Er...

I have been pretty bad about remembering this blog. I suck, I know.

I've been dealing with some things that have popped up in life and when I get into something, it pretty much envelops me.

On the bright side, I haven't had many issues with the plants. No bugs so far, thank the goddess!

I hope to update again next week. Bye!

Goon Squad.

Their new album is amazing. 

I was starting to get preety darn jealous of everyone's Thanksgiving Cactus bloom pictures. I looked at Sally, wondering what I have done wrong. Apparently nothing! She's starting to bud up now. I can't wait to see her beautiful pink blooms. 

New leaves on plants are just so fascinating. I think I'll so a post solely on that. I don't know. 
My life is changing...I don't know how to explain it. It's such a weight off my shoulder. In other ways, the weight is replaced by other things...

Anyway, enjoy your weekend everybody!   

Warp 7.7

I figured out WTF was ending up on my fly strips all summer.

CARPET BEETLES.

Hilarious because I don't have any carpets or the like on my floors, save for the bath mat. My theory is that they came into my place via my boxes from my mom's (who had an attic FULL of them) and they stayed because I have eleventy gajillion plants. Adult carpet beetles, much like fungus gnats, don't feed on much of anything. In fact, carpet beetles are pollinators! I'm going to have to vacuum the whole place tomorrow since I have the weekend off. They're not harmful to humans, but they can do a number on your clothing and furniture. I should invest in some borax.

I'm starting to slowly un-bag my Hoyas. If they're unbagged, they're in the kitchen and away from the majority of my collection. If they stay clean for a few more weeks they can join the general collection.

It's been pretty darn dreary here. I can feel the lack of light. I think that the CFL bulbs are helping with that. I knew I have always been affected by the seasons and the weather, but maybe more so now that I have plants. Is that weird?

Tomorrow is the day.

Tomorrow is election day - THANK GOD. I am so tired of the ads and the slandering. The calls meant to be invasive and intimidating. STOP. I implore everyone to vote...use that right! I don't care who you vote for, just do it!

Anyway, back to plants.

Er...I have a feeling I will be losing quite a few plants this winter. I don't know why, but I just have the gut feeling. Since Sandy, it's been nasty and grey. Not much light. Some of my plants are definitely suffering. I may need more fixtures.

Excuse the mess. This is my plant work area. Anyway, this is the cute baby Euphorbia leuconeura with another one further along. It got big very quickly. The little one should be not too far away from the big mama.

Since Chaka is no longer with us (I started neglecting her - she was too greedy about water and I couldn't keep up), this is the new Ms. Weedy.

That doesn't look like new leaves to me...it has several of these growing in. I'm hoping it blooms for me.

I don't know if you can see it, but my adorable Columnea 'Early Bird' is trying to bloom for me again. :)

This is the second time I have saved a plant by transplanting it to water. The plant on the left is what's left of Tovah, the T. zebrina 'quadricolor'. On the right is Anne, the Pothos 'Marble Queen'. The water is murky because it's sprinkled with cinnamon.

I hope people speak up tomorrow, and I hope the right person for the job gets chosen.

Good Friday.

You know how you are an adult, but with your best friends you can be however old you want to be? I just had a fantastic talk with one of my best friends and it was just what I needed.

I am seeing new growth on many of my Hoyas. I may be able to take some pictures tonight, but they might be posted tomorrow. Work in the morning!

Bye!

P.S. - I haven't bought a plant in over a month. I AM DOING SO WELL.

I don't usually do recommendations...

but these bulbs have been amazing for me.

Grow lights for those on a budget.

I thought they would be nice lights that would help the plant make the transition inside. They have really helped the plants thrive in the lower light of my apartment. Some are even growing happily under them! I feel good about them and would buy them again. They don't have the output of T5s, but they are very good for trays of plants and much cheaper.

Side perk: They're so bright, I use them for light in the day and my electric bill went down! :)

I obviously have no incentive to endorse these bulbs, and am just sharing a good deal. They produce much less heat than other bulbs or setups and they're more energy efficient. Can't beat that! We don't want burnt down houses.

We survived Sandy. Lost power for 2 hours but we're cool! 

The aquarium plants!

More than a month later, lets take a look at the plants that have had a plum life in the rooting aquarium.

My first successfully rooted H. macgillivrayi. I don't know what IML this Hoyas is, and I guess I will have to wait until it blooms.

H. surigaoensis. I didn't think I'd love this one as much as I do now. It rooted lightning fast and has those big leaves I love so much.

And it's growing new leaves!

Its root system.

H. var macrophylla Hasn't grown much since I've gotten it. Those two new stems are about it, and even those died back when I brought them in. No fear, because they're growing back with new stems!

The H. macgillivrayi that I got from CB. It's finally rooting. The tank helped a lot!

It's so pretty.

H. cv Pinkie! This was one I wasn't necessarily looking forward to growing...then I found out it was H. subcalva x H. australis, and I have always wanted an H. subcalva. Rooted without incident and I like the leaves. No new growth yet.

Its root system. I think the mix has been really successful in the humid environment and encouraged the roots to really seek out new areas of the cup.

This is the H. limoniaca piece that broke off. It hasn't filled the pot yet but has those white, fuzzy roots coming in. It won't be long!

H. latifolia. Lots of roots and several points where I think new growth can start, but none yet.

Tschuss!