Desert collection

My collection of desert plant has recently expanded.  My local wal-mart just got in a new shipment of succulents and cacti, I know what you're thinking wal-mart's probably not the best place to buy plants.  The thing is they were cheap and had just arrived, plus they all looked pretty healthy and pest free.

I bought three new plants:

A larger Aloe Vera.  My baby aloe is taking a long time to grow and I kinda wanted a large one, I'm pretty impatient like that.

 Hen and chicks.  There was a beautiful hen and chicks plant that had burgundy tipped leaves.  It wasn't until I brought it home and re-potted that I discovered it had two 'chicks' already growing.

Echeveria 'black prince'. I already have two succulents that are echeveria, but this one really caught my eye.  I love the contrast between the incredibly dark tips and the light green center.







After this recent purchase I decided I must do one of two things, either stop getting plants or expand the area in which I keep my plants.  I'm leaning toward the second option, mostly because I have several plants that can be propagated very easily and I would like room for expansion there.  Also, there are a lot of cool plants I kind of have my eye on and  would rather not be forced to wait.

So far so ginger

I can't believe how fast my ginger is growing.  It seems as though I have a new leaf every other day.

Now only time will tell if I get more than one shoot.

New addition to desert plant collection

My local garden center was recently selling Lithops, or living stones.  On an impulse I bought one and brought it home.

While I am definitely not regretting my purchase, I do wish I has done some research before bringing it home.  As it turns out Lithops are from an area that has four distinct seasons, instead of the two you usually have to worry about when it comes to desert cacti and succulents.  Each season has different requirements for the plant and those need to be met to have a happy living rock.

I think it probably goes without saying, but this may turn horrific rather soon.  I'm going to do my best to keep him happy, but I think this may involve a learning curve. I'm really hoping this website http://www.lithops.info/ really helps, it does look pretty legit.

It's a pomegranate miracle

Just as I was about to give up hope on my little pomegranate seedling, something spectacular happened...

Green appeared at the top of the lame-o little stick and before you knew it, there were actual leaves.

I still have two other pomegranate plants that have decided not to turn green yet, but this gives me hope.

Things are looking up in avocado land

 Finally got an avocado pit to do something :)

When it comes to avocados, I no longer feel like a failure.

Baby Aloe Plant

Several months ago I purchased a tiny aloe pup from my university's green house.  I cost just a dollar, but was incredibly small, measuring maybe two inches tall.

Soon after I transplanted it to a ceramic pot, the largest leaf began to turn brown and shriveled.  I continued caring for it, bright light and a little water, and it seemed to be surviving.

My aloe plant about four months ago, shortly after purchase

I still have hope that it will survive.  There was quite a while after I first got this plant that I wasn't sure that it would survive.  However, now that I've had it for a while and seen that it is growing (even though it's very slow) I think it can make it through.

My aloe plant today.  It's growing slowly, but he's a trooper

Betta Fish Bowl

I've said before that I'm no expert when it comes to fish.  My history with them seems to resemble a Hitchcock film more than anything else.  Never the less I decided to fill my betta bowl again.  I have had more luck with betta fish than any other type, so I thought I'd give it one more go.

This time I decided that I would try the fish bowl as a planter idea.  Here is where I'll put my disclaimer about keeping my betta fish happy and healthy.  I am aware of the special needs of betta fish.  They are carnivorous and I would never expect a betta to live off of eating the roots of the plants. He is fed at least twice daily with a food formulated for betta fish and is also often offered  freeze dried blood worms and other sources of protein.  I'm also aware that the plant has filtering capabilities, but have no intention of letting that replace daily water changes.  Betta fish are surface breathers so I made sure that the plastic holding the plant in place had plenty of breathing holes and is set up above the water line so that he can breath easy.

I did some research to find the best plants to use, which include the peace lily, philodendron, and dieffenbachia.  Although I already have a philodendron, I stopped at my local garden center and picked up a peace lily (any excuse for a new plant).

Through the research I found the basics of growing the plant hydroponically and how to propagate as well.  I took my new peace lily and tried to remove as much dirt as possible.

This was more of a chore than I bargained for.  First off the plant was root bound, the soil was so densely packed in the roots almost none of the dirt came out.  I ran water through the root ball and I soaked if for more than a day. I tried to get the dirt out every few hours during the soaking by squeezing the roots and swishing them around in water.  Then I decided to divide the plant as my only other option to get the soil out of the center of the roots.

I used the information that I had gained through internet resources and separated the crowns, trying to keep as much root attached to the newly separated plant.  I divided it into three plants, one I put in dirt, one I put in stone aggregate to grow hydroponically and the other went into the fish bowl.

The fish has been living with the plant harmoniously for more than 72 hours and both seem happy and healthy, however I did read that the peace lily make take up to a month to fully acclimate to its new watery environment.

This is Duke, my new fishy friend

I haven't had to trim the roots yet, but I know that will have to be done to give him enough room to swim around.

What happened to my potato?

The strangest thing happened. 

My potato plant was not looking so happy so I decides to dig up the potato that should have been buried in the soil...Nothing.  The potato that I had put in there a couple months ago was gone and there was nothing in the dirt besides a few roots.  I didn't exactly expect to grow a potato, but I would at least like to know what happened to the potato that I put in there.

Plant Updates

Just as I was about to abandon the idea of growing a ginger plant, there came a sprout.  Its growing every day and looking good.

After years without any sign that my orchid would ever bloom again, it started sending up a flower stem. I can't even remember what color the blooms were.

Amarilis..enough said.