October Blooms

[Doll]

Cinnamon Splendor - very large brown flower. 2nd pic is the same bloom at the end of the day.
Cindy's Heart - if you look closely you will see I had 4 blooms today!

[davidwood]

Very nice Doll, Cinnamon Splendor looks much nicer than the photo in the store.
I was only thinking yesterday its a long time since you have shown a photo of Passion Play, a photo you showed last year was my wallpaper for a couple of months it was so nice.

[davidwood]

Hi everybody here are some pictures for today, Darren your killing us with all those flowers   I started using much larger pots to try to get my plants to grow bigger.
 I bought some pots that are 14" across in the inside . And I'm using a light fluffy soil with about 20% perlite & getting nice root development now.My flowers appear to have a pink halo around the eye probable because the night time temp. has been around 42 deg. to 46 deg.

So interesting you should say that, about 8 months ago all my main Hibs went into 14inch pots, and they now have a very light mix with about  20 to 25% Perlite. I did this after seeing the results Darren was getting in the ground, I know being in a pot you cant replicate the ground but I thought it had to help.I am not sure weather its the larger pot or the Perlite but the results have been outstanding and difficult to describe on paper,  I think you are in for a nice surprise, for certain I would say its the best single thing I have ever done to improve my garden.

[Mike]

Hi David
About 3 or 4 months ago I switched soil but still had small pots & just recently I started putting them in bigger pots & when I pulled them out of the smaller pots they had big white roots & were almost root bound In just that short of time. So the lighter soil & perlite is making a huge difference ,the root development is excellent . now the bigger pots will hopefully do even better . I'm trying to get the plants to grow like Darren's   .    

[davidwood]

Hi David
About 3 or 4 months ago I switched soil but still had small pots & just recently I started putting them in bigger pots & when I pulled them out of the smaller pots they had big white roots & were almost root bound In just that short of time. So the lighter soil & perlite is making a huge difference ,the root development is excellent . now the bigger pots will hopefully do even better . I'm trying to get the plants to grow like Darren's   .    

I could have written that above as that is exactly what happened to me. I think the Perlite is a huge help, not only does it seem to aerate the soil and is good for drainage, it seems to have the added advantage which is important to me here in Vietnam that it really holds water, even in baking hot tropical sun I only need to water once a day.

[farmer d]

David and Mike your blooms are so nice...Mike the colors are so, so pretty!!!  And David your plants just look so healthy and well taken care of.  

I really like the talk lately concerning pots and trying to get bigger ones for root growth.  It seems pretty basic to me that if you want more buds and stronger plants you got to give them roots a lot of room and feed them well.  My problem and I'm sure just about everyone else's is if you get some really good sized pots (I would love to get the ones that are 2 or 3 ft across) you cannot really move them around at all.  For me that is an issue during heat waves.  

Unfortunately my Rodeo Drive, Surf City and Space Oddity got severe heat stroke by our one heat wave in August and then in their weakened state were attacked by spider mites.  I know now to move them next time but if I get the big big pots that won't be possible...so how big or how to move them...or maybe a shade cloth I can lower on the front overhang of my porch on those scorcher days...

I'd love to have some 5 ft tall potted hibiscus gems on the porch for people to enjoy as they walk up so maybe the shade cloth is the answer!  That or a forklift.

OK, a few from today....Palm Springs gave me the perfect bloom today!



Farmer D

[farmer d]

A few more...a fun shot of a ladybug chowing down on aphids that were on The Path bud.

Farmer D

[davidwood]

David and Mike your blooms are so nice...Mike the colors are so, so pretty!!!  And David your plants just look so healthy and well taken care of.  

I really like the talk lately concerning pots and trying to get bigger ones for root growth.  It seems pretty basic to me that if you want more buds and stronger plants you got to give them roots a lot of room and feed them well.  My problem and I'm sure just about everyone else's is if you get some really good sized pots (I would love to get the ones that are 2 or 3 ft across) you cannot really move them around at all.  For me that is an issue during heat waves.  

Unfortunately my Rodeo Drive, Surf City and Space Oddity got severe heat stroke by our one heat wave in August and then in their weakened state were attacked by spider mites.  I know now to move them next time but if I get the big big pots that won't be possible...so how big or how to move them...or maybe a shade cloth I can lower on the front overhang of my porch on those scorcher days...

I'd love to have some 5 ft tall potted hibiscus gems on the porch for people to enjoy as they walk up so maybe the shade cloth is the answer!  That or a forklift.

OK, a few from today....Palm Springs gave me the perfect bloom today!



Farmer D

Thanks Darren, if you have the room the larger pots are the way to go, here are photos of a couple [P's Purple and Dragon Heart] I moved into very large pots and you can see the growth in just 3 months, they where put there to take full advantage of the shade from the palms.
If you want a couple of tall cv's that dont need protection from the sun, Transcendent and Bright Horizon would be perfect, very similar bushes and both now 5 feet tall after just a few months.
Your Palm Springs is stunning.

[Charlie]

Farmer D, I think the drop down shade would be a big help. Bigger pots do provide more root room but have the disadvantages that you mention. They aren't the whole answer because I've got some 8 footers growing in 2 gallon pots. That is in a shaded greenhouse with the drip system and fertilizer injector but still shows the potential in even a mid sized pot. At one point we grew all our stock in 15 gallon pots and the plants were pretty magnificent but once again there is the size and weight disadvantage. Whatever you do, do not overpot - like planting a 4 inch in a 10 gallon pot. In the tropics that might work but in most places the soil will stay too wet and go sour on you and the plant will suffer.

Another way to get many of the advantages of a larger pot is to root prune every other year. By cutting away 1/3 of the root ball and adding fresh potting mix to the same pot you allow the hibiscus to experience rapid new root growth which results in lots of growth hormone release.

David, your maturing garden is looking splendid. Before long you can open it up as a tourist destination and charge an admittance fee!  

And Darren I'm surprised you are not finding strangers strolling around your front yard!

Charlie

Charlie

[roadrunner]

Darren and David great photos as always. Beautiful Palm Springs bloom. Hope mine gets large enough to bloom soon.

 

[Denise]

Beautiful shots everyone!!!!

Darren- Regarding the large pots, and moving them: I have mine in very large pots, but they are actually made of plastic that looks like stone. They are not exactly "light" but I am able to move them on my own when needed. Some may think plastic is tacky, but I think they look just as beautiful. Just a thought

Keep the pics coming! You all have my wish list changing and growing :/ I'm gonna get in trouble!

[Denise]

I can't stop going back to that Tahitian Princess shot! I've never noticed that one in the store before. It's really pretty! The petals look thick and strong. Nice!

[Denise]

Oooh! And Darren, I was gonna ask to see a shot of your plumeria tree that you mentioned in a previous post. I think that's it in the wide shot there huh?

[Doll]

Darren, if you put some of the heat tolerant varieties on your porch I don't think you will need to worry about the heat waves. Cindy's Heart and High Voltage would do just fine in the heat. I have both of these growing in full sun.

Cindy's Heart

[farmer d]

Oooh! And Darren, I was gonna ask to see a shot of your plumeria tree that you mentioned in a previous post. I think that's it in the wide shot there huh?

Hi Denise, here is a couple of shots of my plumeria tree.  Both David and I use it for needed shade in our gardens.  Mine is in a really hot and dry corner which strangely for a tropical tree it needs to start off in a dry environment as they are very prone to root fungus in their first several years.  I am growing a couple of others but they're still in pots.  One I had planted in ground for 6 months and out of nowhere the signs of root fungus and death appeared so back to the hot dry pot again....I don't know if it will recover yet.

Farmer D