Week 10 Photos

It's been 3 weeks since my last update. I figured I'd wait as long as I could so you could actually see some progress. Wow! My seedlings are getting leafy. The tallest one is about 3.5" now. Soon,  its not going to fit in the container, no clue what I'll do with it then. I suppose I'll have to leave the lid off. I like having the lid on though, because I rarely need to water it. It waters itself and keeps the soil moist, but not wet.

The slow growers are doing well too. I'm happy to see the leaves getting bigger on them. They are definitely survivors.

These photos were taken on November 18, 2013

I'm sad to say that the inflow from the adult tree didn't make it. It fell off and I have no clue why. It was almost 2" long and was probably about to bloom. But instead, it fell off. Boo. I wanted another flower!

Day 48 - End of Week 7

Well, it's been almost 8 weeks since I first planted my little seedlings. They are doing so well. I'm not sure if they should be any taller, more leafy, but as long as they're alive and growing, I'm happy. Here are some updated photos (taken 10/27 - 2 days ago).

It's been about two weeks since my last update and as you can see, the ones on the right, the strongest of the bunch, have gotten big and leafy. The little ones in the center and bottom left, are doing well. They seem to be growing and enjoying their new pots.

Side view of everything. Granted, you can't see much in the back (left side) and they're small anyways, but you can see how tall the ones on the right are getting. I decided to measure it, since how can you really tell how tall it is with photos? The tallest ones measures 2.5" to the top of the stalk (not the leaves). Hmmm....I'd say they're very small. According to The Plumeria Society of America, it says, "On an average, you can expect a seedling to reach 6 inches in height in about 8 weeks." 

And a surprise. This is my potted adult plant. I brought it in, in September. Looks like I have an inflo that may bloom. Crazy! I guess it's loving the bottom heat and light. 

Day 34 - All Are Potted

I decided to pot the rest of the seedlings into their larger homes (cluster of 7 in the lower left/middle). As you can see in the photo below, the ones on the right are the newest ones. They're the slower growing seedlings. I mean, look how great the ones on the right are doing. Yay. If you noticed that the perlite is yellow on the ones on the right, I think it's the SuperThrive. I spray them in the morning with a mixture of SP in it. Otherwise, I have no clue why it's yellowing. The seedlings are still healthy.

My final count is: 4 Thai Mango Blush and 12 Kaleinani

2 Thai Mango Blush's are doing well, the other two are growing really slowly (the TMB are the 3 on the extreme left and top row, second from the left).

6 Kaleinani's are the strongest. The rest, are still very small. Not sure what the difference was or if it's just strong seeds versus not so strong ones? Well, we'll see.

I have no idea what I'm going to do with all of these once they outgrow this container. So far, they're still in a plastic container to keep the humidity up and on the heat pad to keep them warm. It looks like the plant in the lower left corner isn't sitting on the heat mat (no space), so we'll see what happens. I'm debating on buying another mat, but then I'd have to buy another thermostat. Yikes. Maybe next year if it's needed.

In the photo below, this is a side view of all of the plants. They don't look much taller, but if you look at previous photos, you can tell in this one just how much the leaves have grown. Growth has definitely slowed down, but still going.

My babies are getting round the clock heat and about 12 hours of light. It's been sunny outside, so I've been opening up the blinds so they get some real sun. I keep the lid on the container though (it's clear) to keep the humidity levels up.

I'll post another update in a week.

Day 26 - A New Leaf

I noticed today that one seedling is growing a third leaf. Yay. I still am very surprised how fast they grow.

My PinkerBlue is dying a slow death. I removed the cotyledon and now the stem is rotting. I guess it spread. It should be completely rotted in the next day or so. I'm sad. Maybe I'll try again another year.

Day 21 - Update

Not a whole lot has been going on in the past week. I'm surprised. That or I can't see the changes as much. The six I re-potted are growing, just not as fast as before. The leaves seem to be getting longer and the stems are getting taller. I'm sure the roots are growing, but can't see them.

Here's an updated side and top view.

Here's a side view of the others that haven't be re-potted. Some are getting really tall. Others don't look like they've done much at all. :( But at least they're not dying. Also, if you look at the previous post, the ones you see here, are all the shorter ones on the left/middle.

Here's a top view from a few days ago. As you can see, most of them have true leaves coming out, so yay on that. I should probably re-pot the one on the lower left, however, I don't have the space yet, so it's staying in there a bit longer. 

And here's an updated photo of the PinkerBlue. As you can see, although the cotyledons have turned brown, it has grown taller and I see some true leaves trying to push through. And those leaves have grown just an itty bitty bit. I'm wondering if I pulling off the cotyledons would help it grow. Hmmm...may have to look into that. 

Well, that's my week 3 update. Nothing extreme, but I see a lot more true leaves coming out everywhere. And I haven't lost any.

Day 15 - Six Re-Potted

Some of my seedlings were getting to tall for the container I had them in. This was yesterday's photo to show height. Although I wanted to wait until they were older, I had to re-pot them. I mean, soon enough, they'd hit the cover and the nice moist environment does wonders for them.

I mean, take a look at this photo. Those new leaves are growing fast and very nicely. Yay. This one is thriving.

I wasn't sure how to handle this. I need to keep them in a moist environment because they dry out too fast on the heat mat. But I needed a container big enough. I also needed a container with a clear lid, so the light can get through, but I can keep it on, for humidity. 

I realized I had a broken storage container (actually I have a few). And voila. Below is a photo of my old container (within the new container), housing the slower growing seedlings. On the right, you can see six of the tallest were transplanted to plastic cups. They are all the Kaleinani variety.

The clear plastic cups will allow me to see when they're fully rooted. When they're fully rooted, I'll move them to a larger container. I have no idea where or how I'm going to put all these. I didn't think they all were going to live. As of right now, I have 17 seedlings total (hey, that's my fave number, yay). It looks like 12 will fit in my big plastic container. Shoot, am I going to have to purchase another heat mat? Jeez. Maybe as these strong six live, I can move them out of the container (the container takes up a lot of room, as does my adult tree). 

Pinkerblue Update: the cotyledons are turning blacker, however, at the same time, it seems to be growing a bit. Slowly, but growing. Since it looked like it was falling over and I was wondering if that's what was adding to the black/rot, I decided to shove a toothpick next to it to stand it up. I accidentally pulled it out since the soil was on the drier side. Guess what? The root is almost double in size. That's definitely a good sign. Another good sign? I can see the true leaves starting to form between the cotyledons. Yay! My fingers are still crossed that the sole survivor actually survives!

Day 13 - New Leaves and a Survivor

Disclaimer: picture heavy post

I'm in shock. I honestly didn't think they'd grow this fast. But my little seedlings are growing like weeds.

Here's a photo of one of the quicker growers. What's funny, is in the beginning, it wasn't as fast, but it just took off. And look, it has it's real leaves.

And below is the PinkerBlue. Remember I was telling you how it was the singleton that germinated but looked like it was dying? Well, I took a close look at it and it hadn't fully shed it's shell. So, I very gently, pulled off the rest and it started opening up and growing. I'm not sure if the dark spots is rot, or if it's from the shell being on it too long. All I know and care about is that it's growing!!! 

This is my happy growing container. Full of germinating plumies. 

This is the my non-growing container. I have one very slow germinating plumie but as you can see, nothing else is going on. :( Boo. I'm going to transfer the singleton in this group over to the other container. Hopefully it'll grow some more. I would put the rest in it, but it won't fit. Boo again!

Below on the right is a side view, so you can see how tall they're getting. And on the left is my set-up with my current adult tree. The light is so far away now, but the seedlings still seem very very happy. Maybe next year, they'll be happy like my adult tree. 

Day 10 - Amazing

I seriously am amazed at how fast these guys are growing. In one day, the leaves are opening up and they're taller. I guess this is normal though. According to The Plumeria Society, they should reach about 6" within 8 weeks. That's fast.

I decided to try and get a side shot, so you can see how tall they're getting already. :) The one in the far back is the one from yesterday's post. It's taller and opening up. 

As you can see below, many of them are opening up and growing. The one in the very middle isn't doing anything. Oh and the middle row, is no longer the PinkerBlue's.

I have officially given up on the PinkerBlue's. All have rotted. There was one that rooted and is trying to grow, but it's slow going. I am keeping a very close eye on it. I think it wants to rot. One of the leaves has a dark spot on it, that has been getting larger. I have one more potted, but I think it's dead too. Out of 9 seeds, only one is barely surviving.

Therefore, the middle row above is now Kaleinani's. Not pictured is the single Pinkerblue in the middle at the very bottom (it'd be the 5th pot).

Day 9 - Sprouting Away

Everything is now potted. I checked on the last four PinkerBlue seedlings. 2 never plumped and the other 2 look dark and rotted. I pulled the seedling out of the shell to see if anything would happen. Needless to say, I don't think those are going to do much. I've given up on them.

In the photo on the left (above) is the remaining seedlings that I planted. The 4 on the top are the Kaleinani. The bottom 3 are Thai Mango Blush (TMB). Interestingly though, once I potted the TMB, I haven't seen any further growth. Hope they're doing okay. 

In the photo on the right (above), you can clearly see that the right and left sides are doing great. The right is the Kaleinani, which means I have 9 total. 7 are germinating. The left is the TMB and I have a total of 7. Only 3 are germinating. The remaining ones still in their shells, well, I'm hoping they're rooting, but we shall see. The PinkerBlue's in the middle row has one that is germinating, but it's going very slowly compared to the rest. The rest, haven't done much. Fingers crossed they're just slow and not dying.

And check out this grower (see photo below). If you look at the photo from my last posting, which was only two days ago, you'll see that it was barely above the soil. If it keeps growing at this rate, I'm going to have to take it out of the container. I'm concerned that if I do that, it won't have the consistent moisture since I won't be able to put it into a container. I'm going to have to figure something out. They seem to really like the moisture (and the heat!) and it helps me keep it moist more consistently. This is really turning into a huge project. Wow!

Looks like things are going well overall. I'm just shocked of how fast all of this is growing. Amazing. However, it's getting cold real fast, which means I have to bring in my adult tree. Which means I'll have to move the light higher, which means away from the seedlings. Right now, the light is about a foot above the seedlings. Once I add my adult tree, it'll be about 3 feet away. Less light. 

One Week Later (for the new seedlings)

It's been one week since I started the new batch of seedlings. I honestly can't believe how well they're doing. I also decided to give up on the other seedlings. I pulled them out, opened them up, and sure enough, rot. Boo. I killed them. Double boo. Hopefully I'll be able to keep these little guys alive. Although this is no longer a journey of the first set of seedlings, this is still a journey of my experiences and another set of seedlings.

Today I decided to pot the rest of the Thai Mango Blush. They all sprouted roots. One was about 3/4" long and curling up into itself, the rest were maybe 1/4" long. I decided to plant them in honor of losing one very sweet girl (dog) earlier this morning. Maybe when they get big and hardy, I can send them to the girl's honor and let her know how these grew for her. Such a sad morning.

Here's a photographic update of the others that I planted on 9/13. 

The row on the left, with two germinating and so pretty green, is the Thai Mango Blush. Obviously, this type is either hardy, easy or I'm just dang lucky. 

The right row is the Kaleinani (which I found out is supposed to be Ka Lei Nani, oh well, I'll keep using it the other way). The germinating one there was the first ever. Those seeds are doing well too. In the photo above, it's also the germinating one near the top. And in the photo below, the very bottom one is starting to push off the outer casing. 

That leaves me with the PinkerBlue. Will it germinate. Is it even rooting? Well, the ones in the plastic container under the paper towel haven't done a thing. I don't believe they're viable, because they never plumped. It was a crap shoot when I left them in the towels. I will keep at it and see what happens. I may pot them later, in case they prefer that. You never know, right? On the upside, I can see that one of the five below in the middle row, is coming up out of the soil. Which means it probably rooted and is starting to grow. Yay. Fingers crossed.

In case you were curious what they will one day hopefully look like*. Here's some photos from Brad's Buds and Blooms (where I bought them from). On average, it'll take 2-3 years for a first bloom. Talk about needing some patience. The Thai Mango Blush and Kaleinani I got because I rarely see those colors around (only in Hawaii). The PinkerBlue was to replace my pink that I left behind. 

Thai Mango Blush (US Version)

PinkerBlue

Kaleinani

*FYI and a disclaimer: a seedling may not look like either of the parent plants. It may look somewhat like it, but not always. Therefore, although we can call these what we want, and I can show you photos of what they will possibly look like, in all honesty, I won't know until it blooms. 

A New Batch

Because I killed the other ones, which I'm so sad about because they were given to me, I thought I'd give it another try with some purchased seedlings. I needed to see if I could do this and if, indeed, I caused the death of the others with my inexperience. I'd say inexperience and not being ready for them is what did me in.

I purchased 3 types of seedlings from Brad's Buds and Blooms. I bought Kaleinani, PinkerBlue, and Thai Mango Blush. I purchased 5 seeds of each kind and when I received them, I had about 9-10 of each. Very nice to get some extra in case some weren't viable.

I decided to go with the towel method, but this time I used paper towels and the plastic bag. I soaked the towels in a mixture of filtered water, hydrogen peroxide, and a drop of Super Thrive (ST), then wrung out the towel, you don't want them dripping wet. Then into the bags they went and onto the heat mat and under the nice bright light, which I finally hung. A light, from above. Yay. I hope my babies are happy.

As you can see from the photo, I put them in on September 11. Unfortunately, the heat mat was too hot and the bags were getting filled with condensation. I didn't want the seedlings to rot, so that's why you see a purple hand towel underneath it. Even then, too much condensation. I had to keep opening the bag, taking them off the heat, etc.

Two days later, Sept 13, most of the seeds were nice and plump. I decided to try two methods from here. One was to plant them immediately, the other was to keep them in the bag until the grew some roots. As you can see from the photos below, within two days, some were already rooting. Yay!

Since the baggies were getting too moist and I couldn't really control that, I also decided to chuck the plastic baggies, keep them in the paper towels, but put them in a plastic container. I left the lids on, but slightly loose so some airflow could get in, but yet, have the condensation keep it moist. 

One thing I was having issues with was my seedlings drying out. The ones in the baking pan, well, the soil was bone dry all the time. I was having to mist it constantly. I decided to put those in a plastic container also (no photo). I transferred them this morning (Sept 16). That way, I could build up condensation to keep them wet, but yet, have it be controllable. It's hard to find containers that will work without having to buy them. I suggest just buying them. The only seed starter kit I found at Home Depot was for 50 seedlings. Too big. 

As for my babies in the towels. The Thai Mango Blush ones (3) are all rooting. They're starting to peek through. The Kaleinani's, well, shoot, one got so big, I potted it. And I lost the outside, but I have heard that's okay. Today, I planted a nice green root and seed. Yay. Let's hope I don't kill it.

I decided to put the little pots (there's only two of them) inside the blue covered tupperware, to keep them moist until I plant the rest of them. I'd like to wait until the end of the week to let the roots grow a bit longer. The PinkerBlue don't seem to be doing anything, but well, we shall see.

I'm just hoping I didn't kill the seedlings in the tray because they dried out so much. I hope I found them a nice moist (but not too wet) home where they can thrive.

I just wish the first set of seedlings I received from my friend didn't die. I haven't given up, but I'm pretty sure they're goners. Obviously I didn't care for them as I should. This is pretty obvious, since this new batch is growing. Oh well, you live and learn, right?

I Think I Killed Them - Day 35

I am pretty sure I killed the seedlings. They're not doing a darn thing and well, no roots either. Yeah, I checked. Boo.

I'm pretty sure they died due to rot. I was told a way to tell was by gently and carefully pulling out the seed and either opening it up or squeezing it slightly. If it's squishy, it's rotted. If there's no white seed and it's all brown inside, it's rot. I opened up 2, they were rotted. I planted them again and well, I can hope for the best, but I'm pretty sure they're gone. :(

I will keep it up and see if anything happens, but my hopes are not high.

Day 20 - Nothing Yet

It'll be 3 weeks tomorrow. My babies aren't doing a darn thing yet. Boo! However, I decided to ask around and find out what is going on. I was told that I was being impatient. Me? Impatient? Never!!! Okay, always. And not just impatient, but my poor seedlings need constant heat. Oh...poor things. Before I got the heat mat I would put them outside, when it was hitting the high 70's, low 80's, then bring them inside where my house was getting down to the 60's. Oops.

So, now they are on the heat mat. Always nice and warm and a bit dried out. I mist them in the AM and the PM. I hope it's enough. Fingers crossed I haven't completely killed them.

Oh, I also bought a light. I haven't hung it up as I am debating how to do it. Not sure if I want to put anchors into the ceiling (I'm in an apartment). However, now they get 12-14 hours of light everyday. And good thing, because the past week it was raining and overcast a lot. There are so many options for lights out there. I decided to go with T5 fluorescent lighting. It's a 4 bulb light that's only about 2 feet long. Perfect for my little seedlings. And when winter comes around, perfect for all the seedlings and my full grown plumeria, which is outside right now. Speaking of which....

Below is probably the last flower of the summer for me. Looks like from September, the PNW starts to cool down. Which means no more flowering and probably by October I'll have to bring in my big plant.

Day 8: Heat Pad

My heat pad and thermostat came in. The seedlings spent the day outside and tonight they will be warm. I just need to monitor the moisture level of the soil.

If all goes well, the 20"x20" heat pad should be large enough for all the seedlings and my already rooted tree for the winter.

Please germinate little seedlings.

1 Week Later

I decided to plant the rest of the seedlings. They didn't do the root thing and I was worried that they were going to rot or something, so into soil they went. Today was their first day outside. It was nice and warm and hopefully they enjoyed some sun.

The container in the upper right hand corner is the one I potted last week. It was the one I used the towel method with. It's getting dried out pretty fast and I'm worried I'm going to over water it. I mean, when they say keep the soil moist, but not wet.....at what point is it now wet and no longer moist? Yikes!

Either way. Let's hope we see something over the next couple of weeks or so. I believe it says it takes up to 21 days to germinate and sprout those first (non-real) leaves.

I also ordered a heat pad for them. I was reading that they really like warmth. My apartment has been dropping down to 60 degrees, so I'm concerned they're getting cold. It should arrive tomorrow. I'll probably just turn it on overnight since I put them outside during the day (high 70s to low 80s) and they come inside during the evening and it's still mid-70s inside.

I don't know if they need more light. I put them outside around Noon and back inside around 7ish. I read that they need up to 12 hours of light. Yikes. I mean, yes they're near my window in the AM, but they don't get that much light.

Please sprout little guys.

Day 2: Sunlight!

I decided to give my little seedlings some sunlight. It's kind of cool in my apartment at 68 degrees. I probably should put them outside, but it's not much warmer. I'm surprised at how fast the sun moves out of my window. I may need to rethink where to put them. I read that they'll start rooting in about 4-7 days and that with sun and/or a heating pad, it moves them right along. No heating pad, so hopefully the sun will help warm them up and coax them out.

I also planted the seedling that started out in the towel. That too got some sunlight.

The Seedlings Arrived!!!

I received 5 seedlings today. Thanks Ranaye! She has a ton of different varieties of Plumeria's and one of her tree's had a seed pod on it this year. I was lucky enough to get some of the seedlings.

I've never grown Plumeria's from seedlings, so this should be an interesting journey. I have grown some from cuttings, but that's easy, right? I had four gorgeous trees. When I moved to Oregon, I cut them all up and distributed them among my friends. I brought my favorite one with me, which surprisingly, I purchased from Costco.

Since I didn't have any pots or soil, I decided to try the terry cloth method as seen here:

Basically you keep them wet for 24 hours until they're nice and plump, then you put them in soil. Then I read about the styrofoam peanut floating method. Decided to give that a try too. Below is 4 of them floating. I left one in the towel because I think it's "broken". The shell seemed to have come off before I did anything with it.