Aglaonema in the mail : bare cuttings, no roots, no leaves

A worth taking risk ? yes for sure !

( from Taiwan : )
" HI; I'm a hobbyist of tropical plants and just have place an order to your nursery. Can you prepare the Aglonema plants without roots & leaves , just the stem only for me. Please mail the purchases cuttings by 2 or 3 in envelopes with a note .. on the cover of every envelopes. I will take the risks of non delivery. Many thanks!. "

5 days later :
" Hello,
With great pleasure, I have received the first envelope you sent.
I shall be eagerly awaiting the arrival of the next two. Thank you very much for your time and effort."


Sincerely yours,
Hoya and other plant collections are for sale on aleyagarden.com Plant care is available in various posts of this blog. Contact : aleyagarden@hotmail.com

Find all Aleyagarden posts on http://aleyagarden-blog.blogspot.com

Black Adenium

Double Color Adenium : the " Black Adenium "

As far as I know, on August 2010 Thailand has not produced a 100% black Adenium. At Aleyagarden is on sale the " Double Color " Adenium, http://www.aleyagarden.com/addoublecolor.html to which they added a synonym " Black Adenium ". This variety does not often produce seeds, one can wonder where, or how some shops collect the so many " Black Adenium seeds " that they sell !

Hoya and other plant collections are for sale on aleyagarden.com Plant care is available in various posts of this blog. Contact : aleyagarden@hotmail.com

Find all Aleyagarden posts on http://aleyagarden-blog.blogspot.com

Behind the efficient networks of gardens in Thailand : the law of comparative advantage

Small nurseries are often said to be unable to sell cheap because they must buy from outside the plants that they cannot produce. Would bigger nurseries be more competitive to produce plants as they use more of their own factors of production, such as land, gardeners etc ?



Working for a relatively small nursery in Bangkok area I thought for years that per $ of factor of production used, the bigger nurseries should have a greater output. This was also suggested to me by the many visitors from abroad prospecting plant nurseries who asked to be guided to the biggest in priority. But over the years I noticed two things : first the bigger the nursery, I mean the larger in size, more active and prosperous it is, the least workers can be seen per unit of area; second while among the visitors almost all beginners and would be importers were mostly interested by the greater sizes, ( especially if they saw before coming to Thailand some giant nurseries in Australia or Florida ) the more professional importers seemed instead not to pay attention to the size but were more concerned by experience, quality, price, search service of new products etc. So do bigger nurseries, as they theorically use larger production factors that they own ( instead of trading ) have an advantage over the smaller nurseries with little land and reduced employment ?

Let's remember that with his law of Comparative advantage Ricardo explained how trade can create value for both parties even when one can produce all goods with fewer resources than the other. The net benefits of such an outcome are called gains from trade. It is the main concept of the pure theory of international trade and we could substitute two nurseries in a given country to the two countries envisaged by Ricardo.
See on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparative_advantage : " Origins of the theory. Comparative advantage was first described by Robert Torrens in 1815 in an essay on the Corn Laws. He concluded it was to England's advantage to trade with Portugal in return for grain, even though it might be possible to produce that grain more cheaply in England than Portugal.
However, the concept is usually attributed to David Ricardo who explained it in his 1817 book On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation in an example involving England and Portugal. In Portugal it is possible to produce both wine and cloth with less labor than it would take to produce the same quantities in England. However the relative costs of producing those two goods are different in the two countries. In England it is very hard to produce wine, and only moderately difficult to produce cloth. In Portugal both are easy to produce. Therefore while it is cheaper to produce cloth in Portugal than England, it is cheaper still for Portugal to produce excess wine, and trade that for English cloth. Conversely England benefits from this trade because its cost for producing cloth has not changed but it can now get wine at a lower price,closer to the cost of cloth. The conclusion drawn is that each country can gain by specializing in the good where it has comparative advantage, and trading that good for the other."

Let us replace Portugal and England with the " Hoya garden" and the " Adenium garden ", then let's assume that by employing the same resources : land, manpower, water ( and also, why not, marketing and sale opportunities so the output envisaged is the output - sold ) the Hoya garden has an absolute advantage in producing ( selling ) Adenium and Hoya, in the sense that per unit of factor it can produce 6 Hoya or 5 Adenium whereas the Adenium nursery can produce for its own market 4 Hoya and 2 Adenium only. At first sight there seems to be no mutual benefit in trade between the two gardens, as Hoya garden is more efficient at producing both products.

But this is not true, although the intuition is widely shared among the many prospectors I have seen of plant nurseries.
Despite the fact that the Hoya garden has absolute advantage in all activities, it is not in the interest of either of them to work in isolation since they both can benefit from specialization and exchange. If the two gardens divide the work according to comparative advantage then the Hoya garden will specialize in plants at which it is most productive, while the Adenium garden will concentrate on plants where its productivity is only a little less than that of the Hoya garden.
Such an arrangement will increase total production for a given amount of labor supplied by both gardens and it will benefit both of them.
This is why, I think, I could notice that the bigger the nursery the least laborers can be seen working on the spot : to put it in a nutshell, they sell more because they buy more from partners.


Hoya and other plant collections are for sale on aleyagarden.com Plant care is available in various posts of this blog. Contact : aleyagarden@hotmail.com

Find all Aleyagarden posts on http://aleyagarden-blog.blogspot.com

Calathea : how to grow these plants

The varieties of Calathea plants range in many leaf size, height, ornate patterns on leaves and colors. While cleaning efficiently the air we breathe they add beauty to the spectacular floral arrangements that combine heliconias, ginger, and ornamental banana flowers.



Calathea picturata cv argentea

The growing period of Calathea plants is from March to October. Fresh flowers for the vase are first cut at the base of the stem then re-cut to the desired lenght.

Temperature & Humidity
In Thailand they are preferably cultivated by gardeners in areas of the north-east where growth is easier and the leaf prints are more vibrant under the colder temperature there. Also temperature and humidity in these tropical places vary smoothly.

All Calathea are easy growers, they have the same general care requirements. They just need the proper care and correct room environment. Either outside or as indoor houseplant they should not be kept at temperatures under 16 degrees celsius ( 60 - 70 degrees Fahrenheit ), and most importantly high humidity is essential to all calathea sorts so that terrarium-type enclosures, or just plastic sheets may be required, at least for the first weeks. Humidity is one of the most important factors in having a Calathea plant flourish.
Lower than standard humidity levels can cause the tips of the leaves to brown, ( see Calathea bella on the picture ) , appear dry or leaves fall from the plant; in arid conditions mites and scale will put the health of the plant at risk.

Some people report misting regularly to help maintain humidity levels but this method is also said to fail.




A better option for rooms without a greenhouse consists in placing the plant on a shallow container filled will pouzzolane or any other water retentive device. However the best device is undoubtedly an air humidifier to add moist air to the plant's environment.
Never should the roots of the plant be allowed to stand in water as this will inevitably cause root rot. Below Calathea rosea - picta



Soil
Calathea plants require a soil that is well-draining and holds in moisture. A mixture of nutrient-rich soil and peat is the best mixture for the Calathea varieties.

Water
keep the soil moist: a drooping plants or rot of the stem may indicate too much watering during the winter months. Curled leaves, spots or yellowing lower leaves are caused by insufficient watering. In winter the soil can be let dry out between waterings.

Light
It should be moderate, but preferably not under 300 lux. Exposure to bright direct light can fade the colors or burn, scorch the foliage.

Planting
Rhizomes should be planted into a shallow soil and not disturbed for several months as the initial root growth would suffer. The original stem will not grow again, but as the plant creates new rhizomes new stems will develop underground.

There is no need to fertilize before the appearance of several new stems, then fertilize regularly in the growing season. Repot every year or every other year into new potting mix.

Propagation is by division at the time of repotting. The new divisions must be covered with a plastic dome.


Hoya and other plant collections are for sale on aleyagarden.com Plant care is available in various posts of this blog. Contact : aleyagarden@hotmail.com

Find all Aleyagarden posts on http://aleyagarden-blog.blogspot.com

Adenium of flowering size, diameter 7 - 10 cm

Popular houseplants in tropical and temperate regions, Adenium ( Desert roses ) need a sunny location for showy flowering and a minimum indoor temperature in winter of 10 °C.

Adenium obesum with fancy leaves and colors ! They are of flowering size, their diameters are 7-10 cm [ 3.5-4 in ] large. This page shows a series of these ready for packing.

These Adenium plants are grafted onto a seedling rootstock.
Adenium ( Desert Rose ) was introduced to the Philippines from Bangkok, Thailand, and the plant was also called ''Bangkok kalachuchi'' in the Philippines. It is a popular houseplant in tropical and temperate regions. A sunny location will be needed for showy flowering, with a minimum indoor temperature in winter of 10 °C. Repot in a small pot with excellent drainage, avoiding over-watering and drying-out as drying out too long would cause the plant to go into dormancy. Adeniums prefer a neutral to hard water. Acidic water tends to sour the soil too fast and may cause root rot. A fertilizer high in phosphorous will promote a large
swollen base.

Hoya and other plant collections are for sale on aleyagarden.com Plant care is available in various posts of this blog. Contact : aleyagarden@hotmail.com

Find all Aleyagarden posts on http://aleyagarden-blog.blogspot.com

Size of Aglaonema and Monstera sent by Aleyagarden

Aglonemas : with newer cultivars frantically searched by collectors and breeders, exciting patterns with luscious and fantastic color ranges have been recently available in Thailand. These interiorscape plants have been valued primarily for their durability : a conducive environment is undemanding, including only a well-drained soil mix and slight soil drying between waterings. Medium to fast growers Aglaonemas tolerate a wide range of light settings, but they should not be exposed to cold for long periods of time. Moderate light is best; the colored-leaved forms are prettiest in strong light but full sun would damage most species. The potting medium should include copper, and the periodic application of a micronutrient solution of copper will benefit Aglaonemas in winter as roots are less able to remove copper from soils at temperatures of 18 °C ( 65°F ) or below. Thus, soil temperature should be raised or foliar copper applied during such periods. Here are two pictures showing the sizes of Aglonemas that we ship.

Below are Monstera ( the variegated forms, with withe and yellow patches )

Hoya and other plant collections are for sale on aleyagarden.com Plant care is available in various posts of this blog. Contact : aleyagarden@hotmail.com

Find all Aleyagarden posts on http://aleyagarden-blog.blogspot.com

Shipping hoyas

None of the best methods to send Hoya cuttings ( and plants in general ) are absolutely safe. Plants in travel will be like on a scale with a " too dry " end and a ' too wet" end. The number of days in travel, temperature and humidity may turn an excellent method into a bad choice.
Gel in box or a plastic bag wrapping plants in paper ( a simple plastic sheet or a bubble wrap ) are useful to prevent plants from dehydrating; but unusally high temperature, long travel bare stems ( or bare roots ) or excessive humidity in the air can contribute to defoliation - which does not mean that the plants are dead as the loss of leaves is a natural process of adjustment : defoliation may for instance happen during the dry season or during dormancy. Worthy to note, some fundamentalist phytosanitary staff under the European Community regulations may forbid importing some plants that still bear leaves while being in their supposedly known state of dormancy. ( Fortunately this doesn't concern the Hoya genus. )
However whatever the reason for the loss of leaves, bare cuttings may be harder to root, while a very dehydrated cutting - I mean a dry stick - is just dead.
Below is a balanced report from Canada :
" I came home today to find a box from Aleya garden waiting for me in the garage.

Here they are having a bath :
Bottom left to right:H. imperialisH. chloranthaH. lobbiiH. ariadnaH. onychoides
Top:H. densifolia.
The ariadna is looking pretty beat up, but the rest of the cuttings are huge (The container is 1.5' x 2.5') and healthy apart from a bit of wrinkling in their upper leaves. I was afraid Canadian customs might confiscate them or delay the shipment, but they arrived about 12 days after shipping. Now if I can just fight the urge to pot them up right away and let them soak instead.

They're all done soaking now, so I've gone and potted them up.

I've always used clay pots for rooting, although I soaked them overnight along with the cuttings to saturate them first.The cuttings are double bagged, one from the bottom and one domed over top and then taped loosely. The pots would dry very quickly if exposed to open air, but I find that when they're bagged like this they retain moisture very well and serve quite nicely to increase the humidity especially if sprayed gently with a bit of water every few days.After the cuttings have rooted I remove the top bag for about a week before removing the bottom bag.
I just though I'd mention to anyone planning to order from Aleya garden that they offer several shipping options for cuttings. It's in a paragraph at the top of their cuttings page.I'd recommend contacting them and asking for the cuttings to be shipped wrapped in paper and a plastic bag. Some people report that wrapping in plastic causes yellowing and leaf drop, but it seems to have worked very well for my cuttings and the H. lobbii and H. onychoides even started to root in transit. The only one to yellow was the ariadna and there was only one leaf dropped after 12 days in transit.

Hoya and other plant collections are for sale on aleyagarden.com Plant care is available in various posts of this blog. Contact : aleyagarden@hotmail.com

Find all Aleyagarden posts on http://aleyagarden-blog.blogspot.com