southlatropical

Actually, it was .98c. This little struggling plant was buried under some variegated gingers at the local nursery. But what surprised me more than the price is that it has one bloom opening and another on the way. It is not much more than a foot tall and had weeds growing in the one gallon container it came in. I thought they had to be a bit mature and established before they would bloom.

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Taylor

Beautiful. What a Bargain!

Lard Greystoke

This is why I have learned to distrust "expert" advice. The "expert" is not the one putting out the bloom, the plant is. Presumably the plant knows best. Great bargain.

southlatropical

Check out this picture.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/128234/
Could this be what this plant is doing? Does Strelitzia Reginae usually only have one bloom per stalk? This is the first BOP I've owned, so is this normal, the two blooms?

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southlatropical

Good point.

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mskitty38583

i agree with you all the way about the expert thing. ordered a red iholene, i recieved a nana tree w/ a pup....but its no red iholene. and just like ive read majesty palms-good house plant, and others have read- not household plant. they need to get together and make up our minds for us. you got an awesome deal on that bird!!!!!maybe i need to hit the corners of the nursery i go to( i never made it past the first greenhouse). see if they have what they call here a repo- lot.( lowes in cookvegas calls it that) "all of this was at lowes a year ago", i found juniper bushes, yellow star jasmine, a dogwood, a few rose bushes, and countless numbers of annuals, all going for .25 to 1.50. so i agree w/ you on looking in the corners, you never know what diamond will be hiding there.everybody bypasses the corners. you got a very,very good deal!!!! i need to go shopping w/ u! lol

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formontcalamus

Hundreds of trucks leave south Florida every day hauling tropicals north. Florida growers always plant 3 to 5 seedlings (liners) of "Birds" to a 3 gallon pot. To make more money brokers and further north nurseries break up the big pots and replant one plant per pot to sell to retailers. "Birds" do not bloom untill about three years with multiple pups. So I think you got a repoted division of a mature clump. Unusual . . hell of a bargain. Sit it out in full sun in spring and it should pup. Pups from a mature plant will bloom. Logos

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mskitty38583

i did not know that.pups off a mature plant will bloom, that is way kool. hey logos you get the web sites i posted for you?

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southlatropical

I think you are right. I posted a picture and question about the double blooms on Gardenweb. Someone there also responded that it was likely a division of an older plant b/c double blooms usually occur only on older ones.

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formontcalamus

MSKITTY . . . Thank you for responding and helping, but I have no idea of where to look for your post ? This org is easy to brouse but I think I must have a tec-block brain. Please . . . Where did you post?

Re: Strelitzia reginea . . There is a limmited quantity done each year by the tissue culture companies in Orlando. These plants will bloom in about 15 months of constant hot weather. From seed I have grown, they will bloom in 2 to 3 years. Most commercial growers buy pre-started liners ('cause they no nothing about plants and cannot start seeds). Seeds are very difficult to find and should be planted within 2 weeks of fresh harvest. After 2 weeks they deteriorate untill after about 6 weeks you will get only 40%. Also, with all my years of checking the flowers, I could not find seeds in Florida grown plants, pots or landscape. Perhaps the plants in landscape are to random or infrequent to share polination or there's a lack of polinating birds ?

Something else . . . In case no one has tried this . . . In Puerto Rico, the mountain farmers Machete large Banana (Ganeo) plants into sections about 16" length. Dig a shallow hole into the soil and lay the section on its side then cover with soil the lower end. After about 2 months the section forms a callus, begins to root and produces a pup in 3 to 4 months. Perhaps this can be done in a pot (3 gallon) by leaning a section on a slant with one end covered with soil?
Logos

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mskitty38583

its in the what did you plant today(other plants) post # 115 and 116. they had what you were looking for.

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mskitty38583

to find bop seed white or orange you can get them at the bananatree.com they are like $1.45 a pack. can also buy in bulk. i know im trying to get mine to sprout. i have a 3 ft. tall white bird( i bought it that tall) and i have 8-10 white seeds im patiently waiting on.

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formontcalamus

The picture at Daves Garden site is of a big plant multiples. Its hard to see but there are 2 or 3 plants in the pot. They grow just like a large clump of Bananas. Each pup matures and produces one flower then I think it just sits around in the clump and never flowers again but produces more pups to flower. I have seen 2 or 3 seedling plants in one spot in a Florida landscape grow to 4 ft. wide wich amounts to many matured pups flowering.. . Logos

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banana berserker

im with mskitty i need to go shopping with you to. i adore tropical plants! if there is a sail on tropical plants im there! im mean nothing beets pom trees "birds" and banana plants!

banana berserker

srry i spelled sale wrong im such an idiot

mskitty38583

your not an idiot!!....you just cant spell like the est of su...lol

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mskitty38583

oh by the way. welcome to the forum!!

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