The Wonderful World of Plants

Up until this morning I wasn't certain how my passiflora incense was doing ever since I received and repotted it last Monday. With the last p. incense, the plant hadn't exhibited any rapid vine growth before it died, and I was afraid it was the same case with this one.

That is, until I went out and looked at it this morning and saw the flower buds looking ready to open up. By the time I had left for lab, they had still not opened up.


Passiflora Incense update: flower buds opening?

A wonderful suprise was in store for me once I arrived in lab. One of the woebegone, limper colius had perked up after R had cut its stem shorter the previous day. Now the leaves had more body to them.


Lab plant cuttings update: healthier leaves

None of the larger cuttings, (3 pothos, 1 colius) had developed roots since Sunday when they had been put in water, but neither were any of them wilted.


Lab plant cuttings update: tips of pothos and colius cuttings, no signs of roots yet

Next up, while the colius leaves looked healther, neither the colius cuttings nor the creeping charlie had yet developed tiny white root nubs.


Lab plant cuttings update: tips of colius and creeping charlie, no signs of roots yet

But then, to our amazement, we saw one creeping charlie and one wandering jew (yes, I know the name is offensive, but I can't find another common name for it) with small but sturdy looking roots. The creeping charlie cutting, in particular, had developed 2 longer roots with a cloud of fine root hairs. One main root had developed at each end of a stem node.


Lab plant cuttings update: tips of creeping charlie and wandering jew, tiny white roots developed!

Later, as R and I walked around campus, we stopped by to check on the UCSB random tomato plant. The ripening tomatoes seemed to have developed brighter orange/red hues.


UCSB random tomato by Broida: darker color developing

When I walked home, I anticipated at least one opened blossom, but I found out both had opened!


Passiflora Incense update: flower buds opened up!

Here's a picture of the top blossom, which I hadn't expected to develop for another day or so.


Passiflora Incense update: top blossom closeup

And here's a picture of the lower side blossom, which I had expected to see this afternoon.


Passiflora Incense update: lower side flower closeup

Despited it being after 5:00 pm, I tried hand-pollinating the passiflora incense. But from what I've read, passiflora incense is not self-pollinating, so they likely will not yield decent fruit, if at all. They are grown more for their lovely flowers than for their fruit. If any fruit developed, I wouldn't eat them, but rather save their seeds.


Passiflora Incense update: after some hand pollination (some anthers removed), and with plant moved into late afternoon sun

I stuck my washed-out looking spider plant that I got from E's mother plant into the fading afternoon/evening sun. I really hope that the lack of bright light on the window sill the plant usually perches on doesn't cause it to fade to a uniform grey-green.


Chlorophytum Comosum variegatum: looking pale and washed-out

Since 2 of the lab plant cuttings had developed roots, I took it upon myself to take them home and repot them.


Wandering Jew, Creeping Charlie, right before repotting

Taking out waxy cups that the lab used to get with the water that is delivered by Arrowhead every 3 weeks, I filled them with soil (about 8 oz), dug out a tiny depression, and stuck the plant cuttings in.


Wandering Jew, Creeping Charlie, repotted...

I'll bring the repotted plants in tomorrow.