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dablo93
02-13-2008, 02:53 PM
hey all, I have probably over 2 weeks this specie:2140:
I only don't know anything about Heliconia's!
I really love the flower of the Peachy Pink but is it difficult to get him flowering and how long will that take?
I will put the plant from may to september outside;
average maximumtemperature: may 17 C June 20 C July 22 C August 24 C September 19 C
I don't know how much it will grow in that season, and in winter i will bring it inside (15-25 degrees)
so can you tell me everything what I need to know to let this beautiful heliconia flowering within 2 years (if possible)

I hope you'll react,
Thanks,
D.

STEELVIPER
02-13-2008, 04:08 PM
This one grows to about 8 feet.Maybe bigger. As far as flowering, it will flower on "old growth" meaning that you will need at least year old stalks for it to flower on. They need lots of heat, humidity, water, and fertilizer. Lots of care if you live out of zone 10. Container grow it in a very large pot. Like i said "lots" of care. Baby it.


Oh one more thing. Do not over water. The rhizome will rot quick if over watered.

the flying dutchman
02-13-2008, 04:52 PM
I once bought a small rostrata, it would not grow at all, not even in the house, nor in the greenhouse in the summer.
I think our climate is not suited for heliconias, it will be very difficult Daen, but maybe you can give them the right circumstances.

Steve L
02-13-2008, 05:03 PM
Peachy Pink can get up to 12 feet and as one of the Bihai heliconias, extremely difficult to container grow because of it's size. I would probably use at least a 25 gallon container and then, it may bust out the sides of the pot before it even gets close to flowering. Absolutely will not make it as an indoor plant in an area with long winters. As Steelviper said, needs lots of sun, water, humidity, and fertilizer. I gave up growing this particular type of heliconia and I don't give up easily. It did me in.

Steve

Lilith
02-13-2008, 06:58 PM
I grew it for several years in my greenhouse. It took forever to get to flowering size. Mine was about 12 feet tall. Its a "messy" heliconia, it has a lot of lean out and is difficult to contain. It was also one of the fussiest heliconias I have ever grown. It is very conscious of its drainage. It wants PERFECT drainage. For whatever reason, it was also a scale magnet. It would have scale when no other plant around it had scale. And, it was constantly looking like it needed a micronutrient booster. The Bucky, Rostrata, Yellow Christmas and Banana Split that grew near it would be looking perfect, and Peachy Pink would look, well, like it was sulking. I kept it for 3 years after it started to bloom.

Even though I loved the blooms, probably more than any other large growing heliconia I have ever had, I eventually just let it go and planted something else in its place (The big Princess Victoria plumie I got from YOU, Steve!) and that space looks much nicer now.

Steve L
02-14-2008, 07:55 AM
Hey Regina,

I'm very happy you've found a nice spot for the PV. Hope you get lots of color break blooms. You gave me the Peachy Pink and I tried and tried to make it happy. No luck. It got sacrificed this year.

Steve

Lilith
02-14-2008, 10:29 AM
Its my personal opinion that Peachy Pink is one of the most beautiful heliconias. That, and Splash, and Bubblegum. I had the same luck with SPlash that I had with PP, and I never tried Bubblegum. It always seems that the prettiest plants are the ones that are the most finicky. I'm glad it wasn't just me, LOL!

dablo93
02-14-2008, 10:47 AM
thanks for your reactions all!!
I will try to let him survive here and i will post pics end of this year (if my peachy pink is still alive then:P)

STEELVIPER
02-14-2008, 04:24 PM
Never give up. You never know what can happen.

dablo93
02-16-2008, 04:05 PM
thnx for the reactions,
for the people who have the peachy pink, can they please post some pics?