Two of my strangest plants starting new growth.
Every plant grower has a couple of strange plants in his/her collection someplace. At least I hope so, because I do, and I don’t want to be the only weird plant grower around.
I have always wanted to grow a Ginger plant, and just never got around to it. Not too long ago I was in the grocery store, and they had the freshest, healthiest looking Ginger I had ever seen. I could not resist. I found a nice piece that had a branch with a nice plump eye, and made a purchase. I broke the branch with the eye off the main piece, and potted it just under the surface in a pot of fresh potting soil. Of course in the middle part of SC, this pot had to stay inside with all the other plants that were wintering over in our sun room.
As with all new toys, I checked it at least twice a day until the novelty finally wore off, then sort of forgot about it. The other day (about three months after potting) I noticed that the little pot in the corner had a green thing in it. It looked like a green piece of spaghetti sticking in the pot. My ginger had sprouted!
I received a second surprise last week when I discovered a sprout emerging from the pot where my Voo-Doo bulb resides. This plant is a treasure I was given by one of growers at the greenhouse where I worked. I have had this plant now about 5 years, and have grown leaves four different times now (counting this growth). When I first saw this new shoot emerging, it was very small, and I thought it was a bloom…..I was immediately thankful that it was spring. and I would be able to put it outside. (you cannot bloom these things inside a residence, unless, of course, you have a strong liking to the smell of rotting meat). The shoot soon obviously became a leaf, so it remains inside.
These plants reproduce by producing a tiny new (I guess its a corm) where the leaves branch from the main leaf stalk. This growth already has a tiny little corm started, so I guess I will have a third plant by this fall. I was told that these plats are tropical, and really difficult to grow, but I have not found this to be necessarily true.
The second year I had this plant we went off on a trip for a couple of weeks, and while we were away a storm blew several pots off the stand on my back porch. I picked up several plants and a few empty pots on our return home, and gave it little more thought.
The next spring I noticed a funny looking thing in the leaves under the plant stand near the back porch. It was surely a plant part, but was not a bulb. I thought it was the tuber from one of the Cyclamen plants growing in a nearby bed, so picked it up and potted it in a pot.
Several months later I noticed a long pointed silvery colored object growing out of the pot, and immediately recognized it as a Voo Doo plant leaf. This was growing from the object that had obviously wintered outdoors the previous winter…..(perhaps these things are not the tender tropical delicacies we think them to be).
The photos below show growth progress of the plants to this point in time. I will keep updating as time goes on.
Bill
The last three photos (10,11, and 12) show both the plants at their this years maturity. Both have produced corms, so I guess now I will have 4 of these things…..anyone want one?
I am still not sure what triggers blooming in these things, I just pray that they do not bloom in the winter, so I can enjoy them at a distance outside…..
I intend to leave the smaller plant outside this winter and see if it makes it. The planter is above ground, and is right against the west wall of the house. We’ll see.
Bill
I have always wanted to grow a Ginger plant, and just never got around to it. Not too long ago I was in the grocery store, and they had the freshest, healthiest looking Ginger I had ever seen. I could not resist. I found a nice piece that had a branch with a nice plump eye, and made a purchase. I broke the branch with the eye off the main piece, and potted it just under the surface in a pot of fresh potting soil. Of course in the middle part of SC, this pot had to stay inside with all the other plants that were wintering over in our sun room.
As with all new toys, I checked it at least twice a day until the novelty finally wore off, then sort of forgot about it. The other day (about three months after potting) I noticed that the little pot in the corner had a green thing in it. It looked like a green piece of spaghetti sticking in the pot. My ginger had sprouted!
I received a second surprise last week when I discovered a sprout emerging from the pot where my Voo-Doo bulb resides. This plant is a treasure I was given by one of growers at the greenhouse where I worked. I have had this plant now about 5 years, and have grown leaves four different times now (counting this growth). When I first saw this new shoot emerging, it was very small, and I thought it was a bloom…..I was immediately thankful that it was spring. and I would be able to put it outside. (you cannot bloom these things inside a residence, unless, of course, you have a strong liking to the smell of rotting meat). The shoot soon obviously became a leaf, so it remains inside.
These plants reproduce by producing a tiny new (I guess its a corm) where the leaves branch from the main leaf stalk. This growth already has a tiny little corm started, so I guess I will have a third plant by this fall. I was told that these plats are tropical, and really difficult to grow, but I have not found this to be necessarily true.
The second year I had this plant we went off on a trip for a couple of weeks, and while we were away a storm blew several pots off the stand on my back porch. I picked up several plants and a few empty pots on our return home, and gave it little more thought.
The next spring I noticed a funny looking thing in the leaves under the plant stand near the back porch. It was surely a plant part, but was not a bulb. I thought it was the tuber from one of the Cyclamen plants growing in a nearby bed, so picked it up and potted it in a pot.
Several months later I noticed a long pointed silvery colored object growing out of the pot, and immediately recognized it as a Voo Doo plant leaf. This was growing from the object that had obviously wintered outdoors the previous winter…..(perhaps these things are not the tender tropical delicacies we think them to be).
The photos below show growth progress of the plants to this point in time. I will keep updating as time goes on.
Bill
The last three photos (10,11, and 12) show both the plants at their this years maturity. Both have produced corms, so I guess now I will have 4 of these things…..anyone want one?
I am still not sure what triggers blooming in these things, I just pray that they do not bloom in the winter, so I can enjoy them at a distance outside…..
I intend to leave the smaller plant outside this winter and see if it makes it. The planter is above ground, and is right against the west wall of the house. We’ll see.
Bill
This is a first years growth from a corm the large plant produced last year. Planted outside in a planter on west side of house. Plan to leave it in place this winter and see if it survives.
Q