Tropical's containers..I love osmocote..thanks Joyce..

[HOWELL]

Hope you all like my pics...
Dauben and a tropical nightbloomer...



This is my massive dauben production....

Dauben flower..

A pic of the container...and its lovely plants...

This one showing how I am trying to make those vivips at the bottom grow too..

Osmocote has done wonders to me..I love it is my favorite fertilizer ever...I am using it forever...

[Junie]

 I love your containers, and their contents--that is just what I am planning to do this next spring.

 while it is not as warm here as it is where you live, I am hoping it works for me as well as it has for you. Thanks for sharing your efforts.

[jw]

Very nice looking lilies Howell..............you've done a great job  . I also like the edges around those lily pads  .

[HOWELL]

Thanks Junie..I am still worried for them as I want them to survive the whole winter period..I sure do not wanna have any losses. Remember we would love to see pics of how your containers are gonna look like..

And thanks JW..I love the edges too..

Some of the roots of the nightbloomer had gone outta the pot and I am still wondering what do I have to do, oh well atleast I will learn to be more patient.

[Ky Kim]

They look great!

[Timgod]

Howell,
You should not worry about losing Dauben.
Just keep throwing your vivips into that bucket and even if you lose most due to snow ice etc,, you
will still have a few that survive and you only need one or two to restart the process next year.

Now since the night bloomer is obviously not a vivip, you need a different strategy.
Near the end of your growing/blooming season if you have an end... starve the plant and or restrict it's growing space.
If it runs out of food or becomes root bound it will start making smaller pads, slow down on flower production and begin making tubers.
Night bloomers usually make "lots" of tubers. If you have a cold winter at all, you can pull the plant from the pot, wash of the osmocote filled soil
and then repot it into clean virgin (unfertilized) soil to try and force the tubering process.
I would recycle the osmocote soil and plant a few Dauben vivips in it.

Tim

[HOWELL]

Thanks timgod...
The thing is we never ever get freezes, snow or anyother thing...I was thinking in building a GH and place them on top of the roof and so they will be getting all the sun all winter long..
I know they have to hibernate and so that will help them to come back stronger...I have mollies and guppies that had survived all winter long down here and no problem, even 5 plecos survived on me 2 year rounds..in the pond of course.

So then when do you think I should repot it into an unfertilized soil, so it will tuber...?
And as far as dauben goes I am just muliplying it and kinda wanting to pass it onto some other ponderers down here..

How long is it for you to keep them blooming in texas?
I am just so afraid they will die and not come back next year...
Anyways thanks timgod and thanks Kykim...

[Timgod]

If you never get cold then they do not have to go dormant.
Mine usually bloom until the end of November and then some types start back up in February and March depending on the year.
The ones I put into the greenhouse... just PVC pipe and 6 mil plastic with no heat added... bloom throughout the year but really get small.
Stressing the plant by cramping it, starving it or even floating it with no soil usually leads to tuber production as the plant thinks it is going to die and that triggers a reproductive tubering process.
Since you don't get cold though, I might just leave it alone and see what happens.
Tim

[HOWELL]

I was gonna buy some plastic at HD...so do you think that 6 mil plastic is good, I hope they have it.
I will not heat it though..so expansive..
What if they tuber, what do I do if I wanna try that too.
Do I put them in soil and then plant them again in the water, I just have no idea, this is my first time with trops, usually my hardies keep on throwing leaves all year round, but not as much in january since is the coldest month down here, it never freezes though.

[Timgod]

If you get tubers, plant them when it is not too cold.
Leave the growing tip above the soil line and one or more plants can begin to grow depending on the size of the tuber and the number of "eyes".

Tim

[miguynmkoi]

It's so cool to see so many vivips in your tubs, Howell!  Thank you for asking questions and thanks to Timgod we have great answers!!!!

[Jonna]

I'm loving all this info, thanks Tim.  I have a question now.  I have 3 trops in the pond that have small leaves coming up at the base, I can see them but I haven't brought the pot up to the surface.  I think I need to pull them up and fertilize them and hopefully split them into a couple plants.  They are still blooming, I've got 2 or 3 blooms every day.  Should I wait?

[HOWELL]

Hey Jonna are you still wanting to separete the small lilies?
I'm no expert in this but I think they will keep blooming though, I just separated my sulphurea and it kept on blooming...
But yeah let's wait for tim he is more knowledgeble when it comes to tropics, or even kat can help?
I have not seen her on lately..
Greeting Jonna from the norther states of mexico/..

[Jonna]

Hope you had a great time last night Howell, ¡Viva México!   It was fantastic here.  I think I'll do a post on the evening.

[HOWELL]

I did but I just did not go to the grito...I get so stressed over being around a whole lot of people in just a tiny space, what we did is that we bar-b-quoed in our house and it was so cool, we had karaoke and everything...
I did not take pics...bummer.
Viva Mexico...!