Rocketeerjim Grow-Log - Sylvia (Salvia Divinorum)

[RocketeerJim]

Thanks for all of the replies, folks!

This morning I got ambitious and modified the shelf unit, enclosing it better and fixing it so it holds light, heat and moisture better. I used typing paper, a cardboard box, four small trash bags and a lot of tape and I sealed it up really well to hold in the moisture and the little bit of heat the three CFL bulbs generate. I figure I probably used about ten cents worth of materials as the box was free from the postal service.

I also transplanted one cutting (with 1-inch roots) into a pot with some potting mix, some vermiculite and some cactus mix. Oh, and small rocks in the bottom half inch or so for extra drainage.

[DanG]

OH! OH! Rocketman is....

macgyver-the-movie.jpg (25 KiB) Viewed 12273 times

[RocketeerJim]

You're too funny, DanG!

Ok my idea tanked. temperature increased alrighty. Guess what happened to the humidity? So, I removed the wrapper from the top to release heat and its better now. Humidity is back up to 50%+ and temp is ranging between 17C and 22C. Lessons for the day: (1) leave well enough alone. (2) If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

[DanG]

The humidity should have risen based on your text above. What happened?

You are right about leaving them alone. Sometimes overdoing things can hurt the plant! I learned that the hard way.
Well there's still room for improvement for grow chambers; just not for Sally as she doesn't like stress all that well haha

[RocketeerJim]

Actually, DanG, it fell. But it seems to rise and fall. . . . I notice it seems to be high in the morning, an hour or so after I switch on the lights, then it falls later in the day unless I mist a bit. But I'm resisting the urge to micromanage and keeping my eye on the big picture: the plants are all rooting rather quickly, within two weeks or so. Today I transplanted two of the cuttings from the glass containers and planted them in dirt. I will probably do so again in a couple of days. I'm quite happy with the results of using so little resources. I haven't actually bought anything to do the cloning except nutrients and rootone. I like the cactus mix (combined with potting soil and vermiculite) because it has excellent drainage and a high nitrogen count. And it was leftover from transplanting the two San Pedro Cacti I bought from Home Depot so, again, it cost me nothing.

[DanG]

It's normal that the humidity will drop at night. It happens in nature all the time. The way i see it humidity is vapor right? So without sunshine then there will be less vapor. I sense you'll be alright.

My way of rooting plants(coleus, basil, oregano) is to just keep them in high humidity during the rooting phase. Once they are rooted then i move them out of the dome to get acclimated with the natural weather. I don't want them to be babied in a high humidity environment.. I do this all the time and i have never missed a beat.

My logic works like this:
The mother plant is already well acclimated so i just assumed that the cutting is also acclimated since she was part of the mother plant. The cutting just needs to be rooted and off she goes!

[RocketeerJim]

Certainly looks logical to me, DanG. Thanks!!

[DanG]

Glad to have helped!

When you get your forest, post more pictures of salvia celery sticks!
They come as an inspiration to me!

[RocketeerJim]

Ok, Dan, here's your celery sticks!

First off, all of the cuttings that were in glasses in the January 24 pic are now in pots. The cutting that was in the small glass with the anchor etched on it, and the one to its immediate right rear in the small terra cotta pot, were both transplanted and removed from the "cutting nursery" enclosure. Here's what they look like one month later (today):





Sylvia lost another limb a week or so ago and I cut it into two pieces and put them into glasses with Rootone. I also trimmed her largest remaining limb and put its end into another glass and they are in the foreground of the following two pics. As I mentioned, the other plants in these following two pics were all in glasses in the January 24 pic:





Note the temp is hovering just below 20C. The Humidity dropped from 90% to the level shown on the hygrometer while I was getting my camera!

[nothim]

aplause!

i like it , it is a sunny spot !

[Ulmdorgr]

Jim, you've quickly gone from "new salvia dude" to "the guy who posts pictures of tons of salvia plants and makes everyone drool." Keep it up. Sylvia is a beaut!

[RocketeerJim]

Well, thanks for the compliment, oh knowledgeable one, but the credit belongs to the longer-term members of this forum, upon whose shoulders Sylvia has ridden to her lofty status. Actually, I'm not sure "quickly" is true as its been almost nine months since I started my journey with Sylvia. I think persistence and patience have smiled upon me in my endeavor. and those are two of the children of dedication. Truth be told, anyone can do it given the proper growing conditions. If your climate is not SD friendly, you simply must create a small environment whose climate (20C, fairly well lighted and humid) is and, voila! Many thanks to the Salvia gurus on this site and to Daniel Siebert for bringing me the light.

[Ulmdorgr]

From the perspective of our forum, I feel it is quick. We've been around for just over 14 months now, and you've been here for about half/a third of that.

[DanG]

I'll let my friend monkeybaboon do the talking for me..

[RocketeerJim]

Well, Sylvia suffered a fairly major spontaneous structural failure today. She has always suffered from scoliosis and she has grown to be rather lanky over the last couple of months. Well, today she lost her two remaining limbs as they simply could not support the weight of her leaves.

Each limb had three or four branches on it. I, naturally, reduced the castoffs to ten cuttings and placed them in various water glasses and jars with a few inches of water in them, then sealed them up by rubber banding plastic baggies over the tops. I also harvested three dozen or so leaves of various sizes, and they are now drying in dark drawers.

Don't mourn for her, fellows, as she will be reincarnated during the next month or two as her mainstem sprouts new limbs.

Also, she has almost a dozen new offspring and I have high hopes for them as well.