the sides and the root ball will not get any water. This year we have had such screwy weather we don't know when to water or not. Putting my finger down an inch or soil will be of no use, I need to see how far down it is dry, and not just 2". So I use a pencil or chop stick and plunge it down into the center of the pot to check on how much water the soil is holding. I wish I could send instruction articles to you for a guide, and what I am saying here is only a general guide. I wouuld be foolish to tell you how much to water, for many reason. I can't name a plant from pictures, I need to touch it and examine all parts of the plant. The color of the outer skin of the rhizome is often the clue for identification. Enjoy your plants and watch for flowers, give them some love. Did not proof. Norma
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woodnative
Original Author
15 years ago
Norma- Good advice as always....there is a lot of wisdom and guidance there. Watering Sans in winter is an art.....you don't want them to shrivel, but you certainly don't want them to rot.
Rick, you are not all that far from me. Your plants will be fine inside all year, esp. if they get good light. I have a lot of mine in less than optimal locations over winter, only because I can get away with it if I get them back outside again in Spring. I have a bunch overwintering in my office, there is one small window that is decent, and a few smaller ones get babied under lights at my work....a small blue kirkii (my original plant rotted! Luckily I had rooted a leaf), a couple other smaller variegates. My house has one good but small window in the kitchen, and a couple others go by my back door which is not used much in winter and they get a little direct light, the only other windows are in the north side, and I don't want to clutter things too much even there.....space is at a premium. Still, it works out ok for me, and I have more than enough to grow and enjoy.
What kinds are you growing?