Pineapples December 2011

These are more pineapples that I started propagating 1.5 weeks ago. I just twisted the tops, peeled the bottom leaves, and stuck them in soil. I didn't even have to buy pineapples. Due to the holidays and subsequent fruit trays, I asked relatives to let me twist the crowns off, and I kept them. We'll see what happens.

Pineapples January 2011

I propagated more pineapples in January of 2011. This time I twisted the tops off of some pineapple fruits, peeled about 1.5" of leaves off the base and stuck the tops in soil. One died due to pestilence. You can see the other two. They are around the same age but very different in size. The largest plant is just a pineapple top regrown. However, the smaller plant is a slip. That means a separate plant grew from the side of the top. The old top died. You can see the stump in the photo. These plants probably won't fruit for another year or more. If your interested in pineapple anatomy, check out this link. http://www.geochembio.com/biology/organisms/ananas/

Pineapple January 2010

I purchased an ornamental pineapple plant at the grocery store. When the fist-sized pineapple ripened, I totally ignored the plant. In April, I threw the pot on the porch. By June I noticed two modules breaking through the old plant. I cut back the mother, so the ratoon daughters could get light. This is the result.

Notice how huge they are. They span the width of the window behind them. The mother plant died, and you can see the stump between the daughters. The base of one daughter is about 4" in diameter.

I hope they produce fruit this summer. They are going to be two years old. They should be mature enough. A few weeks ago, I wrapped a clear garbage bag around the pineapple plants and put six apples in the bag. I left the plant enclosed for a week. My hopes is that the ethylene gas produced by the apples will trigger fruiting. We'll see.

Avocados

These are my avocados started from avocados pips. I took the seeds out of avocados, removed the brown skin, cut off the top and bottom tips of the seed, and stuck 3 toothpicks in the seed in order to submerged the bottom half of the seed in a glass of water. I tried to propogate several avocados seeds between November 2010-January 2011. These plants are my result. Its hard to believe that they are all about the same age but are so different in size. The pots are not that different in size, so I don't know what's causing the disparity. The avocado in the black pot was much taller until a wind storm and flying debris truncated her.

Clementine Orange

My clementine orange tree has been a challenge since I purchased her from Lowe's Hardware. I bought her in August 2010 on clearance. It seems that the folks here in Zone 7 didn't see the practicality in attempting to grow citrus. Lowe's was stuck with a lot of them by summer's end.

Well, I chose my particular plant because it had a button-sized fruit on it. The plant was tall, lanky, with scantly dispersed leaves. The whole first year, she didn't grow not one new leaf. She was infested with scale, so I had to spray her and my other plants (to prevent spread) with a Neem oil concoction. She seems highly sensitive to excess watering, so I purchased a probe to measure the soil's moisture. She never grew leaves and the old leaves passed away, so I pruned off half of the plant. She finally grew new leaves and some branches in September of 2011. Now the soil is infested with centipedes. I guess I'll have to change the soil soon. At present, December 2011, she is having a vegetative flush. Unfortunately, half of the new growth seems to shrivel and die.

I love shopping at Lowe's but I recommend avoiding their citrus plants.

Meyer Lemon

This is my Meyer Lemon purchased from Gurney's in November 2010. She was about 6" tall when she arrived. Now, about one year later, she is flowering. I counted about 110 buds/flowers. Unfortunately, fruitlet abscission (fruit drop) has begun. You can see all the tiny sepals and fruits on top of the soil. According to my research, I should consider myself fortunate if 3%-7% of the flowers produce fruit. My math tells me I should only expect 3-8 lemons. I love a good cliff-hanger. Don't you? To be continued...

Key Lime

This is a key lime that I purchased from Gurney's in April 2011. She was tiny then-about 5 inches tall. It is December 2011, and she's made progress. The small lime in the green pot was shipped with her. It used to be as tall until I cut her to attempt to Bonsai. I guess they grew from a polyembronic seed.

Bonsai Key Lime Beginner

This is my first attempt at Bonsai.  It is a key lime I received from Gurney's in April 2011.  In November, I separated her from her November, I separated her from her sister, pruned the plant back about 40%, wrapped the roots in moist sphagnum moss, and put her snugly in a pot.  I'm not quite sure how to in a pot.  I'm not quite sure how to achieve that old, up-swept look.  I guess I'll learn as I go.