Hey Everyone
Just returned from SLC visiting children and holding and kissing new grandchildren. My AV's are still OK after planting them for wicking for the duration of my trip. Hurray!!
I have a new question. Most of the plants I have are only 6 to 8 inches in diameter. They bloom continually. I had heard that if you want larger plants that you should clip the buds when they are first forming (like you do when new plants start as succors). Has anyone given up blooms for a larger plant. If so, did the plant start blooming again?
Maybe I could try it with one plant at first and see what happens.
I need counsel!!!
Nanna
Bud clipping
Nanna,
The only information I can offer is from reading about "how to grow larger plants." Maybe someone with actual experience will join us.:)
I do know that,First you want to make sure it is a larger standard variety & not a semi or mini...
Second,I have read in many of the AVSA magazines, books and info sites that you can change fertilizers to grow larger plants. They recommend using a fertilizer that is more balanced and not using a "bloom booster" and letting the plant rest from blooming. You can let it bloom one or two stalks but the rest of them you can cut off. That should also increase the bloom count when you do want it to bloom, like for a show.
I ask an AV judge the same question when I purchased a few plants from her and the info above is what she told me to do with a few named varieties I have.
Hope that helps a little...
MsC
Great information. Thanks. I'll let you know what I decide to do and what happens.
Nanna
yup, what MsC said.
I haven't done it with AVs (the smaller they stay while blooming, the better for me, lol), but I have with streps, sinningias, episcias, and various other gessies and non-gessies. I also snip off buds if the plant is stressed for any reason - flowers can wait.
I guess the choice is mine. I'll think on it awhile.
Nanna
I think some of the standards simply tend to grow larger than others. I have a couple of plants that I put into large self watering pots (I think they're 6 inches in diameter rather than 4), and after some initial time in which they were probably growing more roots, they got just enormous. I've had them get to 15 or 16 inches in diameter, but then I generally trim back a couple of rows of leaves to encourage more bloom... I suppose that's just the opposite of trimming off blooms to encourage leaf growth, which also makes sense.