I have a few plants scattered around my house. Most are doing well. Occasionally an orchid will actually bloom. Very Occasionally. But my African violets never bloom again. They are blooming when I buy them. They stay lovely plants. I feed and water as directed. But they never bloom again.
The same goes for my zygo cactus. It will get buds then the buds just fall off before it blooms again. I baby the things but to no avail. Well, I think I finally figured out what I'm doing wrong because now they are all blooming! Yes, a true miracle. And it's happening to me.
Two out of four of my African violets are blooming. One doesn't even have buds and the other was a sodden sad little thing that is now looking much better. The zygo cactus still has it buds and one is starting to open. Not a single one has fallen on the counter top.It looks like I've been over caring for the things. I have been pretty busy and have been ignoring the house plants so much that they dry out pretty good between watering's. I give a good soak a sink with warm water (just the smaller plants and orchids) when I notice how dry they are. I just stick 'em in the morning and a couple hours later swap them out for other dry ones. Then I leave them on a towel on the counter top to finish draining. When they all have been suitably soaked I put them all back in their places. Then I forget about it until the next time it crosses my mind to check them or something wilts.
'Tis the season for blooming miracles
That's great! I might have to try that. I recently bought African violet food and still no blooms. I try to remember to water it once a week and it's only bloomed once.
ReplyDeletePaul's grandma taught me to soak my African Violets in very hot water, she uses water that she has run through the coffee pot. I use the hottest tap water I can and mine are always in bloom.
ReplyDeleteI can't get an Orchid to bloom though, I think I will try your trick Mom and see if it works.
Beautiful plants. All three of those are ones that grew like weeds for my mother in law. She was always starting new plants from their leaves. Yep, she started them in the window of the kitchen because it was the perfect place for them.
ReplyDeleteOnce they started to grow, she'd move them into the family room on the three wrought iron display shelves she had. She said the secret to growing african violets and christmas/easter/thanksgiving cactus is lighting, fertilizing and perfect watering.
Once she moved her plant shelves just one window over. Same side of the room, just 8 feet to the left and they started dropping their leaves. So...back to the corner with the two corner windows they went.
That woman would be able to grow flowering plants in the desert! Hahahahaha!