Plant Propagation , The Basics ,, Continued #

Jen, spondylolisthesis is what I have had for a couple years, previously it was diag'd as slanted crushing vertebra L4 and L5, ,caused by ostero arthirtus and scoliosis,a few bulging discs, lots of arthritis build up and mis-guided vertebra. They recently made me have a sciatica attack, and I had never had that pain. I have always had back pain since my first accident in the garden. The flying up and falling flat head back first on the ice, prolly gave me the injury adjacent to the other damaged area from a few years previous. I have three running problems. and they told me they can hold off the surgery. I am trying to wait until I am about to turn 65. then I will have insurance at work, heal time, and about to be signed up with medicare. If they operate, I am going to claim disability to do my own profession. AT work I am the hostess with the mostest . I greet folks by name most of the time. cheerfully, open the doors for them, put plastic and paper on their seats and floor borad. drive it forward if they didn't.chit chat about their grand-kids, thank them for being patient when there are 6 cars in at the same time. I offer coffee and usher people to the rental car place, or the Starbucks machine or the lounge or to the sales floor. I always try to get someone to look at cars, since I used to sell them. I offer a ride to the mall across the street , provide snacks and cold water, and the pop machined food area is Avanti. I make sure every one is comfortable, and if they want their service history, or their salesman they can't remember , I look them up in my computor and decide who is going to work with them if they don't know their salesperson name. Sometimes they need a ride to a drs office or a place to eat lunch. If they are older than me, I bring their cars up close, open the door out and hold on to them to the car. 65% of our clients are over 65. I have been showing the young kids how to do things. I work from 9 to 6 , the advisers work 7 to 6. I used to work every other Saturday, when we were open from 8 to 1. I'd leave at 1 on Friday to complete my day off. Then I asked for Saturdays off, since I thought I was going to be babysitting, but she wanted me to go to her salon, and just sit and hold the baby, which is fine, but my back can't handle it and I suffer for two weeks after a 3 hour holding session. Anyway, I have an hour for lunch, last to leave , I cover all phones in and out from 11:30 to 2;00. and sometimes I stay there and browse the allowed sites for a hour. I am in charge and paid bonus on the CSE, which is a scored standard rating of a customer experience. I was the only CRM, but the after market guy said he wanted to be presented as the customer relations manager, so people wouldn't decline his process entry to his office. He asks a few questions about their happiness with the buying experience and goes right into selling options for additional money before they go to finance. He makes a lot of money for the company, and for himself, but I call all his customers too. So now I have defined my self as Service Customer Relations period, no manager at the end. I don't get what all the male managers get, so I decided I am not a manager, but a do it all. I call or email everyone that comes in for service if any kind. If a ticket was written, I examine the hard card.. I mark it with my remarks back from the customer on my call. It's my job to turn an unhappy, never coming back kind of person, to a "wow, thanks, I will be back" kinda person. If there is a problem, I fix it. I set appointments , set radio codes, refill the Starbucks product at moments notice, I study the CSE scores and see what areas are trending that need improvement and matches my findings. We hold meetings, and train. I contact all vendors, run the postage machine, sew buttons on jackets, unplug the stools, fix the paper towel dispenser, change the soap and mouthwash bottles, write out gift certificates for chairtys, File claims for people falling, and contact 911 if I have too, I follow up on them. Disinfect and bandage older people who got their skin peeled off and bleeding from one of our doors that is too heavy when you open it.. If someone has a diabetic attack I provide a rescue snack and water. I share my extra fruit with anyone that stares at the food in the coolers and don't buy. water the plants all over the place, make sure the pet station has doggie treats and water. I have customers come in to me to bring me a plant, cookies, cinn roles, and Iranian flat bread and huge loaves of sour dough bread. We have good people and I love it there. I just can't sit for 45 minutes without getting up and then I end up on the service isle cashing people out, calling their cars up to be washed, and making sure everyone knows we appreciate their business.I also help with the Honda Owner Clinic parties, ( I do all the hard stuff) then solicitate for donations , go shop for the food, after I've called all 768 guests to verify if they are coming and with how many. we feed them, have drawings for prizes, have one on ones in groups that are interested in certain features, and the "do it yourselves" get shown how to do an oil change. Pretty dang big deal, 2 times a year, and I have to badger new management that we are late on this Springs event. I'm the Mom, and a lady upstairs is the Grandma of this place. I try to sell something all day , while talking to people who love dogs, cats, gardening, golfing, or sports. I fix the coffees and the hot chocolates for people who are not good with machines.I'm a driver when we need to pick up cars at different locations. Sorry for the ramble, this is the only alone time I have at this time of day.
Gamera is a very old female, she is around 13 years old. ..I have a different kind of tortoise, and have let go of about 8 so far that were spinning in the road. Our little brown squared patern girl about 2 inches round, she hides in the peat and then comes out to eat or drink. I drop a dozen crickets in that pool area and about 6 mealy worms, plus she has worms and beetles and roly polys if she is still hungry. She eats cherry's, banana, lettuces, greens, blue berries, chickweed, violets, sweet potato vine leaves, and tiny tomatoes. she is our organic recycle pet. I save her little drops. I drop them into the water tub I use for watering. I bring home a bag of rabbit poo and hay every week from a gal at work who has a pet bunny. I have a great position. Being out of there for over a month would be hard, no pay. I am on Salary plus bonus plus commission of any thing I sell. I'M SLEEPING TO ELEVEN AM! Here are some things I made new plants out of cuttings this winter..I'm getting ready to pot up three kinds of hibiscus and a lot of firespike and cestrum nocturnum. This crinum has been with me since right after I joined DG, and a nice lady sent me this little bulb. well 5 years later with no bloom, I told it I was going to make it get cold and dig it out and send it away. I t is like 5ft wide. Well, Now it has a blud

Boy does it have a bud! Beautiful.

Gosh, you wore me out just thinking about all you do at work. Sounds like you love it and that is really nice to have. Not too many people can say that about their work. It sure would help if you can hold off on surgery until you get on Medicare. That is unless those creeps in D.C. screw it up for all of us. Hopefully the people are paying attention to who they voted in so they can kick them out in '16. And hopefully it will be before they can do too much damage.

Your medical sounds a lot like my problems too. The Scoliosis, Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis etc. But, so far my surgeries have been on my joints and my neck. I have always had good insurance so that has helped tons. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't. You know, in a way you are lucky, that you have to keep moving, i.e. can't sit for more than 45 minutes. That is the best thing that you can do for all of this, is to move a lot. My last surgery the surgeon got my leg shorter than the other. It has been that way for years but the previous surgeon had it just right. I hadn't even had time to enjoy that when I broke it again and the next one got it short again. Darn!! It makes it really difficult to try to walk. It has been at least 2 years since i have been able to walk without crutches or something to help me. Because of the Osteoporosis, the surgeon said as soon as I put my weight on it it is going to break somewhere again.

I have an appt. with an Endocrinologist who specializes in bone diseases to see if there is anything she can do for my bones. That is in 2 weeks. That appt. So, I am keeping my fingers crossed for that one.

Well lady, you don't have time to read more. You have work to do. >smile< ttyl, jen BTW, love the pictures.

You know it is spring when the daffys bloom and I have some blooming. Yippee! Supposed to be up to 80 something tommorrow and then drop back to the 50's. Son came over for BBq and carried up my huge fire spike, and the self watering tub and asked me what else, and I said NOTHING ELSE YET! LOL
Hope your bones are okay. Osteo can really do damage to ya. I chew a chewable calcium thing with D. They want to do another bone density test and a heart sonogram to see the difference .. bleah. ( I have an unusually enlarged aorta that is hereditary and the measure it every year)
Now that I have insurance and pay a premium, I told Joe I have spent more money on medical stuff now, than when I was uninsured. Oh well..
had to cut back the cestrum and the snowqueen hibiscus again, so now the new fish pond filter is filled again with cuttings.

I went to the most awesome dr. Thursday. That woman was the smartest, most up to date on meds, etc. Took me 2 months to get into see her, but is normally 4 mo. Don't know what the dr. that referred me said, but sure cut it in half and at the same time they made me a follow up appt. for one month. Wonderful.

Don't know how old you are Deb, but over a certain age, senior, should have 1200 units Calcium a day. I have 4000 D3 a day. She wants to see where I am at on my Vitamin Ds. She feels like I do that the D is so important. I told her there was a dr. on tv the other day that said it was a lot of crap. Vitamin D. She said she heard that too and it was not true. ''

She didn't prescribe any meds now because I she had them do a blood draw on me and a bone density test on my spine to see if I have had any compression fractures. I had a bone density 2 mo ago but not on my spine. She said medicare will only pay for one a year. But, guess she will word it so they will pay for one more.

She told me there are so much better meds for my problems. She is soo cool. Guess that is why she is difficult to get into. Wish there were more doctors around like her. I have never gone to a male dr. that was as good as she is.

You may be spending more money on medical stuff, but you are getting much more done aren't you? Good for you. It is so important. That is why it is so important to get a good dr.

What is a fire spike, and watering tub your son brought up? From the basement?

Well lady, guess I will read a bit. ttyl Jen

Hi Jen, been a busy day and I just woke up LOL ( Yard work and watching Basket Ball wore me out)

I am going to be 63 come April. I guess I will be getting a new bone scan, DR wants me to have one. I am glad you have a good Doctor.
Firespike is a tropical shrub that attracts humming birds.
I had a little start given to me three years ago, now it is in a huge tub and very big, but I started some cuttings.
Moved a couple seed trays to the front porch where it gets more sun, but shielded from wind and possible frost.
Daughter Rose came over today to lift leaves and clean out the flower beds, and turn the huge compost pile.
My cuttings of chinese white lilac, sweet old fashioned lilac, goji berry and lonicera "Flame" all took somehow, they are budding outside in their pots I stuck them in.

Hi Debra,

Yes, bone density tests are important. So, Medicare is 65 right? I get very confused between that and SS. Been on both so long, seems like all my life. But hasn't been.

What are brown transparent spots on philo leaves caused by? I got an order from a Florida HIlls Nursery and 4 of them were either dead or diseased. 2 of them have that brown spots on the leaves. Now the nursery wants pictures and I haven't gotten my camera program working on my new computer yet.

I did get an order from Logees of very nice plants. 2 Bougainvillas, one a double red, and one variegated leafed orange. And a Sweet Olive Fudingzhu. But, they are all nice and healthy. Just have to keep them away from the others. Running out of room tho, 'cause I have to start my seeds for my containers for the decks soon. It has warmed up, but I don't trust it not to turn too cold to put the house plants outside yet.

Gotta run, take care. jen

Your plants sound like they have a fungus. Check the pots to make sure they drain good, philos dont like to be water logged. look for slugs too. I don't like getting things from nurseries without un potting and rinsing the roots clean before re-potting, pretty sure that is how I got mealey bugs and spider mites here.

62 is the magic age for SS, for me anyway, but I work instead. Medicare is at 65. Wish it would rain.

I had two blooms on a cutting of snowqueen hibiscus, and my cestrum cuttings are blooming, so glad about that.
So glad you got some nice plants, and I am like you, waiting on that last blast of freeze temp, before I move anything else out. The hoya cutting took yippee!

Debra, your plants look so healthy. So, you are saying, no matter what the plants are, I should take them out of the pots and bare root them and then plant them in good soil? and in clean pots, bigger than the mailed pots?

One of them was a Vanilla Orchid, which lost all but one leaf immediately when I took it out of the packing. Also a rex begonia the leaves were crisp and black. He gave me credit for that one, but wants pictures of the others. I had told him the end of the orchid was black.

Well, Bob is bringing me dinner, gotta go, ttyl, jen

BTW, anything to do for the fungus?

get some Bayer house plant 3 in one, dust them hearts or base of the plants with cinnamon, check the pots for good drainage and un pot them, inspect. If there is nothing yukky or suspicious that I can SEE, then I always rinse plant back in it's pot with a non phosphate soapy water dredge, bubbles on top of soil. Your orchid if in a pot with no drainage, good luck, they like light, humidity, and just the aerial roots misted with orchid food mixed with rain water. If you can't keep snow or rain water, use distilled water on the orchids. . I spray my whole basement full of plants with a mix of dawn anti bacterial along with a couple drops of tea tree oil. I spray mist intermediate times with rain water and a light mitacide. Even the house plants upstairs get it. If they can't trust you to send it back, I'd holler real loud. I send out plants, and replace if arrived in a damaged fashion. I threw out poppy seeds, ( red oriental) red sillene, cleome, zinnia, marigolds, coneflowers, milk weeds, forget me nots, asters, sunflowers, amaranthus, celosia, chinese bean hyacynths, morning glories, sweet peas, passion vine white, snow peas , helens flower, blanket flower, bachelor button, daturas, dianthus, wild dagga, dahlia seeds, creeping daisey, phlox, and a host of other seeds, that is from my yard last year. I planted some castor bean, canna seeds, monarda seed heads, cats claw, sesbaunia tree, mimosa tree, monkey flower, viola, frostweed flower, chicory, ros,holly hock, hardy hibiscus,, coleus, and the rooted sprouted bublets of double tiger lily and single tall tiger lily. I planted a clematis seed from my Jackmani, crepe mrytle, nanking cherry, a peach seed, two avacado seeds, a cotton seed, prairie petunia, winecups, red star hibiscus, cassia, senna, trillium, jack in the pulpit, a magnolia grande flora, mock orange, an apple seed, some Armenian cucumber, white moonvine, lav moon vine, and I'd have to keep typing to finish the list. These seeds are all seeds that need stratification so here its the time for that. I planted a whole packet from three plants of lobelia cardinalis. I am lookng for great blue, now. I want her back . planted salvias, penstamons, delphiums, wall flower, dames rocket. these have been warmed up, chilled, barely wet, and lightly covered with seed soil.

What is that beautiful yellow flower? I will try these things, thanks

That is a yellow clematis.. and I wish you would tell me what plants you'd like to have from me. I think I can send you some soon.

Deb, is there a problem with using well water on the orchids? That's what I have. Jen

Deb, is there a problem with using well water on the orchids? That's what I have. Jen

well water should be okay, just not city water that is treated.

That's what I thought. Thanks

Deb, until I can get something else, like the stuff you talked about, I am using neem oil as a miticide. Seems to have stopped the little buggers on some of the plants. Bob is going into a somewhat larger town today and going to try to get the 3 in 1 etc. We'll see what luck he has. Hope he finds it in the first place he goes to since he doesn't have much patience for shopping. Especially when it is for things for plants when he doesn't know anything about them.

I described the bayer colors, blue bottle with red label, showed him a picture of them, and told him what stores to look for it. We'll see what, if anything, I get.

Well, he went to every hardware store in that town and couldn't find what I wanted. Oh well, maybe I will find it somewhere else. Maybe Walmart has it. I might have him take me over there this weekend. Another 40 to 50 miles away. There is also a do-it-center there. Might find them there. And a store that they bought out Big R. "Back 40", I guess, or something like that.

Debra, how do you start a new Monstera Delocscia from a plant that does not look good? This is a variegated split leaf philodendron. It really does not look good. I sure don't want to lose it. It is in a pot that was planted next to a plant that had a crust like stuff around the saucer, and when I dumped it out and put it in the sink to clean the pot and saucer, it had a spider of some kind living between the pot and the saucer. Didn't look at the spider, but the plant was obviously dead. Not sure what the spider was. I guess I should have looked closer. How could a spider kill a plant? bugs, yes. mites, yes. But spiders???? Don't know. Jen

Anyway, I really want to start a new plant from this one. It still has about 4 leaves on it and the stem/trunk, or whatever, is maybe 18" long. Do I cut it off, root in water, or, plant it, or??? Never have tried air layering? Any instructions here? Hope so. Jen

Hi Jen, watch this video on air layering...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSSgG3stxQY

Thank you so much Mipii. I will watch it tomorrow. Not a good time tonight. Wouldn't pick up on it all. Thank you. Jen

Thank you so much Mipii. I will watch it tomorrow. Not a good time tonight. Wouldn't pick up on it all. Thank you. Jen

Jen, that is how mine looked, just a stem. Try potting it in well draining soil, cut off any dead or soft rotten parts. lay it sideways about an inch into the top and press down, put some light wires over the stem to hold it down. don't over water, make sure no bugs on leaves , it will be fine. I started mine out in a blue plastic show caddy tub with a handle, after adding rocks to the bottom. That thing has slits already in the bottom. Mist the stem and leaves with fine spray ntil you see an areal root. Keep misting ( I mist once a day)
I hope this plant works for you. That is how I did this one, not the cheese cake, but it is the same method. I can't find the pics in the blue shower caddy, they might be on the tropical forum a couple years ago.. I moved older pics to a flash drive.

OK, thanks so much Deb. I am just getting ready to repot the plants I got from Logees last week and came in to read again what you said to do. Never did get the Bayers 3 in 1 houseplant stuff. Bob brought up all the chemicals he could find in my plant room down stairs, and he had Bayers 3 in 1 alright, but it was for outdoor plants. Might be too strong for the indoor. Even tho, they would be outdoor in the south.

So, better get busy. Next time we go to Spokane I will get what I need. Only thing he got was the Dawn anti bacterial soap. I will use that for cleaning the roots? Ya think? All soaps sold in this state, and Idaho are non phosphate. State laws.

ttyl, jen

Hay Jen, 3 in 1 is for outside, use inside insect spray for tropicals like our philos. Have fun outside, it is 81 here and I am at work booo hiss

They seem to be doing ok with Neem oil. All it does is suffocate the little buggers. I don't like having the poisons in the house. But, I do have the Bonide systemic I used on my brugs when I had them in the house.

The Bayer houseplant 3 in 1, is that a liquid or powder? Must be a liquid huh? I know you just told me the 3 in 1 is for outdoor use, but in your post up above you said Bayer had a houseplant 3 in 1. Or am i reading that wrong?

How can you stand to be inside with temps like that? Can't you get sick or something? LOL

Phew. had some catching up to do. Don't let me lose my place again!

A.

Good grief Amanda, where have you been? What have you been doing?

Hya Jen - been working, running, trying to make the rent, etc. Got a new puppy! Yes, that takes a lot of time.Hope all's well there.

xo
A.

I keep trying to think of ways to say Hello and think up something interesting to say ,, I guess my mind is mostly some place else for now ,,
Not so far away though ,

Oh boy, what kind of puppy did you get? Are you working? I suppose or you might be standing on the corner with a cup to "make the rent". >grin< What do you do with a new pup when working?

OK JU, I'll bite, where is your mind? What is it on? We all like to know those things.''

Well That Brings a not so wanted picture to mind , The cup the corner ,

I was referring to plants , pets , Wealth , anything in general ,, the Mind of no thought thing ,,

Well, then JU, you go ahead and talk to Amanda, I am going over to the other thread. TTYL, Amanda. jen

Amanda ~ It is nice to see you! Where are you working right now?Why don't you join us on the Back Porch thread? This is a thread for propagation.

Jen ~ I'm glad you are using your Neem oil in the house. I don't like poisons in the house either.

Now do I have to drag you all back here? no, just Debra. She's the one that strayed. But that's ok, we need new people to stop by the back porch and pull up a chair. Glad to have you over there Debra, but don't forget this place too. Jen

well, talking about propagation, and seeing everyones babies on the other thread, LOL

hope Ju enjoys his edible bamboo. Imma bout to clobber mine, and it isn't the cool kind like Ju's.

my little tiger lily bublets are putting out leaves now, yippee!
I have so much fun being like a mad scientist to see if something will work.
here is some of what I propagated this winter..

Got a go, have a hair appt, so going to guess at what they are when I get back. They sure look nice and healthy. ttyl, jen

Well Debra mine are alive , the Bamboo I will pic next time my vision can focus ,,
Your plants look nice ,! I am enjoying the plant and flower pics , not much green around here
Forsythia starting to leaf ,, other are slow outside this year ,,

Debra, in the first picture the only 2 that I can even guess at, the large leafed one looks like it could be a Brug, but it depends on how far away the camera is I guess but don't think it is because the leaves are too small for a brug when the rest of the plants are the right size. The other one would be the purple velvet plant that I always think of as the philo family, but probably isn't. Wandering Jew family?

2nd one looks like a variegated hoya?? The next one looks like a split leaf unrolling, could be about anything from Alocascia to Colocasia, to philo. LOL, spelled them all wrong, and probably guessed wrong too. The little guy in the red cup with it I can't even guess at. The wire mesh distorts them.

The last one looks like some kind of succulent that we used to call Maternity plants because baby plants came out the sides of the leaves. But I don't see the babes so must be wrong.

LOL, you will have to tell me what they all are. Fun, I'll bet you feel like a mad scientist. I can just see you playing around with them. Have fun, jen

hi all, in the first pic is for a gal at work she has a large planter, so there are two I batatas, one four o clock, one hibiscus cutting, and some jew and setcrotsa. second pic is varigated hoya cutting, and third pic is a venusum lily popped up and a and morning glory , 4th pic is mother of thousands. Jen, You had them about right except the four o clock threw you guys off.

Just goes to show some of us don't know anything about plants. Or not much anyway. Debra, I really hate to ask you this because you have so many plants, but is there any plant you don't have and would like? I cannot believe I might have it, but, more curious than anything. Jen