Now Carambola (Star Fruit) is in bloom for the 1st time ...
guavalane
13 years ago
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hmhausman
13 years agonewgen
13 years agoRelated Discussions
What's blooming this 1st wk of May?
Comments (33)Terpguy: I don't know. I can tell you how it's growing though. It is on the top usable shelf of my plant shelf, which is in front of an unobstructed south facing window on the third floor. It is fairly close to the window, maybe about 4-5 inches away. The window is covered with a sheer mesh curtain, the cheap kind you get at Ikea. It is growing in a mix of coco fiber, tree fern fiber, and a bit of bark and lava rock (I think that's what it was). The bottom of the board above is lined with aluminum foil to attempt to reflect light downward. It's in a clear orchid pot with side slats, so when it looks dry, I water it. I try not to let it get totally dry, as I read somewhere that it likes to stay moist. It tends to bloom at least a couple times a year for me. I was surprised that it decided to bloom now, as it has been putting on a lot of new growth and I thought it would concentrate on maturing those. Hey, I won't say no to blooms. So, I don't feel like I do anything special. Paph delenatiis don't bloom for me for anything though. At least one tried last year. This year, they didn't even try. I'm clearly doing something wrong. The one has been steadily shrinking too. I did it, I got Pleuro alata and that Lepanthopsis. And of course, I forgot another bloomer, a Phal hybrid with a name I can't remember right now. It's a harlequin with yellow-green petals and burgundy spots, blooming since Januaryish. I'm keeping my eye on my Cattleya luteola, which has two buds getting steadily bigger and fatter. Exciting! Calvin, I can't really help with any tips on C. luteola. Like I said, I thought it hated me. It's about 5 inches away from an 85W CFL, and it kept growing too close to the light and burning off its leaves. So I'd get new growth, then lose it. Although I guess the pbulbs stuck around. That is what is spiking now, a leafless pbulb....See MoreTwo Seedlings... 1st time bloom!!
Comments (35)Well, here we have the second seedling. Exotica x Lady Jane. Not really an improvement on either of the parents, sort of looks like a single Lady Jane. There are 3 flowers, the first two came out simultaneously and the 3 is much smaller copying Lady Jane's habit of displaying 2 flowers at a time. the scape is 9" so she takes after her father in all respects including the shorter scape. Oh, and as you can see, I was wrong, she wasn't a double. I'd rather a single than a partial double anyway so I really wasn't disappointed too much..I guess these two flowers were too similar to each other to come up with anything astounding but, maybe one of the other seedlings will look better. Not much difference regardless of what light I take her in, flash or no flash.. Donna...See MoreSo many 1st time ever blooms\pics
Comments (13)Nancy, It took me till the 2nd time ordering from a different LA seller to get swirling waters. I have only had bad luck with one seller on LA and it was she sent me something else besides swirling water and I emailed her and she was supposed to send a replacement but never did. But I guess I am 1 of those customers you will only hear from twice then I just dont order from them anymore. It did not bloom till the following year so I could not email her about it till a year later. It took forever to get my order from her, had to have Mike handle the seller and she sent my order then one was wrong and there was no way for me to know till it bloomed. Jill...See MoreHow to germinate Carambola (star fruit)
Comments (7)As for the fertilizer, it's from my own experience. I've also read somewhere before not to fertilize them. Beautiful plants and I couldn't believe how big they were getting...and when I say big, I mean tall. The first time I misted them, the whole plant just fell over! Ended up having to cut them all back...which ruined the overall shape. I have one seedling going...probably 8 months. I just planted 11 more seeds last night. I want to graft one when it reaches a graftable size. Keep a close watch for spider mites. These plants seem to be quite the magnet for them. It's unbelievable. These plants, while young anyway, do not take well to harsh sprays. So if they do show up, spray with water only or at most an soap solution. I lost a 3 year old plant due to an ongoing battle with these pests. It was prime size for grafting too. I remember sitting with my plant and for a couple of hours inspecting every single leaf! I would mash ever mite I could find and even wipe each leaf just in case. What a pain! But it did give me some satisfaction of killing the little you-know-whats! Man, I hope it hurt!...See Moremango_kush
13 years agomurahilin
13 years agocharleslou23
12 years agoKandyce08_yahoo_com
12 years agochristinehanh
12 years agodirtycoconuts
11 years agognappi
11 years agoDoglips
11 years ago
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