Some little questions

Thought I'd make one thread instead of little ones all over the place.
#1
To start with I have some Pansies (apparently Winter Flowering Pansies) that I've grown from seed...


Havent seen any flowers from em yet. They kinda went dormant around mid-November-ish. I think I started them off sometime in August. So did I miss out on the blooms because I started them too late? Any ideas when they will start blooming? Also when will they die?

I was hoping for a bit of color during these gloomy days. Also I was pretty keen to start growing stuff, but not many things are suitable in hanging baskets this time of year so went for these pansies. I sowed all the seeds in the pack, so I have 6 baskets of these, and I was thinking by the time they die in spring I could use them for something else but theyre not doing anything lol.

#2
I made some hanging baskets with spring bulbs (dont have many containers and our garden is paved) but I'm not too sure about how they will look when in bloom. I have Mini-daffodils in the middle and Crocus' all around.

I think i had 100 Crocus bulbs and 25 or 30 Mini-Daffodil bulbs and I split em up between 3 baskets.
I'm not going to dig em up or anything. Its just something thats bothers me everytime i see them because I keep thinking maybe the baskets will look silly in Spring . What you guys think?

#3
I have a Maranta. I asked about it a while ago in the ID section (http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/help-with-identification.48081/#post-615451).

Anyways here it is now...

The tip where the arrows pointing is a new leaf thats been coming out over the last few weeks. Its damaged and I think maybe it was like that before I repotted which was 16th november after looking back at other thread.
The leaf I circled started yellowing over this past week. I was thinking about chopping it off, or should I just leave it alone to do what its doing? Also any other advice regarding this one would be very appreciated.

Kinda saddens me this plant as all the leaves are damaged and even the new one its putting out is damaged. Even though the fact that its putting out new stuff gives me some confidence for the future its crap to look at at the moment.

 

Hallo RB,
my outdoor pansies have all gone into dormancy too and I don't think they will be coming into flower mode until a) the soil warms up and b) the daylight length increases - so we're realistically talking of 2 -3 months.
that maranta doesn't look happy does it? I think it's not in enough light and the air is too hot and dry or it's in a draught? In Spring it would appreciate a houseplant food. Baby bio or plant spikes that can be inserted in the compost.
Anyone else got advice they can offer?
Jenny namaste

 

I didnt know they would do that at the time. I think i remember reading on the packet something like "these pansies laugh in the face of winter and continue flowering" - thats false advertising i thinks lol. But I kinda assumed they'd be flowering right now but oh well.

There Maranta is by the front door and there used to be a draught coming through the letterbox but we put a draught cover/excluder thing over it so its fine now.
The air might be too dry, I've read that these plants like humidity. So thats something to think about.
I'm not sure about the light, theres a window in the front door, and sun shines through in the mornings. But i thought lack of light just makes plants stretch or grow bigger leaves and things like that?
The damage was done before when the plant was stuck in its old pot for many many years. So maybe now the plant is getting rid of stuff it doesnt need to start growing anew?

Dont really know much about plant food for houseplants, but little while back i got some packs of miracle-gro multi purpose plant food tablets on sale that i saving for spring, so i'll pop one of them in in a few months time.

thanks Jenny

 

You are welcome. It just needs a bit of TLC,
don't we all?
Happy New Year,
Jenny namaste

 

I've just got one of them Maranta things just today. It needs some TLC. Been reading up on them, apparently they hate direct sunlight, needs their soil to be kept permanently moist, and don't like drafts. They also apparently don't like it too warm or cold.

You wont believe how I came by my one. Its an outrage, a travesty no less. I was helping my mate take stuff to the tip, and somebody had thrown it away. It still had its price tag on it even.

 

Hello RB
your pansies look fine for this time of year . As Jenny said its the beginning of March before they make any real progress , then you will have a wonderful show ! Winter flowering pansies really don't flower in winter , I buy mine in late Feb now , they are a lovely spring to early summer plant.
Your mini daffs and crocus should be fine in the baskets . I grow my crocus in containers with tulips so you get an early flower and a late spring one.

 

how much was it btw?

yeah i didnt really know about the pansies much before hand. Like i said before i got like 6 hanging baskets from a 1.59 packet of seeds which pretty good. I suppose i just leave em to it and just wait for some blooms, not like i have to go out watering em and things like that, so no hassles there.

i've got some square containers which i shouldve taken a pic of, might do it tomorrow. I dunno what i was thinking at the time but I planted Grape Hyacinths bulbs around the sides, and Tulips (i think botanical ones) in the middle, which i think is fine, but then I also chucked some little baby Lavender plants in there and it looks a bit awkward with the Lavenders. Also when Lavender is bigger it'll probs take too much space. So might have to do something about that.

Also the dog dug em up one day. I dont think any damaged, just a little out of place.

 

Hi RB,

We've spoken about your Maranta before, I've done a little research. It seems your plant might be a Calathea (being upright) although it's still a member of the Maranta family. They are tropical plants and usually found growing in tropical forests. Therefore they don't like direct sunlight, which scorches the leaves and like a warm but humid atmosphere. The soil is to be kept moist, but not wet. When you think about it, this would relate to the atmosphere in a forest.

It looks as if it's sitting on the floor by a front door, probably the worst place if you think about the cold blast it will get every time the door's opened, it's also low down which is the coldest part of any room.

I suggest you move it into a warm light room away from draughts and direct sunlight, not on a window sill. My own one if you remember sit's in an unused fireplace in a north west facing room and seems quite happy.

 

Well judging by the label, someone payed £3.98 for it. I paid nada, cero, zilch because I liberated it from the skip at the tip. It was destined to become compost.

 

Mine came from a tip as well Clueless but was almost dead when I rescued it. The soil it was in had set like rock.

 

Hi, yeah i remember your plant from the other thread. I've just had a little play around on google and I'm pretty sure mines is Calathea Warscewiczii.
Some of these sites say morning sun is ok for these plants and the soil is usually moist but not wet. So i'm thinking maybe its a temperature/humidity issue.

We hardly use the front door. Usually go in/out through a side door we have in garage cus dog brings in muddy feet lol and we dont really have many visitors. But yeah, i'll look at finding a new home for this plant. Maybe will have to use a humidity tray or do some regular misting. Temperature is something to think about aswell but i think i can deal with that too.

So yeah, atleast now, thanks to help from you guys, I sort of know what to do. I think i'll try find some more info on the net first as the odd site contradicts others and plants doubts in my mind lol.

thanks again.

 

Your welcome RB. By the way, I'd cut the dead leaf off where it joins the main stem.

 

Get the Calathea out of the white cache pot too. You may find that root rot is/has set in if there is water collecting in that. Get a large pot saucer, fill that with gravel and sit it on top of that. After the plant has had a drink fill the saucer with water almost to the level of the top of the gravel - this will raise the humidity around the plant.
Also check it for any signs of red spider mite.

 

Just a quicky on this,it looks more like a Ctenanthe oppenheimiana tricolour to me IMHO. Don't forget to damp wipe the leaves as they like a humid environment.

 

just done that

cheers for the tip. i repotted last month and didnt see any signs of root rot. I'll try find a saucer for it though and do what you said. I think i need to find a new location for it first so i wont have a saucer with water on the carpet floor just incase of an accident lol. Not seen any spider mites either, will keep an eye out for them too.

Just googled Ctenanthe oppenheimiana tricolour and the leaves on that seem to be little thinner and longer than mines even though it probably varies. I still think its Calathea Warscewiczii as the pics i've found using google look pretty much like my plant.

Would be nice knowing the exact name but it dont really matter too much I guess as I know for sure its part of the Marantaceae family and all the different types, Maranta, Calathea, Ctenanthe and Stromanthe, are closely related and have same requirements more or less.
I read somewhere that all plants of the Marantaceae family have some kind of bloom, whether its a little flower or big colorful ones. I'll have to check with parents to see if mines has flowered before (as i was living away last few years and hardly came home). Thanks for the suggestion though landimad. Also I've just read that wiping leaves with damp cloth or rinsing leaves off under shower or under the sink removes dust which also helps keep pests away too.