Thankyou Venkatappiah, will try methi as u say. I thought of keeping the plants near a southeast facing window, which has plenty of sunlight. if that doesn't work then will get a grow light.
Did u try making ur own potting mix? how is the result?
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Thankyou Venkatappiah, will try methi as u say. I thought of keeping the plants near a southeast facing window, which has plenty of sunlight. if that doesn't work then will get a grow light.
Did u try making ur own potting mix? how is the result?
Just simplified every thing.
I use potting mix purchased from a nursery,
Add some compost (manure), some vermiculite or pearlite, some organic fertilizer usually epsoma brand available every where (I buy at Lowes). Give a boost with peters once or twice.
The results are 95% as good as the best complicated practices.
Thankyou !
Thankyou !
Thankyou !
Growing lilies.
These are the same fragrant tubular white flowers with which people make garlands. In North India they call it as Rajani Gandha.
Even my four year old grand son identified them in a movie (satellite when the hero and heroine dance in the fields of lilies flowers).
He said these are the same flowers we have!
I have mixed feelings about this. Sure they have a glorious intoxicating Fragrance. Perhaps that is the reason why they make garlands during marriages and decorate the nuptial bed. They bloom once some times twice a year.
This is called as Mexican tuberose and there are 2 varieties, single and double. I only grew the single variety and this year it bloomed twice. It needs lots water, sun and good rose fertilizer. In colder areas one needs to get the bulbous roots inside dry them and store them. Or move the pot inside.
It is a tough call like Kankambaram, great nostalgic value. The show lasts only for a week to two weeks.My wife likes them and that is all that matters.It is also the national flower of Bangla desh
http://www.oldhousegardens.com/bulb.asp?Cat=SP&page=2
Polianthes tuberosa, ‘MEXICAN SINGLE’ TUBEROSE
You can get them from here. This is not the cheapest place, but the bulbs are larger and bigger. Some of the e-bay sources are not that good as they are smaller roots.
The old house gardens. Send good instructions. There are other cheaper sources but I have not tried them. Easy to grow in containers put 3 of them together. The stem needs to be stalked as it grows tall.
I can smell them even when I am in the garage.
May be if you get them you will recollect your early days of marriage!
CROSSANDRA kanakambaram fire cracker plant
(Crossandra infundibuliformis)
Kanakambaram is an important flower crop grown on a commercial scale in south India. Grown in many homes. For most of us settled in US it is a nostalgic flower. You see them in south India, Malaya and Sri Lanka.Jasmine and kanakabaram are used in making a mala through out south. Most of my Indian friends have them.
Seed sources
One can get the yellow red and the orangish flower cultivar seeds from EBay Just go to E-bay and type crossandra.
Easy to grow as an annual and in southern, warmer part of USA as a perennial .Can is planted in the ground and grown in containers. Varieties
The common variety is the one producing orange-colored flowers. Varieties producing yellow flowers are also grown home gardens. These are perennials and are propagated by cuttings or seed. The seed got a short life, but better than curry leaf. I obtained my first seeds from India and later from my friends in Florida.
Seedlings can be transplanted in to the ground. Seeds can be sown directly in the soil if the temperature is warm. Most of the time it reseeds it self even in my zone 6. It is declared as a weed in the state of Utah. Great house plant, too! When you put water on the seed pods of this plant, they POP out, sometimes as far away at 12 feet!
When I was a kid I used to put the seed pods in the mouth wet it with saliva and have fun. Hence the name fire cracker plant in Florida, Texas etc it grows like a weed.
Seeds and Sowing
Seeds are sown in /may June when the weather gets warm Vigorous growth of the seedlings can be promoted by applying week starter solution or 1/4th strength miracle grow. twice a week. The seedlings are transplanted at a spacing of 30-50 cm. The seedlings will be ready for transplanting with in40- 50-days after sowing. in cold climates
Manures and Fertilizers
Mixing cow manure /compost /humus to the posting soil is good enough. I do add some rose fertilizer or bulb fertilizer to all my potting mixes for fruits or flowers and feed nitrogen only through fish emulsion or miracle grow.
Yield
from the second/third month after planting. . Flowers will be available for picking for 5 months in a year for us USA zone 6.I like to have them in partial shade and not in full sun.
Last time when I came back from India I brought a tiny little kanakambaram plant from home... now I have a four feet plant sitting in a tiny pot in my living room and it is begining to flower... I wonder what temperatures it will withstand and if I can plant it on the ground outside in winter?
Lift the pot of kanakambaram.Look at the drainage holes.
If you see the roots, it needs repotting in to a bigger pot.
Since this Kanakambaram plant grew to 48 inches, it got a good/great vegetative growth.
It needs help at blooming time as blooming and fruiting needs lot of energy.
Change to a high phosphorous fertilizer. The one with a higher middle number (NPK).
My plants died down in winter. Here the temp can go down to Minus five (F).
Few years it came back. Once the seeds that fell germinated in spring.
I won’t plant it outside. I preserve the seeds or a plant inside my home.(Safety precaution)
Kanakambaram is very easy to propagate from stem cuttings and from seeds. Little rooting compound will help.
Now I have about 10+ jasmine cuttings in my propagation chamber. Some will go the temple and some to my friends.
When you go Madras try to get the seeds of pink variety, and the new hybrid Delhi...Here the plants are available, expensive about 20 dollars, but not the seeds.
Watch out for bulb sales. At the end of season one can get them for half price.
Thank you very much :)
I will be going to Madras in December and I will surely look out for the seeds of pink ones.
I should do something about my jasmine plant too... Loads of friends have asked for jasmine cuttings... when is the right time do do propagation of jasmine?