Sunday, September 20, 2015

It All Started With One Re-potting

 
The whole thing started when I decided to bring in and repot my recently-acquired jasmine plant. Night temps were dipping into the 50's, so I wanted to begin bringing in the houseplants.
 
 
First I made room by removing dead plants. So long, african violet. You were awfully pretty for several years (six I think!) The smaller violet I had died awhile back, so I guess I'm out of the violet hobby for awhile. Good opportunity to try some new plants I've never grown before, like the jasmine.


Two of my lithops didn't make it, I'd read after potting them that they don't like shallow pots but chose to leave them and see what happens. See plants die. Die plants, die. *sigh* (That's plant-killer haiku', lol.)

 
Nice spot opened up now, more "front row" exposure for some cacti that need it...

 
...there!

 
Another spot for a plant from the porch to go, or maybe...

 
 ...this plant that I also repotted to a nice deep pot. It was floppy before, now I want it planted deeper and growing properly. Looks kinda pissed for now.

 
So for the jasmine that started all this, I decided to repot it into the pot containing this passion vine. The vine has been wandering all over the room, but no blooms and the pot is quite large.
 








 


 

 See? Large pot, nice obelisk trellis and the plant takes off anyway.

 
Here's the spot to make the cut...


...there! Small root ball, smaller plant=smaller pot. I only have so much room in this apartment, so it had to be done.


Decided to try it as a hanging plant, maybe it will get bushier if I trim back each vining branch. I just hope I haven't trimmed it so much that it dies, but it's too late to do anything but wait now. Grow or die is the basic plan around here anyway.


                                        Time to repot the jasmine, it's fairly root-bound.


Okay! Now I have a plant that will make more use of the obelisk before trying to escape.

 
Update on this non-hardy plant I bought this year-I misidentified it as a bougainvillea, just assuming I knew what it was when I bought it.

 
Had I bothered to look at the tag I'd have known it was a similar-looking bush, not a vine. Oh well, now I won't need to buy another obelisk.

 
More cultural info, sounds like it's near full-sized now.

 
Fairly root-bound too, like most all plants from big box stores.


This pot isn't much deeper but lots more room on the sides, one web page I looked at mentioned these plants like that sort of re-potting. Funny how a single repot project can morph into more.

 
By this time I had the table nearly emptied anyway, so why not tackle a re-organization project? This poor vintage card table has been suffering water damage from various plant mishaps...

 
...time to use the tablecloth I found on Amazon awhile back. I felt the pattern was very appropriate.


       There! Much better! Some room left for the two brugs yet to come in...

 
...but standing room only on the table next to it.


I reconfigured the hanging plants too, removing all the passion vine tendrils and letting a couple overwhelmed plants get more light. (They needed a turning, too.)

 
And here's our project-starting jasmine in its' new home. I'm sure a few leaves will drop off as it gets used to less light, but then I'm guessing it will reach for the sky to find more.
 

                                   Alternatively it may just get pissed and die, only time will tell. At least my plant room got a mini-makeover. Thanks for the inspiration, jasmine!

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Orchid Mount Project

I'm finally doing something with my poor Tolumnia 'Tequila Sunrise' orchid.


Just one green part left-see all the dead sections? I've been a negligent orchid mommy :(



Poor thing has roots roaming all around the pot.


Oh yea, root-bound to the max!


Spread them all out...


                                      ...lots of room on the mount compared to that tiny pot!


I presumed the roots would take hold of the mount quite well eventually, so I used just one length of wire to affix it to the wood...


...loosely hooked to the back.


I'll lean it here with the other small orchids until it grows solidly onto the board, then I'll hang it up.


Sad to see this old picture from 2012 when I first bought it, so healthy...


...and blooming!


Sure hope I get to see those again one day, I wonder if abused orchids respond to "new mount therapy"? Here's hoping!