Little ones coming up!

14 years ago

I planted quite a few leaves (of different kinds) a couple months ago, and they're sending up tiny little mouse ears! I've been so excited watching them grow, as this is the first time I've had them survive and grow up all healthy and bright! So I just have a couple questions. I've read a few of these posts that said to separate the babies from the original leaf after they're the size of a fingernail. But one of my leaves has plantlets of all different sizes - two are almost the size of my thumbnails, but the rest are smaller. Should I separate them all yet? Should I separate those two, and leave the rest attached to get a little bigger? Also, these particular leaves are off of a chimera - Emerald City. Does anyone have an idea of what they will bloom like? I know they won't have the stripe typical of a chimera, but do they go back to being one solid color then? Just curious! :)

Meg (brand new enthusiast, getting worse all the time!)

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Comments (7)

nwgatreasures
14 years ago
Um Meg?? You should change that to "getter BETTER all the time!)

Give them a few weeks to get some solid growth on them and gain some consistency. I know it'll be hard to wait but the plant/mouse ears needs some time to get a bit stronger to withstand the separation process adn still be able to generate the energy necessary to continue growing.

Don't know what they will bloom like. Someone else will have to answer that with better authority/experience than me.
Congrats on your babies!

Dora
davemichigan
14 years ago
They grow slowly, so don't worry about separating them now. Once each plant form a roseette of 3 or 4 leaves that you can clearly distinguish each plant, then you can separate them.

Well, you can separate them earlier of course, but you won't gain much by doing so. It might be easier just to keep the small plants together.
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tommyr_gw Zone 6
14 years ago
Congrats! I have a bunch of leaves I planted in September that are JUST NOW showing ears. I also Started some strep leaves and THEY TOO have sprouted!!!! Fun isn't it?!

Happy Holidays to all!
meg_91
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks! It is fun! I've been watching them get bigger all the time, and it's sooo cool to be busy for a couple days, and then come back and see how they've grown! Oh, my...I sound like they're my kids. My sister called them my "babies" the other day. Hmmm...hey, if it fits! I do dote on them a lot.

I can distinguish at least 4 leaves on each of them now, so I think I'll be separating them pretty soon. I'm just nervous, because the last time I separated one lonely little plantlet (my first ever) from it's leaf, it struggled for a short while before passing on to plant heaven. I don't think it would hurt to let them get a little bigger, but the biggest ones are really beginning to crowd the little guys. Thanks for the guidelines - I think I'll wait a couple days, and then go for it. And on the Chimera question - I'll post pics as soon as these little guys bloom. I'm excited to see what they'll do!

Merry Christmas!

Meg
nwgatreasures
14 years ago
They *are* your babies....and don't let anyone tell you differently.

:)
Dora
bspofford
14 years ago
And, when your babies grow up and have babies of their own, wham, you are a GRANDMA!

Barbara
Christine
14 years ago
Congrats, Meg!

Leaf starts from chimeras usually bloom in the background color (the color around the stripe). The blossoms are pretty much a solid color but there may be some of the stripe color in the blooms as fantasy or edging too. Of course, being AVs, there is always the possibility of a surprise! I'll be looking forward to your plant pictures.