Can you grow Sinningia from cuttings? Or, how to propagate Sinningia.

 

Regarding the first question, the answer is: it depends.

Since many people get introduced to growing houseplants in the context of things like pothos, I think people have a natural assumption that taking and propagating cuttings is a normal part of the "houseplant game".  Unfortunately, not all plants agree to play that game.  So as you branch out into more esoteric plants, you'll want to get to know their habits.

Sinningias can be considered to fall into roughly two groups.  Those with sort-of determinate growth, and those with more indeterminate growth.  You may have heard these terms in conjunction with tomato varieties.  The idea is similar, though Sinningias of course are not grown as annual crops.  In short, some plants will produce stems with a terminal size, more or less, while others, can just keep on going and going until frost cuts it off.  The former is "determinate", the latter "indeterminate".  

Sinningia sellovii is an excellent example of indeterminate growth habit.  The stems are of variable lenght with many pairs of leaves, and they flower on top.  Also, notably, the stems can also branch, before or after flowering, or in response to damage at the apex.  This branching tells you there is potential at those nodes to also form roots, and they can and will do so.  Success rate is variable with rooting these and getting them to produce tubers, but I'd say at least 50% of cuttings I've tried will do it.  You want those tubers to form, because that is what ensures the rooted cutting will survive as a plant on its own long term.  If you try it, root them in potting media of choice.  

IMPORTANT: if you try this approach, root stem cuttings, not leaf cuttings.  As far as I know, leaf cuttings, as is done with violets, will not root for any species.

Sinningia leuchotricha, one of the most popular sinningia, is a good example of determinate growth.  The stem grows up, has leaves and flowers at the top, and more or less that is the end of the story.  The leaves collect light energy and feed that tuber all summer, then dry up and fall off at the end of summer.  Sinningia with this habit generally don't root well, if at all, from cuttings, and will similarly not produce a tuber if they do.  I will concede there are occasional exceptions, where if you get just enough tuber chunk with the stem, the tuber chunk may form roots and successfully likewise a new tuber.  This is pretty hard to pull off though.  

Well...fine then how does one propagate Sinningia leucotricha and its kin?  From seed of course!  Its pretty easy to pollinate them, and sown relatively fresh, the seed often has amazingly high germination rates.  I like to use those clamshell containers that salad greens come in.  Partially fill with your soil mix of choice, sprinkle the seed on top, mist to settle the seed down.  Close lid and keep warm.  Germination usually takes a couple weeks. 

Now I said "roughly two groups".  There's a third flavor, and then still legend tells of a forth propagation option.

The third flavor of Sinningia is those that naturally form satellite tubers.  Most of these are also indeterminate or semi-indeterminate in habit.  A satellite tuber is an extra tuber that forms on its own along the stem somewhere, or on a stolon.  Species that can do this include Sinningia bullata and eumorpha.  In these, you can keep the extra tubers together, or separate them out as individuals to share when they get some mass to them.  Despite the formation of satellite tubers, I haven't seen bullata successfully root from cuttings without having an already existing tuber, however, and so far they only produce satellite tubers on young plants.  Perhaps more testing needs to be done.

The final option for propagating sinningia, after 1) seed, 2) cuttings, 3) satellite tubers, is *drumroll please* 4) cutting tubers.  In theory you cut top to bottom splitting the growing point in half or thirds, like one might split other kinds of tubers.  I have not tried this, so I cannot advocate for any level of efficacy.  I find the idea horrifying, honestly, since it so much easier to produce a large number of new, happy baby tubers by seed, and if you cut a tuber, you now have some weird looking tubers.  So that means if you try it, you're on your own.  But if you have tried it, please do comment below and tell us how it went!

PS: looking for where to get some sinningia plants to get you started?  Browse the available plants at juliaredman.com!!  :D

Confessions of a Collector

It is often joked that collecting and doing are two separate hobbies.  For example, collecting the yarn or collecting the books and immersing yourself in the use of those things are separate activities.  I think there are a few stories there.  The collecting activity, well its a hit of endorphins in its way, isn't it?  The hunt, the discovery, all the possibilities and dreams that come with finding your next beautiful gem.  Its retail therapy but with extra benefits - that thing can have a life of its own, and you can be a part of that.  

Then, in the having, as you review those things in your collection you get to relive that dazzling array.  You also take a walk down memory lane in other ways, such as who it reminds you of and why, what you learned along the way, how you've changed, extraneous loosely associated memories of who you once were.  I currently am rearranging a lot of my supplies - as well as reorganizing and repotting plants - and in doing so I get to re-appreciate the uniqueness of each thing, and the ideas that I had when I met them.

But this can also be a trap.  When does it tip between a reasonable collection toward supporting a series of goals and ideas to random crap you picked up because you needed a hit?  Do you keep it because you legitimately intend to make those things happen, or do you keep it because you feel obligated to what could have been?

You may find that you live in a balance between the ecstatic joy of big ideas, the quiet pleasures of the doing, but dragged down by the morose realization that this collection represents things that could have been:  the person you wanted to be, but haven't had the time.  How do you crawl out of that?  

We are aware on some level that this is a fact of life.  You make choices, you course correct over time, you curate, but ultimately you compromise.  You trade doing what gives you joy for doing what pays the mortgage.  But you DO NOT TALK ABOUT IT.  So why am I talking about it?  Because I felt like I needed to.  Not doing so leaves you feeling isolated and like a failure.  Reaching out to others is a way to create connection, and that connection is how we survive.  Even for a barely masking mess like me.  Pretend or 'toxic positivity' is just fake.  Lets not hide.

So what can we do?  Well, I mentioned curation in passing.  That is always part of the equation.  I don't think its the full story, but its part of the story I can control, and you can too.  Let go of the things you struggle with, are sickly, or take up valuable real estate and don't give you that spark of joy.  If you don't feel inclined to admire its leaves every time you water, or inspect it closely for new roots and buds, pass it on to someone else.  If its sickly, or has recurring some-problem-or-other and you're afraid its a Leafy Typhoid Mary, the trash bin is recommended - it'll remove the anxiety, not to mention recurring maintenance tasks you really don't want to do.  Pro tip: *do not keep the tag*.

What is the step after that?  I don't know, I don't have all the answers.  I suppose I just wanted you to know that if you're struggling with the balance of letting go and living life, this collector says you are not alone.  We can do this together, if that would help.  Share your comments and experiences, lets talk ourselves through this.

[Photo of Sinningia iriae foliage for "tax."]

Horticultural Practice: Growing Your Skills

 

 

What does your horticultural practice look like?  

‘Horticultural practice’ is concept I’m suggesting to describe a mindset of being invested and committed to your plant hobby.  How it looks will be unique to each of you, but will have one common factor:  a pattern of increasing success through discovery.  It is a mindset you can use to level up your game, no matter what your current level is.

I’m borrowing this concept from the term ‘art practice.’  Artists often talk about their art practice.  This is all the things one does to stay fresh and active in their field, similar to a medical practice.  It isn't as simple as cranking out the next painting.  Instead, it is the path of exploration, discovery, learning new techniques, personal challenges, and overall continuing education that enables supporting and improving the production of new art, in the case of an artist.  Basically it’s all about going beyond just the production aspect.  You can imagine how with growing plants, you can have a similar concept, though it isn’t often named as such.

So how can we think about horticultural practice?  What might that include?

Obviously it can be the every day work of caring for your plants.  It also includes reading about various plants or plant-related topics, joining various plant groups with online chat or in person lectures, as well as trying things out for yourself.  To get the most of the effort invested, though, make sure to practice with purpose.  

A great purpose to start with is investigating problems that arise - really pursue it to get to the bottom of it.  We have an instinct to look for an easy answer, or try things “just in case”, but that doesn’t really teach you to see it before it happens next time, and worse, may involve spraying chemicals that aren’t going to do any good.  Push beyond to figure out exactly what is happening and why it might have happened.  Use google image and website searches, and be picky about your references.  Maybe hit up the library!  This will lead to a more informed choice for solving the problem, but may also lead you to general improvements in how you care for your plants on a daily basis, so preventing this from arising again.  

Side note, the above is the path that led me to switch to using reverse osmosis water only.  If you’re interested, I can expand on that another time; leave me a comment below.

Or perhaps you like succulents, and you’d like to know how to grow better looking plants, consistently.  How might you do that?  You can certainly start with talking to other people who keep succulents, but that only gets you as far as the knowledge they’ve gained and whatever assumptions they’ve made about the question you’re asking.  So as a next step, you might research individual plants.  Where are they from?  What is the climate like there at different times of the year?  Make it your personal challenge to find someone on instagram that posts photos of those kinds of plants in their native habitat.  Can you tell if they’re in shade?  Always on a slope?  What other kinds of things grow nearby?  Maybe visit or look at photos from botanical gardens.  How do they situate the plants?

For myself, I find there is nothing that changes my perceptions about plants more than seeing photos of them in the wild.  I’ll never be able to travel to find all the things in their native habitat, but if you see and hear enough talk about those places, you gain an appreciation of what its like.  This will change the way you manage your plants.  As a bonus, its like arm-chair travel!

Yes, all that is lovely but why bother with all that when you can just get someone to tell you what to do?

Well, actually, that is part of it.  That is often really useful, a great starting point.  Instead what I’m saying is more on the lines of ‘always dig deeper.’  There are a number of reasons for this.  One, for example:  you post a photo on facebook and ask what is wrong.  Folks will make assumptions about your growing space, habits, water quality, and overall what is happening in your windows.  They also have to operate under the limitations of their own experience or reading, and so may miss things, all good intentions aside.  So you might get some good answers, you might get some incomplete, and in both cases, you may still not know *why*.   A combination of the effort to get into the details, making notes for yourself, and that feeling of “this is it!” is what usually makes something truly stick in your mind.  Plus, it is just fun.  So, yes, chatting with plant friends is a starting point, but there is so much more you can discover.

At the end of the day, if the goal of the hobby is to get stress relief, gain enjoyment, gain a sense of accomplishment…its hard to get that by chance.  Most people get that sense of fulfillment when they get to the other side of ‘conquering a mountain’, if you follow the analogy.  Meaning, the journey of discovery, solving a mystery, the expansive feeling of sheer wonder and awe - that is where you will find joy.  So get out there and explore!  

Enjoy your personal journey!

Dormancy Cycles in Sinningia

Sinningia leucotricha is a species that has a normal, leafless dormancy phase. They can be grown without this, particularly when young, but it is normal for them, and I think can result in better blooming cycles. However, if you are not used to keeping houseplants that are strongly seasonal in their growth, or even plants that produce a minimum of new foliage each year, this might be alarming to you. So let's discuss. 

 The first thing I need you to do is not panic. :)

So what does it look like?  First, the foliage starts looking tired.  It can even start looking like there is a nitrogen deficiency, like these plants here.

Sinningia leucotricha seedlings with mature, aging foliage; semi dormant

How do you differentiate between nitrogen deficiency and dormancy? Well, I don't have a perfect answer for this, but largely I would consider "stage" or "season". In older plants that have been trained to seasonal growth through warm, damp summers and cool, dry winters, obviously they start to visibly shut down their foliage in the fall. But if you are an apartment dweller, and the plant gets only small seasonal changes, it is going to decide on its own when its time to take a nap. Here, you need to consider how long has the foliage been on the plant. Has the foliage been in place a while, and suddenly started looking trashy? If so, dormancy is likely. This may eventually align with the seasons, particularly on a windowsill, since the seasonal changes in light intensity and window draftiness will give the plant some signals.

As a side comment, I don't find the species to be a particularly heavy feeder, so by that token, nitrogen deficiency is automatically unlikely. Of course, it is also never quite impossible. Just make sure you feed it "sometimes."

If you see your plant doing this, perhaps slack off on the watering a little, letting it dry out more or for a little longer between watering, but wouldn't withhold completely.

Eventually, the plant may just get over itself and pop out some new growth, like the wee leaves you see starting here:

Sinningia leucotricha seedling with new apical growth

In this case, just continue on with normal care like nothing happened.

But the plant may fully shut down the foliage like you see here:

Leafless-dormant Sinningia leucotricha seedlings

It may even be crunchy-dry:

Crunchy Sinningia leucotricha foliage

I repeat: please do not panic.

At this point, we will similate a "dry winter". Ideally this means cooler temperatures - I usually keep plants around 55F in an unheated basement, but work with what you have. I've also just set plants aside on a cool tile floor away from the heat. You'll also dramatically reduce water at this stage. You can still water *a little*, on occasion, but bias toward bottom watering to avoid getting the crown of the tuber wet. Be patient. Accept that the plant needs a nap. As long as that tuber looks plump and undamaged, all is fine.

If the foliage seems to come off easily, take it off. Don't force it though, you don't want to chance damaging the crown by ripping the little stem off.

Remember to check on it periodically, see how it looks, see if there is any change. What you are watching for is this:

Fuzzy new Sinningia leucotricha growth!

Its wakingup! When you see this, you can put it back in high light if you've moved it off elsewhere while dormant, start increasing water, and maybe feed it at this stage. The plant is entering its spring/summer phase.

From here, you know pretty much what to expect. It will grow new foliage, sometimes one stalk, sometimes a few. It may flower soon, when the foliage is partially grown but not mature. During and after flowering the foliage will continue to expand until it reaches its full size for the season, at which point it will be a medium silver-green color. Then it turns to bulking up its tuber. The foliage may not change much, or at all from here to the end of the growing season, but the plant is busy doing important work below the soil surface to prepare for next winter.

You will likely find that each year, the foliage will increase in size or leaf count as the tuber increases in size. Enjoy watching the show each spring, knowing you've done a good job over the past year to help it prepare for the event.

For more photos and chit chat about this species in various stages of development, including a look at my oldest plant entering dormancy last fall and the beginnings of its show this spring, check out the instagram hashtag #pgcsinningialeucotricha.

Walking Iris

Hiya!  After some hiatus, I've been posting plants over on Instagram.  Faster, less construction involved and I can still share some things with you.  Follow me there if you'd like to see some plants, nature, fiber art, and pets.

Today's in bloom is a walking iris, Neomarica species, no ID.

You can find that post here.  Blogger seems to have trouble slurping photos from instagram for preview.

Mystery Mushroom

Leucocoprinus birnbaumii (?)

You may have had this experience.  You have a plant, large or small, summer comes, its warm, the thing is being watered well, and suddenly there are neon yellow mushrooms cohabitating with your plant.

"What do I do?!?" you think, and "where did I go wrong?"  Nothing* and nowhere.

If you have a small child or dog with compulsive hand to mouth syndrome (eats whatever it touches), you might remove the mushrooms, the species is not edible.  But otherwise, they harm no one, certainly not your plant.  Though some fungi are parasitic or pathogenic, in general fungi of the mushroom type are nothing more than an indication of the presence of decaying organic matter.  In this case, potting soil.  Many fungi are even beneficial.  To learn more about that, read up on mycorrhizae. 

This, however, is just a mushroom.  I believe the species is Leucocoprinus birnbaumii.  They get into the soil from other plants, spores in greenhouses and garden centers, and in potting soil (or potting soil components if you mix your own like I do) that is not fully sterilized.  You can remove the mushrooms, but these are only fruiting bodies, the bulk of the organism is living quietly beneath the surface in a vast network of fine mycelia.  I suggest you just enjoy their obnoxiously yellow presence for the few days they are present.

If anyone is interested, according to The Rainbow Beneath My Feet by Arleen and Alan Bessette,  the species produces beige to yellowish brown dye depending on mordant.  Bummer, I really hoped it would be sunshine yellow.

Eastern Dobsonfly, Corydalus cornutus

Eastern Dobsonfly, Corydalus cornutus

These lovely critters are Eastern Dobsonfles, Corydalus cornutus, one female (horizontal bug in photo; short mandibles) and one male (diagonal; long mandibles).  These insects are 4-5 inches in length, impressive in appearance, but harmless.

This year I have sighted them more often than in previous years, and I saw a similar comment on What's that bug? leading me to believe their population has been improving.  In the larval stage, they are aquatic as well as predatory (and, if possible, more creepy looking), and likely owe any resurgence to the same source as the increasing numbers of frogs, eagles, etc.  Though I'm sure the populations of none of these are what they once were, I think there are definite improvements.  I'd like to think people are starting to take responsibility for water quality and habitat preservation, but it may be nothing more than the days of willy-nilly spraying of DDT is now far enough behind, allowing some ecological recovery.  A great review article about dobsonflies on the Univeristy of Florida website mentions that dobsonflies have been suggested as a good indicator for environmental monitoring studies.

The article mentions above also explains many other interesting facts about the species.  They spend 1-3 years as larva, living in clean water, under rocks and such, feeding on other insects.  They then pupate about 3 weeks to reach their adult stage, shown above.  As adults, they live 3-8 days to mate and finish out their life cycle.  Seeing one, therefore is a rare treat, like seeing a luna moth.  I feel exceptionally lucky to have seen this pair together.