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Tropical waterlilies blooming indoors!!
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Posted by watergal z6/7 Westminster, MD (sjohnson13@aol.com) on Thu, Jan 17, 08 at 21:34
| For several years, I've overwintered my tropical waterlilies under shoplights in my warm grow room. Most of the time, they muddle through, with some smallish leaves, until I can put them outside in June.
This year, I have a high-output T5 fluorescent fixture with four 48" bulbs. It puts out LOTS of light. The lilies are in individual buckets (kitty litter bucket sized). I top off the water whenever I water the other plants, and about once a month I pull out the bucket and remove the nasty old pads.
Today I found FLOWER BUDS! Two buds on one plant, and one bud on another plant! There may be more, but it's pretty hard to see the whole plant unless I pull the buckets out. I'm so excited! I will get photos if the flowers stick around long enough to open! |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Tropical waterlilies blooming indoors!!
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- Posted by lefd05 z5/6 westCO (My Page) on
Fri, Jan 18, 08 at 13:11
Wow, that's very cool!! I'm not sure if I've ever heard of someone having a tropical bloom indoors. In a greenhouse, yes, but not indoors.
Be sure and show us pics when they bloom!:) |
RE: Tropical waterlilies blooming indoors!!
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| That's great! I was hoping mine would survive the winter in pots, but we suffered a week long power outage during freezing weather, and they've turned mushy and black. |
RE: Tropical waterlilies blooming indoors!!
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| Wow! I guess I will have to invest in one of those light fixtures (or two or three). Do you germinate and grow on other plants? Sandy |
RE: Tropical waterlilies blooming indoors!!
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- Posted by joyce Zone 7b LI, NY (My Page) on
Sat, Jan 19, 08 at 9:37
| Very cool...please take pix! :) |
RE: Tropical waterlilies blooming indoors!!
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| I will take pics when they open, I promise! I had read about people blooming them indoors under HID lights, but never fluorscents. I have an HID light, but I previously had used it for other plants, and right now I'm not using it all at because my plant collection had dwindled. I'll be needing it again soon, though - orchids have started following me home! Sandy, I do some seed starting for outdoors - limited perennials and annuals just for my own garden. I've always used cheap shoplights in the past, which wass adequate for my needs, but the fixtures don't hold up well over the long haul. The T5's are so much brighter, so I suspect would do better as the seedlings get taller. Email me if you want to know the ebay seller that I bought my fixtures from. I thought they were a very good value. |
RE: Tropical waterlilies blooming indoors!!
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Hey, Watergal. I will e-mail you right away for that e-address. I have been growing under lights for about 20 years and most of the time the info from other sites has been techie directed and falls into gibberish. The forum on Gardenweb simply disolved into a shouting match with the biggest ego lasting longest when I last checked in on it about three years ago. Do you look in on any forums? I currently am recovering from a broken back and will have to go slowly this year but I would trade space from my present lighting if the T-5s are that much better.
I have had enormous gains by using a curtain of reflective mylar to reflect the light. I swear the results are fivefold in plant size with no streching or weak stems. I wish I had a light meter to check it out. Sandy |
RE: Tropical waterlilies blooming indoors!!
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| Sandy, I spend way too much time on most of the GardenWeb forums, including the Growing under Lights one, but I agree about the shouting matches there. I still check in, but I stay away from posting on those threads. Most of it is way too technical for me anyway. I just want to grow plants, not become an electrical engineer! A broken back! Oh no! Best wishes for a speedy recovery! You may want to wait until you are healed for the T5's - they are so bright that everything needs to be watered more often. But they are awesome, especially for higher light plants. |
RE: Tropical waterlilies blooming indoors!!
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Thank you. The back surgery has healed nicely and my biggest problem is doing that boring exercise regimen. The connection between abs and buns is indisputable I'm sorry to say.
A great thing about computers is there is no need to tune in to a bore like some of the egos that post. Just a click and they are gone. For the most part, I can deal with the techies on the gardening under lights forum. I ran two electronics stores many years ago.
I have a medical condition called SAD that is treated with light so I try to keep up with that. The SAD light requirements are close enough to the plant requirements that they dovetail nicely. I just have to remember to turn the lights off or I wind up needing Ambien to get to sleep. Sandy |
RE: Tropical waterlilies blooming indoors!!
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| Sandy, I have really bad SAD too! I used a light box for a couple of years, but now I treat it with St. John's wort. Except I forgot to take it until late yesterday, and it kept me up half the night! Sometimes I think I should use my light box on some of my plants, since it's just sitting around doing nothing now. |
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