Streptocarpus 'Noreen' Project Plant Update 2

This is J O's project plant and the photograph doesn't do the plant justice. This, as you can see from the regulation tray it's sitting on is getting to be wonderfully large and long. It threw out quite a few blooms and it going to have two more bloom stems open soon.


The next three pix are of my plants. This is the one plant from the first update. it's out of bloom now but it's definitely filled in with more leaves and it's looking a pretty healthy shade of green although before I repotted it, it got quite dry in it's smaller sized pot and lost a couple of it's baby leaves.

 You might be able to spot it as the second plant on the left hand side. It's sister plant is the front one and it's in bloom as well. I'm mostly posting about just the specific plant I chose to follow through the photos, but curiously enough I was interested in what another of the 'Noreen' plants was doing.

This is a third (separate) 'Noreen' that I got about three weeks before I got the project plants. I crossed 'Guidelines x Emily' long ago (I think) and 'Noreen' is one of the seedlings. Neil's Streps (which you can find on eBay) was growing out some of the plants and agreed to supply the club with the "project plant babies" we started with. Neil's Streps also was a vendor at the AVSM Northtown Fall Show and Sale and this is the plant I acquired earlier in the month. Just those three extra weeks, or the fact that I repotted rather soon after acquiring it might have made the difference but this plant is (judging by the tray size again) getting HUGE!

I'm curious about a couple of things regarding this particular plant. I generally don't have a ton of success with my streps. They frequently are left to get too dry and my growing room is sometimes a bit on the warmish side (especially in summer). As we all know, Streps frequently seem to hate warm conditions. This is a plant that does happen to do well for me. Is it because I'm trying harder and paying more attention to it because it's one of my hybrids? Or because I don't want to be the first to kill off my project plant, with photo evidence and documentation of the crime, so that the club finds out what really happens to some of my plants.... or....

Or, is it because this is one of the seedlings that actually survived in MY conditions and therefore is somewhat adapted to dryer and more harsh conditions than some other hybrids? I'm wondering if there is a way to find out?

Streptocarpus 'Noreen' Project Update One

 This is my Streptocarpus 'Noreen'. I am keeping it in a dome on one of the middle shelves with the lights at least high enough to leave room for one of the high domes.

I have been so busy with December things that I haven't been paying much attention to it, I've not re-potted it or done much but fertilize when watering all the other plants. It has sent out this nice bloom though, which makes it look pretty festive. Some of the leaves have damage from bringing it home in a "none-to-gentle" manner.

This is a shot of Mike's plant. He says that it's not gotten out of it's original take-home bag but it's
"still very much alive and growing"!

Thanks so much for sending a shot of the plant.

If anyone else is taking out the camera, email me a photo of how it's going and I'll get it put up on the blog! Anyone's gone and died on them yet??

Club Project - Streptocarpus 'Noreen'.... Let the Fun Begin!

Meet 'Noreen'. She's a pretty little Streptocarpus who is going to make us famous!!!!

Uh, well.... at least we're going to try to learn something about the differences in amateur-grower's methods of cultivation and care.

Here is a whole box of little 'Noreens' that are going to be adopted by club members.

Our club has members who grow only in natural light, members who have a greenhouse environment to keep their plants in and members who use fluorescent lights in various combinations and locations. We also have a commercial member who is serious about growing them! The goal is to get a starter plant of the same size and variety out to all the members who want one and then periodically check in on the plants to see what's going on with them.

Most people have tried growing a Strep or two at one time or another but it's not possible to compare and contrast what's happening with the plants unless everyone starts out with the same plant at the same time. This project isn't about who can get the largest, most handsome plant just dripping with flowers (although we will all be anxious to hear about how to do that) but about seeing if we can identify any aspects of cultivation and care that seem to really be beneficial to a hybrid Strep.

We'll also be looking for things that aren't necessarily beneficial. What killed it, stunted it or made it into a potential winner at next Halloween's "Night of the Nearly Dead" competition. *Sales pitch here* It's worth the cost of admission just to see the entries for 'Most nearly dead without "crossing over"'

These last two photos are examples of what this plant looks like when it's an "adolescent". I'm really anxious to see what members will share over the next few months. We'll have photos to post from time to time and in 6 months and one year we'll all attempt to bring what's still alive to a club meeting and take a couple of group shots! Wish everyone luck!