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| I bought this plant as an annual this summer. I planted it into a bed and it did a beautiful job. I would like to dig it up, pot it and bring it in for the winter. Has anyone tried this? Does it work?
Thanks
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Follow-Up Postings:
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| I tried this and even with a greenhouse I could not keep them through the winter. Al |
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| I've not tried to keep it indoors, but it is actually a tender perennial (not an annual) and can bloom much of the year in mild climates. I don't know if it will take to the transplanting process, however. Next year, grow some in containers so that they can be moved right in to a bright window. Be mindful, however, that the typical NE indoor environment is somewhat 'hostile' to plants. You should cut it back heavily after it is finished blooming. If it does survive your indoor winter, it will grow quickly in the spring and have a long flowering season. |
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| From my experience it really doesn't do well as a house plant per se. For one thing it requires more light then most homes can provide. The best I came up with was to take cuttings and put them under grow lights. They aren't as easy to root as say Begonias, but I had some success. Since Pentas are so plentiful at the nurseries in spring here I eventually decided to just buy them every year and save my limited grow light space for less accessible plants. Also "Parks Seeds" sells the seeds of some varieties so that if you wanted to save the cost of buying plants you could try them from seed. |
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| maryl, did you do anything special to root these? The growing tips all have buds on mine, I suppose to take cuttings I need to cut those all off. |
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- Posted by foxesearth 8b GA/FL line (My Page) on Sat, Oct 25, 08 at 14:02
These cuttings, in my greenhouse in February this year, survived to transplant when the weather warmed.
The big thing in the second pot is a volunteer Datura seedling with the little pentas around it, LOL. This fall, I dug and potted a lavender pentas that had been nearly eaten to the ground by a caterpillar. It has revived and is blooming in the GH. Cuttings are not easy. If the potting soil is too damp and cool, they fail to root. There are other factors that I can't figure out. I try to take a cutting of tender growth that does not have buds yet, but have rooted some this fall that did start with buds, go figure. They do love sun. Nell |
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- Posted by foxesearth 8b GA/FL line (My Page) on Sat, Nov 22, 08 at 17:13
| So, Diane, did you dig and pot your pentas? The lavender pentas that I mentioned (dug and potted) in the previous post is in the bigger pot, left rear.
Nell |
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- Posted by sarahbarah27 5 (My Page) on Tue, Jan 6, 09 at 7:36
| Well they sell them as a houseplant in flower shops around here, but i have never tried. I use them as a annual and they are great, vert easy to care for! |
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