I'll meet you there Ted, LOL, Just kidding.
;)

Ah, a little sunshine....

Dale, you have such delicious photos!

Melissa

Melissa do you grow many coleus in St Croix?
I bet they thrive year round.

You guys are killing me. I just dumped out the last of my Alabama Sunset today. Not been a good winter for coleus here.

Poor Juanita!! So sad.

I keep over watering. I keep moving them in and out of the hot sun. I have about twenty, and would love to have a hundred different kinds. I am thinking about propagating and selling, the gardeners here buy lots of all kinds of plants all the time. There aren't many coleus here, tho.

Water can be a big problem. There isn't much groundwater, few wells. Homes have cisterns that collect water off the roof. it's like having a big swimming pool under your house, instead of a basement. It can go months without rain, everything shrivels up. and people start having to buy water. 3,000 gallons, a truckfull, is about $350. My cistern is about half full right now, I have 15,000 gallon capacity.

I have some that I bought from Dale, and "stplong" sent me some. Many survived, some didn't. Gorillas play football with mailed packages on the way here. Big "mash up". My RD order didn't go through their system's computer, So no sale price, but I might buy somemore anyway. LOL, I have the catalogue half memorized!

I did have one --- oh, what's that look-alike? Ah, Perilla. It was fine without being watered, but I went and gave it a drink, and poof, gone. But they have only purple, and I like the reds and oranges.

Yes, Coleus do great here, those that I haven't drowned. But the sun is awfully hot, I'm having to keep Alabama Sunset in almost full shade, and it's greenish and brownish, owell!

Whew, I do get long-winded sometimes! Sorry!

Glad to be here!

Melissa

If you add a little hydrogen peroxide to your water it helps keep them from drowning.
I mist mine in full sun for 5 min. an hour before dawn and 5 min. at 4 pm.

Well, I need to go ahead and spend the money on commercial potting soil. I live in the country, and it seems ridiculous, I live surrounded by soil!!

Propagating coleus for sale is really easy.
Also have you heard of Aqua sorb, it's a polymer thhat looks like dry grits when it's dry. a teaspoonful in a quart jar of water will yield a quart of water crystals that look like ice.
They hold the water and release it to the plants as they need it.
I'll find their address if you want it.
There was a co-op at DG for it.

Thanks, Sunshine! I'll look for that here. Bulk stuff, I don't order online because of shipping expense.

I'll need some sort of shade house or tables or something to go commercial. And to buy little 4" pots by the hundred, and the potting mix, and figure out if I want to get a business license or vendor's license, and file taxes... whew!

I just wish they wouldn't break off limbs that I must root...

Melissa

I started out the winter with over 120 varieties. I think I am down to half that now. I don;t have the heart to count.

Juanita

Here is an Adobe file that has some good information.
http://www.fspublishers.org/ij...
Here in Jax I have such sandy soil that the water just waves at my roots as it flies by.
A few years back I shared a 55# sack with some other Floridians.
Molly Mc put them under several plants and when she dug the plants a year later she found no sign of them.
We figured the sand just cut them up.
So if I need them in my garden I'm considering putting something as a barrier in the bottom of the holes.

Oh, Juanita I feel your pain.
I lost everything to that un-expected freeze.
I was out of town and they were toast.
S

I ordered

Blairs Witch
Cracklin' Rosie
Crimson Velvet
Henna
Mariposa
Tilt-a-whirl
Trailing Red
Rosea
Aurora Black Cherry
Black Beauty
Telltale Heart
Alabama Sunset
Burning Bush
Caracas

Karen

keep an eye on the co-op's someone usually does a water sorb one every year

Melissa: Those crystals aren't a large size item. Mine is a fairly small jar. Expanded with water they'd about fill I house though, I think,

Karen

I've seen them, but haven't perused the package. I'll have to get out my reading glasses next time I'm in the garden center...

Thanks!

Melissa

I gave some to a friend who added a teaspoon dry. (Yes, I warned her!)
to her potting soil planted a beautiful pot with 3 nice plants.
She moved it to her living room and watered it.
When she returned 8 hrs later she was not happy.
These things swell and take-up space.
they had dumped plants, potting soil and hydrated water crystals on her carpet.
Lesson; Mix crystals with water, and wait overnight before adding to soil.

yeah that will happen.. I always expand them first .. then put them in my containers.. I learned the hard way too

I haven't anything to say. Just wanted to check in....