I am relatively new at the propagation and growth of these wonderful houseplants. I would love to see others, both newbies and those with experience share their pictures and comments with those of us on this thread who are looking for answers and information.
When I had my first baby strep I think I was as excited as I was when I had my first child. They are so addictive and beautiful I just can not get enough of them. But, there is so much to learn and hopefully this thread will help with that.

I seldom call these Cape Primrose, yet many people do, so forgive me if I just refer to them as Streps.

My love affair began in May, 2013 when I first saw pictures of some Streps and decided since my research said " they have the ability to reproduce themselves through single cell division due to the hormones (cytokinins) present in their leaves", it sounded easy so what the heck. I had no idea what that meant but I was sure going to give it a try. I began doing some shopping and found a few pretty plants at the Violet Barn. I was in business.

One of the plants I bought was S. Salmon Sunset. When it arrived it was really small but it grew and bloomed in no time. Finally I decided it was time to take a leaf and see if I could follow the directions of how to propagate. All this time I have been studying and reading and talking to people who have already been working with these plants. I took one leaf, cut it and planted it and was I ever excited when weeks later I looked at the leaves and they all had babies coming up. What a thrill. I did it! Now to keep them alive.

Here is the mother plant just 4 months after I got her.


Here she is after I separated her and took the leaf to propagate. She is now a year old.


Here are her babies:


Here is some of the babies, all ready to be shipped to their new homes. July 2014


This is the story of my first attempt at propagating streptocarpus. Now I can't stop. I am definitely hooked.

I love streps, but they are cursed in my house. I have gotten packages of leaves from traders and Ebay, and I lose them in the winter when my electric ends up being out for days at a time. I only have a couple now, I kinda favor the frilly multicolored blooms.

I absolutely love streps, but can't grow anything in my house. Even if the dogs don't get it, things just don't last long. Your Salmon Sunset is really pretty, I haven't seen that one before. Post lots of pictures, and I will live vicariously through those of you who can grow these pretties!

I have many questions as I go along in my streptocarpus journey, that I am going to try and make a list as I go along and post them. Hopefully Dave G. aka StrepbyStrep on cubits will stop in and answer them then I will be able to share them with you all. He has written a great article called "10 Mistakes A Beginner Makes" that I use many times. It has helped me so much I suggest if you are just thinking about or are a beginner strep owner, you check it out. http://cubits.org/Strepbystrep...

I am so new at this and there are so many hybrids out there and not just American, there is Polish, Russian, a whole slew of them. Now I want to try and decide which ones I want to buy next. I have always purchased plants because I like the colors, which I am still inclined to do, but looking at all the different streps out there that are available, I have to begin to think about not only their color but where they came from. Nothing is simple anymore. Isn't it wonderful my only problem is this one?

Have a good day and enjoy your streps. Here are a few more of mine.
Here is S. 'WOW'


S. Frosty Patterns


S. Spin Art

Thanks for the link to the article, really interesting. Do you know how they will do inside, I've thought of trying one at work, but I'm not important enough to have a window. Some of the other folks have houseplants that do well, do you think a Strep would be happy?

Deb

I have all mine inside and never put them out because they bloom almost all the time and I love looking at those beauties. They make the best houseplants because they do not take a lot of sunshine. Just some good light and water. I do know some people grow them under lights but at work I am not sure how that would be. Read the article for beginners and see if you think you could give them the amount of light and temperatures at work they require. Good luck.

Windigo, if any of your co-workers are growing an African Violet and it is blooming then you have enough light for a strep. A trick I used when I worked as a church secretary years ago was to put aluminum foil shiny side up under the plant to help reflect light back to it. Being in an office, you could cut a piece and fold it neatly long as the leaf to give the plant extra light.

Dave G.

for the kind words JB. I will be happy to answer any question from you or anyone else here. I am not an expert by any means but I will share what knowledge I have.

Dave G.

Welcome to ATP Dave G, and thanks for coming aboard and agreeing to share your "growing secrets" with us. You have always been so willing to help, I could not resist asking you to give us a hand here. I only know what I have learned by doing and what you taught me. I know you will be a tremendous asset to this thread and I do thank you with all my heart.

Now is the time to ask the questions ladies and gents....be back later.

Dave G.

Not many plants blooming right now with the hot weather. However, to feed JB's addiction I will post flowers as they come into bloom.



Smooched by David Thompson

You are just too kind. That one is a real beauty. I love those markings. I am not going to let my addiction get the best of me just now since the 90 deg. weather is not exactly great for shipping. I would rather wait until it is at least cooler in the daytime and nighttime. Those trucks can get really hot during the day and sometimes they do not cool off at night.

Remember, you can't only view one...



HP by Piotr Kleszczynski


Bella by Piotr Kleszczynski

I noticed there are so many different lavender hybrids. Is that an easy color to reproduce compared to the other colors?

Yes, lavender/purple are the dominant color in streps.

Bella is a white flower with a very small yellow throat. The picture is off a little because of the lighting.

Your welcome.

Those are lovely! I have no streps in bloom at all, they kinda sulk this time of year for me. Episcias, now that's another story.

Okay beginners, if there was a book being written for beginner strep growers what topics would you like to see covered?

*Soil
*Wicking/watering
*Lighting
*Fertilizer
*Propagation
*The many ways mealybugs must die