The House Plants Thread

edko · Apr 6, 2017

Pineapple pineapples.

AngryGerbil · Apr 6, 2017

You get to grow tropical shit. That's so cool.

Hibiscus is about as tropical of a thing as I can grow. It's like, almost deciduous. It can handle colder darker rooms for a bit.

So is that a harvest ready plant? Can you eat it now or do you need to grow it more first?

Mr_Bungle · Apr 6, 2017

some lighter colored African Violet blooms.

edko · Apr 7, 2017

AngryGerbil said:
You get to grow tropical shit. That's so cool.

Hibiscus is about as tropical of a thing as I can grow. It's like, almost deciduous. It can handle colder darker rooms for a bit.

So is that a harvest ready plant? Can you eat it now or do you need to grow it more first?

We planted those two last summer and the fruit won't be ready for another 6-8 months. We have 3 more that are in various stages and pre-fruit.

The fruit will most likely be about half the size of a store bought pineapple, but with about as much natural sugar, so super concentrated.

Real easy to grow as they get nutrients through the air. Never watered them since first planting, though I will do some now to juice up the fruit some.

Sentagur · Apr 7, 2017

AngryGerbil said:
Front yard planter's box. These are lillies that should have huge dark purple flowers.

There are tall deciduous grass spikes around the base of the pole that should come back this year but so far nothing is showing.

There are purple and yellow osteospermum along the flat edges of the box. They died back in winter. But since osteospermum has about a million different cultivars, you never know if the one you have is annual or perennial. I'm still waiting to see if they come back but my gut tells me they are probably finished.

Please ignore the frankenlawn. That's what happens when you're a complete idiot and overseed a zoysia lawn with fescue seed. I did that last spring and am paying for it now. The lawn looks ridiculous. I'm going to overseed with zoysia seed in a few weeks and at least begin to fight back against my mistake. I suspect it'll take a few years to correct it.

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Wait what is wrong with your lawn? Uniformity is cancer, use 4 or 5 different grass seeds and mix them. Just my opinion.

AngryGerbil · Apr 7, 2017

Sentagur said:
Wait what is wrong with your lawn? Uniformity is cancer, use 4 or 5 different grass seeds and mix them. Just my opinion.

Really???

Sentagur · Apr 7, 2017

AngryGerbil said:
Really???

Maybe its just me but i cant stand it when i see a lawn where every blade of grass is uniform. Fuck that noise, might as well go out and buy some plastic astroturf. The beauty is in the imperfection.

AngryGerbil · Apr 7, 2017

The beauty is the monoculture!

Mr_Bungle · Apr 7, 2017

AngryGerbil said:
Really???

I would have to agree with

Sentagur on this one. The first house I lived in had an amazing yard, there were a few different kinds of grasses all with their own growth habits and textures. There was nothing better than waking up to walk outside barefoot and admiring the patches of wild chives, puffy grasses and crocuses, then I would usually pick the black raspberry bushes clean. In my opinion having land with variety determines whether you have a lawn or a yard.

Sentagur · Apr 7, 2017

Mr_Bungle said:
I would have to agree with Sentagur on this one. The first house I lived in had an amazing yard, there were a few different kinds of grasses all with their own growth habits and textures. There was nothing better than waking up to walk outside barefoot and admiring the patches of wild chives, puffy grasses and crocuses, then I would usually pick the black raspberry bushes clean. In my opinion having land with variety determines whether you have a lawn or a yard.

I grew up in a place where grass seeds were not a thing at all, grass was something that grew naturally, and couple of times a year we would cut it to make hay for my godfather who had some cows.
We never bothered about weeds and I spent hours watching when he brought his bees to pollinate the orchard and fly around the wild flowers that grew all over the place. I enjoyed the fact that there was almost always something to pick and eat in my backyard, from berries to fruits and vegetables.

That was a lifetime ago but some things stay with you and the things most americans call a lawn look sterile to me now.

Mr_Bungle · Apr 8, 2017

Hey

AngryGerbil how is that elephant ear bulb doing?

AngryGerbil said:
Also planted a single Elephant Ear tuber in a pot. It was the size of a softball. The entire internet cannot seem to agree on how to tell which side of the bulb is up and which it down. So I did the one thing they all agreed on, I planted it sideways. The bulb was so big I am hoping for some big leaves: (another google stock photo)

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AngryGerbil · Apr 8, 2017

edko said:
Pineapple pineapples.

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I love this guy. His videos involve lots of time lapse which is exactly what most YouTube videos lack. Most of them just show people sticking things into soil. This guy has follow-ups all inside the one video itself.

Plus I love his accent "a-little-bit".

AngryGerbil · Apr 8, 2017

Mr_Bungle said:
Hey AngryGerbil how is that elephant ear bulb doing?

So far nothing. Same with the caladiums. I might have done it too early. Spring came too early this year.

Mr_Bungle · Apr 8, 2017

AngryGerbil said:
So far nothing. Same with the caladiums. I might have done it too early. Spring came too early this year.

I gave up on the elephant ear I had last spring. I gave it to my roommate who then placed it in the compost pile outside when the nights stayed above 50 degrees and the bulb sprouted! I wish I could find the picture.

according to the internet it may take 8 weeks for them to break the surface.

"Water the bulbs to keep the soil slightly damp. During the rainy season, water only during dry spells if the top 1 inch of the soil feels dry to the touch.

Water during the dry season whenever the soil feels dry to the touch."

How to Start Elephant Ear Plants From Bulbs

AngryGerbil · Apr 8, 2017

Yeah I am not lost on it I don't think. I have kept it moist but not wet and we are approaching warm season so I am still hopeful.

Same basic thing with the caladiums too. They need that heat and are late-season plants, not early-season. I also hope they come up. I learn as I go!

AngryGerbil · Apr 9, 2017

The hostas are beginning to find their shape.

This is the secondary bed of hostas. These are a mix of different species taken from my neighbor's (to the right) yard last autumn. This is their first spring in their new home.

The azalea is just about to bloom.

Strike that, it is in bloom.

Easter Lily, planted last autumn on the same day as those other hostas. Easter lily only blooms on Easter when forced to grow early in a greenhouse. In nature, Easter lily actually blooms in mid summer. This one is on pace to bloom in summer hopefully. It was only one bulb but it sent up three shoots so far. The other thing about Easter lily is that, after they are 'forced' to bloom early in a greenhouse, they are 'broken' and may not ever bloom again. The only chance you have of seeing them bloom again is to plant them outside in the proper place and baby them. I think I have done that successfully so we shall see if they produce flowers or not.