Worry is like a rocking chair, it's gives you something to do but gets you nowhere!

Friday, December 10, 2010

Container Chaos

A couple of months ago a gardening neighbor dropped by my home and asked if I would like a Night Blooming Cereus. She has had the plant for years and has never seen it bloom. I replied, "But of course I'd love to have one!!"
The following day her husband delivered the Cereus in a small plastic hanging container. As I was approaching the container I was thinking, uh oh, this is not a Cereus, but an Angel Wing Begonia. Upon further inspection not only did I see the Cereus and the Angel Wing Begonia I also saw Alstroemeria, Peruvian Lily. My question to you, How do I seperate the three without damaging the roots? They have apparently been in this container together for several years.

When the artic blast starting coming our way a few weeks ago I brought the container inside. I am not sure of the different growing conditions for these three...I know that Alstroemeri is an outside plant in our zone....

Here they are.. click to enlarge...
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Today I am Thankful for the generousity of gardeners.
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30 comments:

tina said...

Wow, you got a good deal. I would take it out and soak in warm water to loosen the roots and remove soil, then carefully part. The plants will recover.

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

How neat to get all of those plants in one pot. I know you'll do well with all of them once they are out of their constricted environment.

FlowerLady

Lanny said...

I second Tina's suggestion. Just did some divisions yesterday myself and when I need to see the roots to make sure they are going with the right plant I always soak and remove soil. It often helps untangle them on their very own. Swish if you need to, they will appreciate it in the long run!

Robin Beck said...

Wow, 3 for 1! Hope you can get them separated safely!

Thanks for posting about my giveaway!

Robin~♥

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Darla, Looks like Tina had the right idea. Soak it, remove soil, and CAREFULLY separate the roots... Good Luck... It should work for you...

Have a great weekend. Cold and snow is coming again.
Hugs,
Betsy

Gardener on Sherlock Street said...

Big bonus. Good luck. Proceed carefully!

Unknown said...

Such a deal ~ to get 3 in one. I too, think Tina's suggestion sounds like it would work. With your gardening talent I'm sure you will work out something to keep all of them alive!

Racquel said...

Great deal indeed! I agree with Tina about letting them soak to loosen the roots. Good luck with your new treasures! :)

George said...

I think Tina has the right approach for separating these plants. You got a great 3-for-1 deal with this container.

Lona said...

Don't you love free flowers. I got confidence in you lady that you can get them soaked apart and planted back up. Have a wonderful weekend!

Patsy said...

soaking sounds like the best thing to do.

Dorothy said...

With your expertise and good advice from blogger friends, you cannot fail! Go for it!

Val said...

You are so smart to know what all these were. I would have had no idea!!

Julie said...

Tina was right! I would break the container or cut it, too, to ease the removal, if needed. Good luck!
Can you put the cereus outside in a tree???

Meems said...

Hi Darla,
What a nice gift. You can root cuttings of the begonia easily in soil or water. I'd take some now and keep them in proper light overwinter. I think I'd wait until early spring to separate. But it's hard to kill Cereus ... you can literally cut a piece and stick it in soil and it will root (and it will tolerate extremely dry conditions). I don't know about the other two. But when you do separate them it will probably go better if you remove the soil and gently separate each one the best you can.

Floridagirl said...

Lucky you! I waited ages for such passalongs!

As for division, I second what Meems says. I've found that begonias and cereus, tender though they might look, can take uprooting, a little knocking around, and replanting pretty easily. Also, little pieces snapped off will root in a heartbeat, even with the neglect I give it. Indeed, I've had cereus cuttings root while sitting in a plastic bag for two weeks, no soil at all.

Shelley said...

What a great gift! I'm not very intelligent when it comes to these things - I look to you as my expert! :-)

Krystal Kats said...

Hello Darla, well I am sure someone has already answered your question. I hope you get that to bloom! I would like to see it again when it does bloom! wonderful garden miracles! Merry Christmas

Anonymous said...

Nice! I hope everything grows and flourishes.

mariel said...

how fun...i am sure they will turn out beautiful!

BGgarden said...

That is a really neat plant. I wonder if it gets a little shocked bringing it indoors?

RURAL said...

Wow, now I can totally understand why it didn't bloom. But when it does finally decide to bloom, it's going to be stunning.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Karen said...

I just know if anyone can get these plants to thrive, it will be you! I hope you let us know how they turn out.

Phillip Oliver said...

Someone gave me a Night Blooming Cereus two years ago. It has put out some long stems but so far, no flowers. Do you know when it blooms?

Gail said...

Darla, I am also grateful for generous garden friends~I count you among them~xxoogail

Window On The Prairie said...

It looks all tired and scraggly, so it it was mine, I would make cuttings, and toss the old plant away, and start fresh with the cuttings.
Suzanne

Missy said...

Tina hit it right on the head as to what I'd do.

Unknown said...

This is one issue I can't help you with, Darla. Lucky you, tho, to receive these.

Christmas hugs & joys ~
TTFN ~ Marydon

Corner Gardener Sue said...

I see you had lots of suggestions, including what I was going to say. I was thinking that if you just took cuttings of the begonia to root, you could work to keep more of the soil with the other two plants, which I'm not familiar with. Now, I'm seeing the cerius can be rooted from stems, too.

Have fun with them!

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