Mother-in laws tongue

I gave my BIL a few MIL's tongue. He has blooms! has anyone ever had a MIL's tongue bloom before? I am amazed. It never bloomed for me and I've had them for years.

Yes the one I had a long time ago bloomed for me and eveybody that saw it said they did not know they bloom. I don't have one at this time. But I am going to get one soon.

nina

I had one bloom this year too..I couldn't believe it. I thought something else fell down in the pot with it.lol
Strange thing was that it looked like it was a baby in the pot blooming instead of the mother plantr...Go figure.:>)

Mines in bloom now,smells alot like a draceana when its in bloom.

You know...I never even thought about if they smelled or not...lol

Mine has bloomed a couple times. The first time it happened, the plant was 19 years old.

What are this plant's growing habits? I'm looking for a houseplant that gets tall,( 7-8 ft.), but stays slender and can take semi-sunny house conditions. Could this be what I'm looking for? I was intrigued when Kelli said hers bloomed at 19 years old! I like plants that have perseverence and longevity.

I have a majestic palm in that area now, but it is quickly outgrowing it's space and it's fronds hang over the dining table and I expect them to dip into my son's coco wheats any morning now. I'm going to give it to a friend who's building a monster house, but I'm debating what to replace it with? Would this plant work?

Mine is at least 3' in diameter. But it kind of depends on what size and type of container you put it in. One plant is not all that large, but it does multiply over time. Mine started as one small plant in a mixed dish garden about 20 years ago. Then it shared a large pot with a dieffenbachia for a few years, until it ran the dieffenbachia out of the pot.

I did not know that they bloomed either. But mine has several bloom buds on it for the first time this year. I changed the location where I put it outside in spring, and it appears to be very happy there (no direct sun, but lots of light).

This picture shows how tall mine gets, about 4 feet. This porch is west-facing but has a wide roof, so the plant gets a lot of light but direct sun only late in the day. The thing grows like gangbusters. I thinned it out a couple years ago and I need to do it again. It has got the pot pushed out of round.

I also have some planted under a deciduous tree. They get full sun in the winter and are not as vigourous as this potted plant.

Question...

Does anyone with this plant have cats? Do they chew on it? I would love to put one in the kitchen, but my STUPID cat likes to chew on green, living things. You should see my poor dumbcane. (Furball doesn't seem to care that it is mildly poisonous, just keeps knawing on the leaves!)

Lori

My cat liked to chew on my plants also, but now I grow him kittyherbs. I got them at walmart. It helps alot.


nina

Edit to say my MIN tongue's are in Livingroom.

This message was edited May 28, 2004 7:42 PM

Thanks for the input on my request about how big it gets. I've decided that this isn't what I'm looking for if it only gets 4 foot tall. I need something taller in this area that also stays somewhat erect. I'll keep looking. Your plants are beautiful though!

MIL'Tongue is almost indestructible. One thing the plant loves is to be very crowded in its container. I don't repot mine until it has literally broken its current container. After it turned its third year in my home it started blooming and does every year. Mine is doing best in a very low light room. I water it sparingly and use Peter's water soluble fertilizer on it maybe 4 times a year...if I remember..

Mine is not growing as fast as it would in more light...it is about 4 feet tall. Good plant for anywhere in the house. ........and my cat doesn't bother it.

Ladyrowan, I have two cats and two mother-in-law tongues and the cats never bother with either of them. It may be that once they took out my 20 year old hoya when they were kittens, the novelty wore off ... sigh. Furball's a lovely kitty, and I suspect is an indoor cat, which may trigger his desire for greens. Maybe the answer to his "compulsion" is the kitty herbs that riverrat2 mentioned. Leave them on the floor, maybe near or with his food dishes.

Oh, and my MILs have never bloomed, but they're both only about 13-15 years old. Never knew they could bloom. Maybe someday ... hopefully.

This message was edited Aug 30, 2004 8:26 AM

This message was edited Aug 30, 2004 8:27 AM