the great thing is, this thread is Non-Topic specific, so at any given time we can be discussing any of a variety of interesting things! :)

so, stop in, say hi, see what im up to, or tell me whats going on in Your plant world! :)

i wanna i say i was kinda 'brutal', tho not AS brutal as on some others (IE: recent succulents maybe,,) i left the main rootball intact, chopped a significant amount of fine 'hair' roots (still dont know the difference yet, anyone?) and repotted in a mix of: (2/3 gritty, 1/3 mix of: 30-30-30-MG/bark/perlite screened for fines)
watered moderately/sparingly? and put back in place on bathroom sill. ..we'll see :)
pre-repot

kinda 'anemic' lookin?

tools

Serissa 'beard'

anyone have much (positive) experience with these?

Wanted to say that im busy getting my trees ready to bring in for the winter. Starting the annual march of the trees that will be dormant for the winter. Getting the others ready to bring inside under the T-5 lights and doing some last minute emergency potting up on my C & S.

So busy, busy, busy!!

How are you doing in Ohio?

How are your plants/trees doing with the change in temps?

Like this topic for a thread!! Great idea!!

Take care,

Laura

Missed the post on your root prune on your Serrisa.

Great pictures showing your process.

You are brave to do a repot/ rootprune at this time of the year!!!

I have heard some say they are easy for some and difficult for others. I received a few starts of Serissa and i'm tring to just take care of them as i do with my other trees and not baby them. SO i will keep you posted on my trees.. ;-)

Yours looks good in its new container after your root prune. Please keep us updated. Im sure others will chime in about this beautiul tree.

Take care,

Laura

I hadn't planned to repot many plants before bringing them inside for winter, but started checking roots and have done a lot of repots over the past week or so. I think there's only 2 more that really need it now, I hope... about out of stuff to put in the pots.

I've never grown Serissa, but I think you could have been even more brutal on that root-ball ;-)
Remember to keep recent re-pots *moist* - don't let them dry out as much as established plants.

Josh

Whats up w/you? so, back from Vegas then?? man, i cant keep up w/ you guys lol :x
..im hooked, but i gotta sleep too hehe,,, hows ya plants? the boogers??
tell me ALL, tell me Here, tell me Now! lol :)

ps: Pray for my Serissa! lolo
pss: hey ive been seeing some ya threads, but im not sure i can offer much in the way of help,,? i hope you get things worked out, but honestly, (to me) most your stuff looks purty darn good!?
ya wanna see some 'uglies'? stay tuned Here hehe :)

hmm, maybe another time,? but, curious bout the T-5's ? price kinda kept me from lookin too seriously,, but it IS (or 'Tis) the season, lol ...for indoor, supplemantal lighting considerations,,,
Ohio is having our last week of 'Indian Summer' i think,,hasnt been too bad yet really,,,

youll get back to me right!? erm,, I'll Find You. lol :)
btw have you moved then? or still in the process..?

Brave? haaa oh i didnt WANT to do it! lol
'specially knowin its outta season, but did ya SEE those roots? im not sure ive Ever seen such gnarly tangled-up nest of roots on a plant that size before!? lol
i really think it Had to be done,
and ya know what, the C+S guys are doin it now (pottin-up/repottin) ,,, cant ya see the similarities here tween this and a Jade???? lolol

I will say this, by next morning even she was showing signs of at least tolerance to the operation. Thats Promising in my little world here lol
my plan is 10-14 days (if/then stabilized still) move her ito a brighter spot, (not sure who she;ll be swapped out w/yet, sumbuddies goin be pissy hehe)

ya know, im with ya there, ..and ive read recently,, you can treat most of em just about the same a LOT more than i ever imagined,,,

haa yea i heard Al sent ya a cpl "small but nice starts" on another Serissa thread here, thats awesome, cuz then when YOU figure it all out, ya can tell ME how its Done! hehe

hey give us a peek of yer starts when youve a sec, pleeeease! luv to see-em. :)

bet they werent as cute as this little guy? were they?? lol
um-hmm,, the 'bonsai-stud's' got nuttin on me hahaaa :)~~
Serissa cutting

Purple, im purty sure You would probably Luv the little 'variegated' Serissa's,,
.. w/their foilage 'color',, and the little match-head sized blooms,,their kinda Dainty yet Bold little plants and can have really interesting roots,, kinda like You hehe :)

i hear ya, i had (Have) a lot of plants still that i've acquired (fairly) recently, which i just never got around to potting up yet,, but i hesitate to put some off much longer,,
(dont tell MeyerMike, or Josh + the guys,) I kinda started 'practicing' on the succulents,, hehe they actually seem a bit more forgiving,, :)
Purple, i got a TON a stuff i wanna share on your propa-junkie thread when ive more time,,, time,,,ugh! lol
Tnx so much for peekin in, appreciate it. :)

Josh i cant tell (for sure) if your being sarcastic, or serious? lol
i admit, the more i tore into it, the more i Wanted to! ....and DID kinda,,
but i kept thinking (where i'd remembered reading,,) "no more than 10% of the rootball,, they Dont Like Root Disturbance,,"
so,, rather that risk breaking em trying to 'splay' (spread) them out, or cut any more, i found a point and stopped,, still significantly further than i'd intended tho,,,
i appreciate your candor tho (duly-noted), i'll watch-the-watering cautiously. this new porous mix certainly "Feels" dryer already,, i still dont really 'understand' em, but im slowly overcoming my fear of rootwork,

Good Evening SS, Josh and everyone!!

Moving? Me? Nooo. That must have been someone else!!

I have lived here for a long time, and i don't have any plans on moving ... : )

Your Serrisa looks great and so does your cute little one too! Al did send me a few little starts all planted in one container, (Three little starts) so i will let them grow and get some good roots on them before i seperate them and do anything to them. I will probably seperate them in the spring and then let them have their own start container to grow more of a good root system.

You say to help you? LOL.. im just learning about Bonsai and actually enjoying it very much!! It gives me something to work on during the winter and other times when my other plants are well taken care of. I find it quite relaxing and interesting, but i also need to learn a whole lot about this beautiful way of growing and understanding how to read the trees. Learning to appreciate all of the beauty one can do with their trees is so rewarding. Learning to be patient is a lesson indeed!!! ;-)

No probelm on the pic. I will find one for you. Mine are blooming for me at this moment and all are looking great.

Sandy (The Hurricane) is heading up in our direction, so i worked all day getting plants inside and under my T-5 set up. Prices are somewhere in the 200. range. I found mine at my local Hydroponics store several years ago and i have them set on a timer. I let them stay on for 12 hrs at a time. Usually have them come on at night so the electric bill likes it better!!

Thanks for the bloom that you had over at your other thread. I went back to that thread to thank you, but i did see that you wanted it to just goooo....

So, Thank You!!

LOL.. i am a very busy lady. Sometimes i can't get to the GW because i work long hours and im not around any computers up in the friendly skies!! But , i do check in at different hours when i do have free time.

Here is the pic of my Serrisa from Al. He was so kind to send them to me.

Thanks AL!! You are the best!! They are looking really happy here!! : )

Take care,

Laura

ohh, Wow! thats soo Gorgeous,, and in Flower! in a little bonsai trainer-pot, soo cute!
man, i remember when mine used to look like That,, in flower,, didnt realize just how straggly it had become till now lol

I think more light might be the key, wheres yours at? outside, greenhouse?

ohh so your a ...pilot then huh?? :/
hey i saw where you posted (somewhere i cant for-the-life-of-me find again, lol) that you rode in the Belle !?
omg! thats soo cool, ive long been a huge aviation buff,, radio-control models, jets, combat aircraft, kites, paper-planes, birds, butterflies,, Anything! lol
hmm, i think you might be living my 'Dream-life' hehe

yea, im actually Not that busy on weekends usually,, i'll futz w/some plants, do some chores, then try n catch up on some reading here, before i know it, i havent even uploaded any my pics yet and its time to hit the sack lol

well Thank You Too for the Serissa Bloom pic, LUV it! :)

SS - I agree with Josh and Laura, and I'll point to the bright side in what they were saying. Josh was right in that it would be better if you actually bare-root serissa when you repot, and take care of any root issues in the root mass at that time ..... and keep working on getting that root system flattened out. Basically, you can lop off the bottom 2/3 of the root mass before you even start working on the roots, then bare-root & correct the problems. Laura's "You are brave to do a repot/ rootprune at this time of the year!!!" is her way of noting it might have been better if you'd waited until spring to repot (late Apr, early May). The bright spot I mentioned is, not having pruned the roots as aggressively as you might normally have, works very well in favor of the out-of-season repot. The fact that you weren't very aggressive in your root work makes what you did more like potting up than a repot, and not nearly as hard on the plant - so that's a plus in this case.

And the plant does stink to high heaven when you start snipping on the roots - Larry was right on when he mentioned 'foetida' was from the Latin 'foetidus', for pig s--- ....... stink (see fetid or foetid).

Good luck with yours. Serissa is one of those plants that perform like a champ for some, while others kill them with little more than a sidelong glance. It's one of the most commonly maligned potensai candidates.

Al

Wanted to let you know that i did have my Serrisa in the greenhouse for a time.. now i have it inside under my T-5 lights for the winter.

It is still blooming and it seems to be a very happy set of young starts.. (Thank YOU Al!!)

I also love anything that includes aviation!!! It has been in my blood since i was a young girl here in Virginia. My Dad was an FAA Air Traffic Controller here in VB. He used to take me to the airport just to watch the planes, sometimes he would let me up into the control tower. I just loved that!! MY mother worked for Sabena Belgium Airlines when she was young.. SO it is in my blood! : )

As far as being a pilot.. No. I am in the back of the aircraft, but they (Flight deck) considers us as "directors" LOL.. So i handle the operations in the back. I do love this job, but it does take it's toll on me at times....

The B-17 was the "Memphis Belle". What a wonderful flight i had in this beautiful aircraft.. Loved every second i was in it. There are only 10 left flying in the US. so, when the chance arrived that it was available to sign up for a flight.. i was on the list!!

I have a great friend who served in WWII and he flew on the B-24 Bomber. We chat alot and he likes to share his stories about being shot down over Berlin and becoming a POW for a year or so before he was finally freed as the war ended. He almost didn't make it, but i credit his upbringing in Texas for making him a strong man. He is 91 years old and a true gentleman. His son gave him a ride in the last remaining (operating) B-24 Bomber for his 90th birthday. He had his hair cut like he did back then, wore his Bomber jacket and loved every minute he was on that joy ride. Love that birthday gift!!!

I just love the military and those that serve and have served for our country.. My son in law is a Paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne DIvision and he has served three deploymnents over in Iraq and in Aftganistan. I am so proud..

On another thread you mentioned my Plumeria.. Yes, i love them and have lots of different varieties. Fell in love with them in Hawaii. Then the fun began.. Glad you like the pool too! LOL.. Im the pool gal here!! But, thanks for the offer!! That was funny! : )

Good Luck with your beautiful Serissa.. Where do you keep yours?

Have fun on the weekends!! Sounds like you know how to relax!! THAT is a good thing!! " )

Hi AL.. Thank you again!! :)

Ill be thinking of all of you when i have to prune those roots and smell that wonderful odor.. LOL!!

Pig stuff huh? Ewwwww!!

Take care everyone!!

Laura

Pic for you..

Notice the bombs on the side of the aircraft. This shows the number of missions and the star above the bomb indicates a loss of a crew member. Solid.. or empty. One means injury.

Thanks!!

i actually had been contemplating wiring some young starts at base-level like you describe,, but the Truth is, i really havent done ANY 'training' on ANYthing i have yet,
its kinda weird,,? ..think i might have 'fears' of some sort i dont realize yet,,?

well, your feedback, and her (seemingly) current stability, reassure me considerably,,
im determined to keep puggin away at these things,, another variegated start-ling of mine recently has shown very similar 'fine root growth' in the pots bottom, i wacked it too, to no (discernable) 'discomfort',, im wondering if (This) Serissa will be ready for more by Spring again maybe,,? we'll see i guess...
Take Care mista :)

[/me subliminally conveys suggestive thought patterns to Al] ...start a root-work thread,, start a root.... :)~

Serissa today (121103)(11-03-2012)

WWII bomber/fighter aircraft are definitely Favs of mine,,
I recall as a kid building a plastic model B-17, (probably what started my whole interest in aviation and flight), ever since its been one thing or another,,
My most recent (current?) interests revolve mainly around R/C (radio-control) model aircraft,, designing, building, flying,, its pretty much what ive been consumed with for the past several years just prior to finding Plants again,, so these (houseplants) are kind of a welcome distraction from it hehe
You think ive a Lot of plants,,? ya should see all the balsa, foam, and model Planes hanging from everywhere in here! ..at least (30) aircraft models that are, or were (at one time) flyable remotely.

Oddly enough tho, ive only 'actually' flown 1 time, and it was a miserable 10-hour delay experience that i'll likely Never undergo again. lol
A co-worker showed me a clipping for P-40, or (i think?) B-24 rides Here out of Lunken airport, awhile back,, but they were a leetle too 'spensive for me! lol tempting as it is,, not every day ya can get in the seat of a P-40 Warhawk. :)

I cant imagine what the ride mustve been like (him in the 'Liberator', or You in the Belle) but i bet it wasnt as smooth as the typical airliner trips your accustomed to huh!? lol

Serissa, is (currently) on the bathroom window sill,, since i acquired her,, tho i really think she'd appreciate some more light,,? intend to find out soon.
ive worked Serissa once before (yrs ago), another 'reduced to sell' bonsai (i was going to Save lol), the roots definitely Stink, Stank, STUNK! lol
but i really didnt notice it this time on This plant, maybe i had a stuffy-nose??
but im done trying to convince everyone lol

btw im glad ya posted anyway cuz i was, ...well a 'leetle' concerned about your proximity to that Storm!? i hope you are well and safe,,
dont take this the wrong way, but,
You seem like someone i'd like to meet in 'real' life, lol
not that we ever would,, ..just sayin' :)

Prayers for you , the new G-son, and the new Serissa (lol),,,
its beautiful,, Luv it! and good luck w/it :)

heres (2) strikings taken same time, method,, showing the difference (slightly better) Light, and (significantly better) Soil can make. :)

Hey SS,

I am glad you like those B-17's and "The Liberator" Impressed that you called it by its true name!! It was the "L" of WWII with the help of the pilots of course...

Aviation is something that i love to share with my best friend as well.. we like to send those type of emails to each other..it is a great way to keep in touch!! ;-)

SO how are your trees doing? I just came home from a trip and went to check on mine and watered them.. They have some growth that is always amazing in just four days.. I can't believe how fast they grow. Still flowering too!! YES!!! I had to think of you and AL as i was watering my Serissa. I often think about what he would say.. "Clip here...?" LOL.. it woulld be so nice to have him around to help make decisions.. But, i will get there. I WILL... lol..

You asked or mentioned about being worried about us in the Hurricane.. We did alright. Had some flooding and tides were really high with the tidal surge along with a full moon. That made a good batch of "major flooding" for my area.. We had 65 mph gust which brought down Some Pines in the yard, so DH and I had a lot of work to do.. not really interested in picking up anymore branches, or pine cones!!! LMAO!! Had enough..

My car had some flooding issues, but that is small compared to what they went throught in the northeast.

While i was in Newark Airport, people were still camping out.. that was so sad...

We were stranded with my crew in CLT and had to rent a car to get home. Long drive, but we made it home!!! (During the Hurricane)

I didn't take it the wrong way.. I take it as a compliment!! That is a very nice thing to say.. Thank you!! It is always fun to meet people that can relate to plants.. Maybe one day GW will have a meet and greet!! : )

Thanks for the kind words.. Much appreciated!!!

Hope yours grows well too! Now i want to go and check my Serissa again!! LOL..

Laura

Good memory...yep, still at it. Moving many garden plants (so far at least 150 pots, more to go).
How lucky that I have some time to do it...
All of them have to overwinter as they are, hope there won't be many (hope none!) lost. There is no time to start making garden this year.

I have moved lots of my indoor plants, so pedling back and forth to check on them & water them takes some time.

Rina

i (might) actually be in a position of having to move myself here soon,, been absolutely Dreading the thought of it for a cpl weeks now,,,
seems everytime i find a new hobby, some new Owner/Apt Mngmnt team comes in with 'Big Plans' and little planning,, promising to make changes (at my inconvenience,,),, lol

i can barely keep up watering Here (in this ONE location) lol
...dunno how your doin it?

btw i wanted to Thank you for your insight, objectivity, understanding, and,, beautiful summation in responce to another thread (i just recently stumbled upon again..),
RE: Can we save my sweet Jade?

which i had long since lost track of,, but, Had weighed on my conscience for some time (back then,,) Please know any time you have ANY critisism of myself, or my replies, and post such here on GW,, i Do Appreciate it, and particularly in this/that instance.
Thank You. :)

proposed layer

holding the blade with pliers enables you to control your depth-of-cut.

insision, at~30%

fitting the pot

the mix

filled

complete

underside

main plant

close-up

piece which eventually fell off,

ready to pot

needs a little trim

trimmed

propagater~

struck

top view

likely fallen leaves from this NOID !?

will this turn 'woody' like some succulents? im purty sure it wont grow-back,,, im contemplating just slicing off the top and starting as a cutting, which btw is how i got this cactus to begin with, it was just a little 'bottle-cap' sized cutting given to me about...8 yrs ago maybe? so what would you do?
appreciate any thoughts. :)

Cactus Today1

Cactus Today2

closeup1

closeup2

Cactus w/1st litter (~june)

potted up pup1 (1st litter)

combo pic

potted pups1 (1st litter)

potted pups2 (1st litter)

tiny cactus pup (1st litter)

You know I go from plants to airplanes.
Sung to the tune of Rags to Ritches.

SS. What a beautiful Serissa! I didn't know they got so tall. Thought they reached 8-10"...I like!

Are you working on plants now? I wonder if it really matters. Although, I believe sleeping plants should be allowed to rest. Mainly succulents and bulbs.

SS, I like your scooper. Where did you get it?

You've been a busy beaver.

Laura...your babies are flowering so soon?

im pretty sure Serissa can grow into a 'shrub',,
and mines 'tall' because its etiolated~? and....im too scared (or lazy?) to trim her,
but Thank you! im just happy to keep one alive this long frankly,, :)

im not really workin em unless they Need it,, but many Do,, and i can help myself messin-with-em if i get a chance,,
mostly ive just done some succulent work, many of my current plants are still in the initial soil that i purchased them in,, would they all make it to Spring? ..hard to say w/some of em,,,,

so, ive seperated some jades n such,, heck all my Illinois neighbors were doin it!? it wont lead to harder, more addictive plant manipulative practices will it?? lol
seriously tho, how are your (Jades) doin?
i apologize, that thread got wayyy ahead of me,, and 'life' kinda sidetracked me too,,,

ohh, the 'scooper',,,
had me scratchin my head for a sec there lol
basically a 'work-perk',,
i work for an Amusement Vending Co., if/when a clients business folds up, i pull out our equipment,,, and (sometimes) oddball 'items' of theirs, they could frankly care less about at that point. ..we also install/de-install ice chests as part of a beverage system, we kinda 'lease' to them, so,,
its an ice scoop,, i snatched it, kinda/sorta,,, ya need one? say the word.

Seriously! ..im tossing out stuff like mad anyway to make way for the upcoming window installation...
gotta make some room,,,

Just wanted to stop by and say "hello" You have been very busy with all of your different activites with your plants, pots, babies, etc!! I thought i was the busy one!!

Love the pictoral of the air layering of your Sheff. She she looks great and i can't wait to see what she has in store for you as far as roots . Please post pics of everything!! We want to see! ;)

Your Jades are ready to make little ones and your cactus looks like it has "delivered for you too!" Lol.. i just want to know how many time did you get poked? I can feel them just looking at them. Love all of the babies tho!!

Lots of great looking pots.. I feel for you about trying to get ready for the new windows.. We need to replace our carpets and i just dont want to deal with moving everything.. so i am dragging my feet!!

I need to post another pic of my Serrisa. It has grown so much.

Toni!! Hi there!! Nice to see you here!! Joe and I like Planes and plants so we go back and forth on these fun little hobbies!! All great stuff. My Serrisa are still flowering and are looking really nice. The new stems are ready to be trimmed just a bit, so i am working on that.

The other day, one of my pilots showed me a pic of his remote control planes that he built from a kit. It has a 10 foot wingspan and love to fly it in his neighborhood. The funny part was that the nest door nieghbor called the police on him because of the "large" aircraft flying down the street..LOL.. Like he was going to let anything happen to it or cause any accidents on a dead end street.. Really? What fun to see a video of it in action. Like seeing a stunt pilot at an airshow flying at an angle and slowing right before a stall.. that is fun!!!

Besides my Serissa and Goldfish plant and another ? Succulent that is flowering, that is all i have in bloom.

What a bummer.. hopefully, spring will appear before we know it!

Ohh.. love those scoops too! How easy to make your mix with those bad boys!!! I bought mine at the pet supply store and use them. But i will say, that that one large scoop is a "whopper" LMAO!! That could scoop up anything!! Great perks that come with the job!!

Take good care and i cant wait to see more pics!!

Laura

No house plants at the moment really, just a few cactus and succulents, but Mike is going to help with that. ;-)

Laura,
I showed hubby your Memphis Belle story, and he said he doesn't like you anymore! lol.. well he used a stronger word but i'm being nice here. ;-)
He loves planes!! Aviation Sheet metal is his trade. would love a ride on a plane like that!

well,
Gotta run will look in later.

Have a great day all!!
JoJo

Yikes!!! Is that why my ears were stinging last night? :-)

Sorry he is upset with me, but i had to do it!! This was a once in a life time chance and when my DH read about this opp he called and signed us up. I was thrilled to have the chance to fly in this classic. Im sure he understands.. Please tell him to give me another chance!! Unless the unnamed words were so harsh.. i will pass! LOL.. Nothing better than the feeling of riding on a plane that was involved in the front line in WWII. My good friend flew the B-24 and he is 91 yrs old and still carries himself like he is 50 years old. What a Man! When i visited him in Cali he climbed in his 50 year old trees to cut down a cutting for me.. i was so impressed.

Thank you for the very touching kind words on the other forum.. it meant alot.. Mahalo!!

Have a good night everyone!!

Laura

Your hubby has an interesting job.. im sure he is interest in planes too! I love them, love to identify them and see new and oold to get into just to take a peek.. Great fun!!!

SS...although I've been on GW forums, I have been busy..Between holidays and plants, there's always some chore that needs doing.

Yesterday, went to 3 grocery stores..for food..ended up buying two plants at Dominick's. lol.
Calathea and Hobbit Jade..Oh well..half-price plus discount on store card. lol. Good excuse, huh?

SS, why would you worry about a plant lasting 'x' long? Plants you posted are doing great.

I Googled Serissa yesterday..there are mini's and standards..even variegated varieties..hmmm! lol
I'm guessing standards grow large and bushy.

Don't be afraid to trim Serissa, as long as the timing is right. You may need to research when trimming should be done. If it's etiolated, a trim and light should fit her up.

Ironically, we advise people to work/repot in spring, but most of us, 'do as I say, not as I do,' work on plants from Nov-Mar. Including repotting and trimming.

What's your goal trimming Jades?

My decapitated Jades are sprouting. Today, they're getting a drink w/Superthrive..'second dose.'
Hopefully by spring, bare Jades will fill out..HOPEFULLY. lol

Nice job..how generous of your clients. lol.
I'm still using old utensils..lol. They work okay when mixing small batches of mediums, but times I mix in large, plastic containers, I have to use a long, semi-thick stick..whatever is usable around the house.

Laura..it's good seeing you here. lol. I'm usually on GW daily, but at times miss threads..

I like model planes...does that count? lol

Are you trimming plants now? Or will you wait for spring?
Lucky you..my Goldfish never ever bloomed..boohoo.

LOL, funny about some Bozo calling police for a toy!
My brother flies planes, too, but he has to go to a park where it's allowed..

I'm surprised the neighbor didn't call the military and say a UFO was flying around their house. lol.

One time, while visiting our sister, my brother brought his kit car. He placed the car in the street the same time a real car was driving..The kit car won..lol..you should have seen the look on the driver's face..Priceless. lol.

Laura, I've never seen scoops at the pet store. Hmm..The metal scoops are nice for mixing.

Hey JoJo...Toni

Where is Joe? Hmmm?

I wanted to show my Serissa from the time i posted it up thread and that date was OCt 25. II have had this set of little starts for a month before this pic was taken, so it had time to grow in the greenhouse.

Oct 25, 2012

Same set of three start in same container one month later..
Nov. 25, 2012

When i mentioned that i needed to prune, i didnt mean to hard prune. I meant to say "pinching" or "heading" of the new growth on the Serissa. I want to train these little babies into Bonsai, so i have to keep up on a few limbs here and their for making the right decision for forming the trunk and making the trunk larger. That is what i was reffering to. You can see they are still blooming and are doing very well. The new growth has grown about 9 inches and im really studying about which to cut back a little. Yikes!! But, i know i will get it right!!!

Those sccoops are found in the feed section at Petsmart. I bought three of them and i use them all of the time!! If you can't find the metal ones, kitchens supply stores have them. let me know, and i can get you some if you need them!! :-)

Can you believe the Bozo called the cops on the men "playing in the yard?" It is as if we can't do anything anymore.. that is why i like to go to our farm in the western part of Virginia.. Noone can tell us what we can or cant do!! :-) Model planes DO COUNT!!! I think i might buy one for my son for CHristmas!! He would love it, but im sure he would rather me send him out west skiing.. we shall see!!! He finally finishes up at Virginia Tech in December, so its is time for the REAL World.. he is working me hard for a ski trip to say goodbye to the college days... lol.. Maybe if he puts in some $ i might think about it!! Agree? LOL.. Big changes ahead for him now...Life starts... time for WORK!!! uggg!

I also wanted to post a pic for you Toni of my Orchid, it started blooming today and i just noticed it.. this is for you!! Enjoy!!

Hope to hear form the OP!! LOL!!! I think we have taken over his blog..!!! Sorry Joe!! Hurry back!! I want you to see the growth on my Serissa!!!

Take care,

Laura

They are both into Remote control toys of any sort too. Hubby used to have a plane similar to what you mentioned above.

One of our dogs isn't too fond of the toys, and will chase them and try to eat the tires! LOL!
Well..
My cat just crawled up in my lap and is laying half on the desk and pawing at the keyboard, so please excuse typos! lol.

Beautiful plants Laura! Im wanting to start some Bonsai's soon!!! Been going around looking at things in the yard, thiking... Hmmmmmm dig it up? ;-)

Your welcome. :-) Think the world of you, :-) and know how you feel.

I cannot keep an orchid alive!
Right now I have a small Elephant ear and a few succulents, that's it inside. :-)
I'm going to ask mom for some plants for my birthday. :-) I went through some pretty tough times this past year and lost sooooo many plants! Mike and mom made me realize it's time to get it back in gear!

Toni, Goldfish plant is one I love! Sorry to hear yours didn't bloom. :-( Are the blooms seasonal?

Toni, half price is always good excuse for a plant! LOL!!! years ago hubby bough a saw, it was 1/2 price he said! (and he's never used it!) So that left the door wide open for me! ROFL!!!! Left him where he couldn't argue about me getting plants on sale! LOL!!!

Silentsurfer~~
That's a great litter you have there! :-) Love the C & S! Maybe has something to do with living in Az. who knows. LOL! My son is 15 and has been involved in all the gardening around here since he could walk! so he has his own collection of plants too. Everytime one has pups, he wants to seperate them into their own little pots. We tried making hyper tuffa last year. It went so so.. will try again soon. :-)

Now the cat wants to sleep on my arm! he weighs 20lbs! lol.

Well..
I need to go for now. Will have to wake this cat and move him, lol.. hes sound asleep with the front half of his body on the desk and head on my arm. Makes it hard to type. lol.. my Goober.

I added a pic of me and my son at the air show. I now have much shorter hair, and red, and he's taller than me!!! LOL!!! It was taken a few years ago.

My favorite part of the day was the Clydesdales!

JoJo

JoJo

every time i try to come up with some responces it turns into 10 pages of blah, blah, blah,,, and then i gotta take pics (of course) to properly illustrate my points lol

i actually kinda like the idea of ya's keepin it going amongst yourselfs for a min't, gives me a chance to rest-up a bit hehe

just to be clear, i didnt necesarily do all that, THAT day, lol
its just things i did over the course of a week or so, and finally got a chance to post.

JoJo is that You?
one sharp Lady there gurl!
and im not just sayin that cuz theres a C-130 in the background either hehe
Great shot of the Clydesdale too btw,,
hey i think any guy would envy Laura's Memphis Belle flight, but your hubbies job would be quite interesting to a lot of us regular Joes as well,, might be different if yur cuttin-your-knuckles on aircraft-grade aluminum all day tho, huh? :)

but hey, what about the Cactus? dang i thought you were the C+S go-to-gal?
isnt AZ like the desert? arent these things like weeds out there?? lol
hey Welcome back, pleasure to meet~ya, and (seriously) take Anything Mike (the "Emperor-of Jade" lol) is givin!
from what ive seen, it'll be well worth it. we gotta getcha sum houseplants! :)

Laura
why YES i would Luv to trade your serissa for ANY of mine here, go ahead n send it, mine'll be forcoming shortly, no really, im good for it, ~Promise ! lolo
reasons i should hate Laura:
she rode in the Belle, she has (apparently) VERY Green-thumbs, her Serissa blows mine outta the water,, she has a greenhouse, she gets to fly in planes all day long,,, hmm anything i missed?? lol

OMG What is that Orchid? ...i just got (3) on sale from Lowes recently, none in bloom tho (whats the point? No Idea lol),, STUNNING flowers, fairly boring plants otherwise, repotted them immediately, have No Idea if their even alive still :x
seriously,(your)Serissa is lookin Good! i actually repotted another young start just the other day (roots Stunk! lol), not one looks even close to yours, certainly none in bloom, for which this species is famous for,,, tell me its miracle-poop from your birds or SOMEthing PLEASE! ?? lol

the Schefflera layering has yet to produce anything viable (that i can tell) but it was a late season procedure,,,,,

i thought the 'little ones' ('jade' babies) were echevarias ??
but now i think they might be Graptosedums ??
Lowes had tons of these little succulent assortments in 1-2" pots and the colors really got to me,,, Darn their fleshy foilage and blue-green colors! lol
but ive had kinda mixed luck with them,,, i assumed they were Sun lovers, and ive only so much thats accessible,,
i actually have a few of these little leaf starts of various succulents,,,,
i really want (NEED?) to start some sort of a dish-garden....

Toni,
oh man where to start lol
i havent actually trimmed a single Jade yet (really) ive seperated some 'group' plantings, and potted-up some 4-packs,,,
i would (will) 'trim' primarily to reduce top-heaviness, or simpy to 'shape',,,
but except for (1) recent acquisition, mine are mostly smaller and dont really need any selective pruning yet,, so,, im letting YOU set the bar lol

to be clear, i think your on the right track with Yours, what youve done, the reasoning behind it,, the soundness of your vision for those plants,,, seems fairly logical to me,, and lemme just say, i believe-in the efforts and practices presented by most of the regulars over on the C+S side of the forums, from whence im (still) gaining (any) knowledge i do have about Jades (and succulents in general),, (i think weve both been doing some reading-up over there maybe?),,
but my firsthand experience with these is currently fairly limited,,,

so yours are 'sprouting'? thats Good! i really wanna (need to) wack this one like you did, roots AND foilage,, soon,,, (pics soon),,
...just got some Superthrive, AND found some old B-1 under the sink (omg!? the sink, another story lol) so many questions,,,, we should make coffee! lol

oh, Im serious, say the word, and i'll bubble-wrap an 8oz alum scoop to any address your comfortable sharing, i really Hate to throw things out i know are useful,, to
somebody,, but, i HAVE to start pitchin things,, i think, (i KNOW) im kind of an hoarder lol it has to end. ....well, untill i get a place of my Own, that is. :)

and (Laura) i'd likely never use that large (scoop) in a million years lol

..and Pulease, dont even get me started on R/C (seriously!) lol
okay,
yea Planes rock, and radio-control is pretty much big-boys and their toys, but we come in all shapes n sizes to meet almost any budget,,, i (currently) fly mostly little 'foamies', that i can slap together from scraps of foam, almost in one night w/some glue and tape,
have even hand-wound-my-own electric motors,, but these models are 3D capable (meaning they'll do almost any manuever imagineable) and as Laura implicated, Todays
R/C models are capable of seemingly impossible stunts that would amaze you if youve never seen it before....you'd think it was trick-videography or something,,
...but make no mistake, as impressive as the 'Big Boy Toys' are (and they Are),
if an 1/4 scale nitro-fueled model ever (lost signal, or whatever) and came crashing thru your sliding-glass doors, it would be Ugly!
It could be dangerous, and any pilot (real or model) takes this responsibility seriously.
...i actually more enjoy building them as much as flying.... but anyhoo lol

okay, lotsa questions, ton of pics (somewhere onboard here),, Srry for the 'novel', but Thanks so much for peekin in! ...gimme a sec to shake-off this brutal work-week,,, :)

This thread has grown!!

Laura,

And all this time I thought Serissa's were slow-growers.
One month later, and your babies are tall and full.

How much pinching will be done? Also, are you planning on seperating or allowing each plant to grow in the same pot?
You mentioned you wanted Serissa to resemble a tree.

Laura, people are never satified..One might feel a family/friend gathering having fun is a wonderful event while another will call the police and claim their neighbor is distubring the peace. 'Their' nosy peace.

Aw, son wants a ski trip. Actually, I don't blame him, but I agree, a trip is expensive. If he contributes, it'd be a lot less stress on everyone.

Congrats on your sons graduation...you must be one proud mom!
I guess, if you plan on buying him graduation and Christmas presents, the ski trip would account for both occasions..plus his contribution, of course. :)

Oh God, Laura, your Orchid is absolutely gorgeous! Bi-colored flowers are striking.
I can't really see foliage; which variety is the orchid?

Oh, before I forget, and if I didn't mention this before..one time dh and I built a model plane called Black Widow...P-61..Are you familiar with P-61, kit plane?
Actually, it was dh's project, he did a fantastic job.

Well, the plane was set on top of a nice shelf, centered in the middle.

About a year later, for some oddball reason, our cat decided to jump on the shelf. Down went the plane..no, it didn't glide, it broke.
I've never seen dh so angry! For a second I thought he'd kill our poor cat, but thankfully, he didn't..he did yell at him though..lol.

Laura, do you fertilize orchids in bud/bloom?

JoJo....awww, Goober is sooo affectionate..He's aching for your attention..:)
'mom, don't play w/that machine..I'm more important.' lol.

I think Goldfish tends to bloom more in summer, but since mine hasn't even put out a bud, maybe someone else knows the correct answer. lol

Oh JoJo, your dh made the mistake of his life, opening the door, thankfully to your advantage. Woohoo! ")

Sales, sales, where are the sales??? lol.

I love Clydesdales..They're most beautiful..the horse posted in a real stud. Love Cyldes legs and feet...

JoJo, you're a very attractive woman. Your son is so cute..He'll make one handsome man in the future.

After a third browse, I just realized how huge that plane is.

Oh, you're going to move Goober? lol.

SS. I love your sense of humor..In fact, funny people are great talking to..happy and care-free..Well, most of the time anyway..It's too bad life wasn't care-free..

As long as you don't mind people discussing plants or other topics on your thread, we'll continue chatting..planes, trains and automobiles.:)

Thanks for allowing me to set the bar...lol.
Hey, so far so good.
I swear, when misting plants, I check Jades..and each day more new growth appears. One Crassula is in another room, 'warmer/south window,' as an experiment...Don't inspect that guy as much. It's up high.
Seems when I move a plant, it's like Domino's. One plant knocks down another, which turns into a bloody mess. Or is it muddy mess. lol.

Wait, I thought you trimmed your variegated Jade? Now, I'm clueless..lol.

I used to visit C&S's daily, now I check once in a while..even though I think I have more succulents than tropicals..
Every so often I'll post a thread, 'ask questions,' or look at pics..I LOVE MeyerMike's JAdes....Those colors!

But, you're right. I got the idea cutting Jade/s back when someone ordered a huge Jade trunk on Ebay, then posted on C&S. There's so much to learn on the forums..you know?

Yep, we can sit down, relax, 'you drink coffee, I'll have tea,' then you can tell me the story about your sink. lol
Is it plugged up? I hope not..it's a pain unscrewing pipes, then trying to remove dirt, stones, whatever.
As careful as I am when showering/soaking plants, it never fails..leaves/stones/soil ends up down the drain.

I love ST, but did the price increase? I usually buy pints..It went from 20 to 34.00.!!!! Don't know what to do..In my case, it's uneconomical buying 2-4oz bottles.

If you're serious about the scoop, I'll take it, but please let me know the price of postage..

Hoarders. lol. I save all types of valuables, 'some would deem junk,' for plants..Especially trays, plastic domes, and jars. Buying a brand name or even generic item would really shrink a wallet, so why not stock up?? lol.

Have a great wkend...Toni

LOL
...planes, trains, and 'Pains',,
just include an occasioanl plant pic and All is Good! hehe

no the variegated (tri-color) jade was just repotted.
(Very light root trimming if any) No foilage removal of any kind.

lol 'plant domino's'
i hear ya, ive got some stacked on top of others now,, lol
i bought another jade on Fri evening right after work, from the same garden Cntr i got the tri-color from,, im STILL tryin to figure out where it can go,, it will have to trade with something, it needs the sill,, lol

yea, ya know even sliding them inside each other, i have a box and a bag full of various-sized clear plastic water/soda bottles,, just cant pitch em,, my little
propagation-chambers lol

hmm, i bought the 4oz ST, first time ive bought any, and it wasnt cheap,, i forget Exactly how much, ..and prefer NOT to remember lol

okay well,, back to 'weeding-out' the Apt lol
oh, email me pls Toni [silentsurfer78@yahoo.com] :)

Jade bought 121130 from Peters Nursery

Lowes Jade (front), needs cutback, repotted

Lowes Jade (back), needs cutback, repotted

oops, almost forgot this one,,
man, Jades are kinda Addicting !? lol
think it was my very first Jade actually, purchased (locally) from White Oak Garden Center,, could use a trim, and its still in the original nusery soil. Ack!
Posing pretty on my recently un-buried turntable (lazy-susan) i kinda like it tho. :)

SS.. LMAO!!! SO you want to a swap? Eh? LOL... You are funny!!! your plants are looking so healthy. You must be the one puting something "special" in the containers, LMAO....they to grow so well. Please tell? ;-) I only use Foliage Pro.. 1/4 srength during the winter..

Your super duper scooper is the bomb!!! What do you use in that one? or do i ask? LOL... he he..

My tree are doing very well, but please don't be angry with me cuz of that. Yu know my job takes me many places and i love every minute i am in the air...

Looks like youre getting your apt ready for the widows? looks good!!! MY computer is acting up and not typing all of the letters.. so frustrting. i have to keep checking to see if everything is spelled correctly..what a pain!!!

Jojo.. Nice looking pic of you and your son!!! You are going o have all of the guys going nuts on that one!!! ;-) Nice plane too! I love the C130's but i LOVE the C-5's They are awesome transports!!

Toni... Hi!! That Orchid is caled Onc Sweet Baby and it smells like Chocolate.. MMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm, love Cocolate!!!! ;-)

Hope all is well and i dont do a whole lot of pinching my Serissa.. i may do a few heads, but i will wait until spring to really prune them. I will seperate them into their own training pots and give them time to fatren up before i train them for Bonsai. Long road ahead for this,, but it will be fun!! I am looking forward to seeing what i can do with these beauties years down the road.

Take care all...

I have been getting the yard decorated for CHrustmas and the DH has been on light duty all day.. long day to say he least!!! ;-) I love it though.. it is a beautiful time to share with your best friends and family..

Merry Christmas you all!!!

Laura

Happy Birthday!!!!! To Silentsurfer. :-)And wishing you a great day!

JoJo

SS, the Jade you bought at Peter's Nursery is a real looker. Love red leaves.
What's the number in the description? 'Jade bought 121130 at Peters Nursery? '
Is it the date..Dec, 11, 1930???? lol..j/k of course.

BTW, where's Peter's Nursery?

You wrote, Lowes Jade needs cutback...where do you cut? How much?

Your Jade from White Oak looks terrific..same soil or not.

Yep, Jades ARE addicting! Especially now that there's so many varieties to choose from.

Regarding Superthrive. When/if you plan on buying more, check around..Don't buy locally. It's way too much money! These stores up the price so much..they make a giant profit, which disgusts me.

SS..My front plant room has tall windows. In the past I didn't place plants on the sills because they were too low to the floor, and windows leaked cold air..
I bought a roll of plastic at HD, placed on sills and a small section of panes..now plants sit on sills..
If it wasn't for a large stand, I'd also set plants on that sill, too, 'south,' but it's a pain to move, and when it has to be moved, TALK ABOUT DOMINOS!!! LOL.
There's one more window sill that's empty..faces west. Enough to add 5-7 plants... :)

So, you see, there's always room for one more plant. lol

Hope you have a wonderful B-day...

Hey Laura. I don't know names of most ORchids, but should learn..
Although I have a few, dozen or so, lol, most are small..Cuttings from Ebay, 'except for a four. I think! lol

My keys have been sticking for months..Isn't it a pain? What needs to be done?

Well, down the road, if there's a road to go down anyway, I'd love to see your Serissa as a tree.
Have you ever seen variegated Serissa? Oh my!!!

Hi JoJo..don't work too hard..:) Toni

the Lg scoop went to goodwill, the small ones boxed and waiting for (somebodies?) addy,, ahem lol
really, the orchid smells like chocolate ?? wow the best of Both worlds! :)

i took a lot of cuttings off the originally posted mother-plant, it grew like crazy in the Summer,,, havent really done any pinching, trimming, or training on any of the starts,, just letting-em grow,,,

heres another serissa start, its been wilting a bit between waterings, so i basically repotted it too,,
seems much happier

a cpl p. afra trimmings i stuck in soil lol

im glad people like you's decorate for Christmas, im much too lazy! lol
but i like seeing others decorations, some people get crazy with it... :)
heres my makeshift Christmas tree, bout the extent of my decorative spirit hehe

JoJo
Thank You so much! :)
..it was a horrible day (work-wise), but i did get a free lunch at Chipotle, That and a carmel frappe makes for a purty decent day in my book. hehe

Lmao um, Toni,,?
"Dead SS" ?? hey im Old, but not in the grass yet lol
Thank You! ..for singin me HBday, that is special lol :)

yes thats puter-dating, lol smartie-pants hehe

Peters is local, on the westside in Cinti OH here,, its really more of a landscaping joint, but they had a cpl jades back in the cold-house (unheated green house)

the Lowes Jade (should) 'get-the-treatment', exactly like you did to yours there a bit ago,,, cut hard, repotted, seperated (i think theres 3 individual plants in there maybe?) there was actually a small piece that had rooted itself loosely in the top of the soil, i removed & potted as soon as i got it home

but the main plant, im just watering carfully for now,, procrastinating i guess lol,,,

gotcha on the ST, tho as little as ive used, it could last me awhile..

Toni
the biggest problem with my sills is the baseboard radiator heaters are right underneath em,, i havent really noticed any draft issues (that i can tell yet),,,

and btw, i will NOT condone your plant-purchasing-weaknesses! lol
Get to the Meetings! NOW! lol

heres my little variegated serissa (from meehans)
its doing okay on the bathroom sill,,, i Have had problems propagating it (for some reason?)
serissa - variegated, new pedestal-stand (thrift store)

Purple
always glad to know your keepin-an-eye-on-us! hehe

recent repots:
variegated Schefflera repot

red geranium repotted

new pot, recently repotted 'geranium'

scented pelargonium cuttings, hangin tough (...might be rooted?)

recent ficus air-layer FAIL,
not sure what happened, was goin along fine, looked up one day it was shriveled up,, gonna give it a week or so to be sure tho.

more recent pot acquisitions

...man, that took a sec lol, time for some grub, hope the Holiday chaos is being kind to all :)

Laura, before I forget, again, I wanted to remark on decorating for Christmas.

I think it's wonderful.
After reading your paragraph about decorating, I got goose bumps..good goose bumps.
You're so sincere, I sensed your happiness.
Yes, I agree...Christmas, decorating, baking sweets, and being with family are happy occasions. Memories you'll never forget. Merry Christmas, Laura.

SS. You've got mail.
I tried emailing w/the addy you jotted down, but it didn't go through..it was sent back.

SS, you make rooting Serissas sound easy. lol.
When did you start cuttings? How long did they take to grow size of the first start?

SS, a Charlie Brown Christmas tree..lol..j/k. Some people love decorating, others don't. I love it, but dislike taking ornaments, etc down and putting them away until the following year. Also, if we get a tree, I prefer live trees..no plastic here.

What? What did I write about being dead??? My God, if I wrote something negative I'm sorry. Scrolled up but couldn't find any such remark..

About trimming Lowe's Jade, maybe it's best you procrastinate. Or maybe not. My Jade are leafing out..what a surprise! Moreso, since it's been so dark..24 hour nights. Only lights they're really getting is from two artificial lights..one cool white, one warm white.

Does your baseboard vent emit hot air? If not, it isn't a problem.
Do you know if your baseboard radiator is steam heat or other?

Don't keep too many Jade cuttings..otherwise, you'll have nothing but Jades..lol.
I dislike tossing cuttings, but if I kept all that were removed, I'd have a household filled with two types of plants.. Jades and Kalanchoes.

LOL, when is the next meeting? lol

SS...although I like your green Serissa, I adore the variegated..
Don't know if it's myth or fact, variegated plants are allegedly more difficult rooting, plus, some say rooted variegated plants sometimes grow green..not variegated.
Hope it's a myth.

Ss, you've certainly been busy repotting. They look great.

How did you air-layer your Ficus? What's its species? Did you make a slit, stick tooth-pics in slit, surround w/moss, spray until moist, then wrap plastic, holding ends together with ti's?

BTW, why is there a toothpick sticking out of edge of pot? lol.

Nice pots! What will you add in the strawberry jar. Whatever, don't place Ficus in a side pocket..lol.

I love the print pots in pics 1 and 2, and the white pot w/butterfly holes, but all are nice.

What's with the lighter? lol. Toni

Hi Everyone!
I will be back later. Having trouble typing. Hunt and peck. lol. Hurt thumb.

Jojo

SS. I apologize. I meant to write 'deaR'...:(

Like JoJo's computer keys, my keys are also messed up, sticking. Although there's no excuse, I should have proof-read before submitting.

Again, sorry..hugs, Toni