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pirate_girl

Meet the latest Cartjumpers

pirate_girl
11 years ago

Hello everybody,

It's dangerous when I stop by Home Depot, I almost always end up w/ a few plants. But they're so cheap & if you know your plants a bit, they can be good deals too.

Here's a mini Phal (pardon the head tilt, the pic won't rotate)

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A variegated Dizzygotheca elegantisima, so handsome

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A closer look

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an ordinary Hoya compacta that I haven't had for some time, extra nice w/ 3 growth tips,

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again closer

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and my Beloved Balfour Aralia, of which I can never get enough. Eventually I lose it, so I'm always buying a pot or 3 whenever it's around.

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One of my most favorite plants of all time!! I wish I knew how to keep these going longer, anybody?

Comments (20)

  • Enterotoxigenic00
    11 years ago

    ohhhh, lol, I must be very tired. For a minute there I couldn't remember what type of plant 'cartjumpers' are! sad...very sad. But I love your selection. I happened to stop by Home Depot this a.m. beautiful hoyas and lipstick plants but I just couldn't justify spending another $25 on plants again...this week.
    So, this means that Saturday starts a new week for me!

  • pirate_girl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Well, I do know a bargain, I got the whole group for just under $20: the orchid was $10, the others $2.99 each for 3" pots, delightful!!

  • emerald1951
    11 years ago

    Hi,... Nice plants they look healthy....I like your favorite....you bought my very favorite too...the Hoya Hindu Rope....mine is very long about 5 feet...good growing with all your new plants......linda

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    Nice! I especially like the Dizzygotheca elegantisima. Did the orchid come with the little butterflies?

  • meyermike_1micha
    11 years ago

    Very nice indeed! They are in good hands with you. Love the variegation.

    MIke

  • sherryinmaine
    11 years ago

    hi, few days ago I too got some 'sale' plants from Lowes or HD cant recall which one . . .
    phal. orchid (out of bloom) for $2 and (the name escapes me , but it's one of those marantas)that only had one pitiful leaf cost .50 cents and some thing else which escapes me now, too, anyway it was .25, I think.
    The phal is doing good, the maranta is finally showing a furled new leaf (yay) and the other suculent is doing good too!

  • birdsnblooms
    11 years ago

    Karen, very nice collection. Those Balfours are hard to keep..so pretty, but difficult.

    Great bargain, under 20.00..Especially including the O. Phal.

    I'm shocked your HD has plants for 2.99. Guess prices vary by location.

    Enter, Welcome to a New week. lol. Yep, cartjumpers are becomming a problem..:)

    Sherry...Does your HD cut prices? Of course, you weren't sure if you bought them at HD or Lowes, but if HD, you're lucky. Our two closest HD's do not mark down plants..They'll toss before placing on sale, then write them off as a loss. 2.00 for an Orchid!! Wow.

    Hey Linda and Mike. Toni

  • pirate_girl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Yes, Entero,

    Cartjumper is an excellent term I first learned of here & discovered that while I'm usually pretty disciplined about buying plants, once in a while, there they are.

    Hi Sherri,

    Interestingly, the mini Phalenopsis is what started all this, I like that they're mini, short, in particular. It was discounted from $14 or $18, 'cause the outer clay pots in which they'd come in had broken. I sure don't mind the clear pot they're in better to see the root situation since it's in long sphagnum.

    Toni, don't quite get what you mean by welcome to a NY week, but OK. Opinions as to WHY the Balfours are so hard to keep? Do you know anyone who has mastered them?

    I haven't seen much of the $2.99 pots at this HD, except sometimes no trademark AVs, in pretty bloom, but no vendor names.

    Hiya Linda, yes, love that H. Compacta!! Maybe mine can take some lessons from yours on how it should grow? ;>)

    Thanks Mike appreciate the compliment, yes, I am variegate crazed person, have been for years.

    Yes, Purple, the butterfly clips came on the Phal, 2 on each stem.

    Anyway thanks for the good words, love my new little plants, birthday treats!! More economical & longer lasting blooms than cut flowers.

  • birdsnblooms
    11 years ago

    Karen, lol.

    Entero wrote, he/she 'doesn't want to spend 25.00 this week, but Saturday starts a new week.'

    That's the reason I said, Welcome to a New week..not NY. lol.

    The only places I've seen Balfour's growing nicely were in Chinese restaurants..One place kept their Balfour in a large, north window..Balfour was in a 10" pot, stood about 4' tall.
    Actually, two Chinese restaurants had Balfours, both in north windows..Both tall. Maybe larger specimens are easier to grow.
    I've tried different types, but they kicked the bucket.

    Of course, I'm not saying yours won't survive. My favorites are variegated, 'like yours' and a larger leaf variety, can't recall name. Maybe, Dinner Plate? HD used to sell Dinner Plate's, but haven't seen one since the 90's.

    Aralia's are slow-growers...Ming takes forever. Toni

  • PRO
    The Ficus Wrangler
    11 years ago

    Know what you mean - I LOVE aralias, all of them. I have several; one is a balfour 6' tall and 4'wide! The thing about aralias is that they don't like to stay wet. Or even damp. I let mine get almost dry all the way to the bottom of the pot. If they're too dry, the older leaves will start yellowing, so you know to not let them get quite so dry. You may be having problems with your balfours because they're not coming in strong from the growers; alot of people push them too hard to get them out to market, and they're just not healthy. Try getting them from different sources with different growers - you can ask the retailer who their growers are. Give them as much light as you can, run them as dry as you can, and just let them be - don't repot or fertilize or anything - let them get their little feet under them before you ask them to run.

  • aseedisapromise
    11 years ago

    Pretty plants. I really like Hoyas, too. I saw it written that the Arailia is really intolerant of high salt content of the soil, so they are more sensitive than most to fertilizer salts building up in the soil I guess. So, I would think the best drainage possible and soil changes periodically. Maybe if your water is high in salts to begin with, to use filtered water? One site said to not fertilize but once a year to avoid buildups. Also they like to be warmer than I can offer here in the winter, above 55 degrees, and humid. Also bright indirect light. I don't think I will be getting one of these any time soon. Sounds like ficuswrangler is steering you in the right direction.

  • aharriedmom
    11 years ago

    Funny, I read "New York week" too. Even when I went back and read the comment after it was asked why a "New York week." Brains see what they want to see, I guess!

    ~

    Congrats on a great haul! My HD seldom marks down plants, it's very sad.

  • Enterotoxigenic00
    11 years ago

    So today being Saturday I stopped by home depot
    on the way to town to see about those
    hoyas and lipstick plants...well...all gone!
    But you know on Monday they get a new shipment!

  • scsva
    11 years ago

    Our HD has been marking down plants lately and so far I've gotten an Ardisia ($2.00) Green Croton ($1.00-never seen this one before), 6 inch mixture of Dracaena marginata, Diffenbachia (2 types) (3.00). All in the nice pots. I've noticed a lot of the bromeliads marked way down (the beautiful variegateds etc). I stay clear of the bromeliads as I don't know anything about them and don't need another plant obsession.

    But I've noticed this season that HD and Lowe's had the little 3 inch pots with plants for $2.97 which I thought was great.

    Susan

  • pirate_girl
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Hey Toni,

    Yes, New WEEK, indeed, sorry, guess the eyes read what they want, not what's there (maybe the capital 'N' may have reminded me of NY), so I misread you.

    Yes, Susan,

    Sounds like you found a nice little haul. Yes, these cheapies make it more reasonable to play & experiment.

    Yesterday I did it again, haven't taken pix yet, just wanted some more color & saw 2 small Anthuriums w/ coral blooms, so pretty $5.29 each. And a small, no name AV blooming purple & white, I've never had that before ($3.29).

    I did see a Lipstick plant or 2, but no other Hoyas at HD.

  • scsva
    11 years ago

    My biggest success was a 10 inch pot of chinese evergreen 'silver queen' back in the winter for $1.00. I potted that up in a 12 inch pot with new soil and it's a winner!

    I also forgot to say that I found the upright philodendron lemon lime, a large plant still in a 4 inch pot (there was a whole tray of them) for $3.67.

    This is the first year that I can say I've seen these bargains.

  • birdsnblooms
    11 years ago

    Karen, no problem.
    Ever get emails with misspelled words? The first and last letter are correct. I enjoy puzzles.
    The capital N was emphasized as a joke to Entero. :)

    You gals/guys are lucky your HD's reduce prices. Our HD must be super cheap. lol.
    Actually, last year I bought a marked down Cinnamon tree for 4-5.00. A first.

    Speaking of Cartjumpers. Saturday, I took our dog for a hair trimming. HD is two doors away from the groomer.
    I debated going inside, to 'look.' lol.
    Be as it may, I declined..therefore, no cartjumpers to add.

    However, after hearing everyone talking about marked-down prices, I should have checked..oh well, maybe it's better I didn't. Toni

  • postalwhiz
    11 years ago

    This is Kevin in Michigan,ready to snowbird to Mississippi in a few weeks. Really got some fab Phalenopsis deals, latest being: 4 at Wal-Mart, 2 in decorative containers @ $4.99 ea, 2 in transparent plastic pots @ $3 apiece. I now have about 15 of these and 3 Dendrobium, all for $5 or less, from HD, Lowes, Kroger,and a local nursery which originally priced them at 29.99 ea. I started buying in April and haven't lost one yet, they're tougher than I'd hoped!

  • sherryinmaine
    11 years ago

    Hi, sorry I didn't answer your question back in August, Toni.

    It was Lowes, I think, they usually have a 'sale' rack, and I know that one of the 'plant care taker' employees is the one who carefully tends them when she works. She even cleans up the sale ones, and I get to chat with her every now and then about plants. She loves them too . . . .

  • birdsnblooms
    11 years ago

    Sherry...Of course it would be Lowes..too far of a drive for us. :(
    Yet, there are two HD's within a mile, opposite directions..Neither mark down prices.

    Karen, how are your new plants doing? Toni