There are two plants in my garden that are rather special to me for two reasons :-
1. They have taken ages to adapt (sulking perhaps?); but some signs of growth finally !
2. They are still 'nameless' (unless some one can help me out, please), despite my surfing around on tropical plants.....!
First there is this plant that looks like a palm plant with tiny spikes. I took the baby from the foothills at Gunung Jerai almost three years ago (yes , 3, however looking at it, one find it hard to believe) when we first went hiking. I like it so much since it looked so adorable when it was small and tiny. I know I am not supposed to take plants away from the hill - but I could not resist it. However I guess it did not like being removed from its natural habit, and remained dormant for a long, long time ....... and was very very very fussy ..... !
First, I placed it under some filtered sunlight, and oh ... it did not like that at all ! The leaves became burnt and it looked rather pitiful. So okay, I placed it under more shade , hidden away under some bigger plants for higher humidity --- it seemed happier. Next was the tussle over soil medium .... if the soil got too wet, it looked like it was rotting away .... so okay, change the soil medium and avoid over watering. Only water sparingly when the soil looked completely dry .... yes, it worked ! So this is why after three years and still hardly any growth ! Yes, I did try with some fertilizer - no response ! Well, these last two months it showed a sudden spurt in growth, new leaves coming out ..... so I became rather excited. Note the original leaf at the bottom, so small compared to the new new leaves. Now I have moved it to a spot when it can get some filtered sunlight .... hold my breath .... :- ) haha ! After all logic dictates that plants need sunlight to grow .. if it does not like it, guess I will return it to the original location.
This second plant I acquired almost half a year ago ( see post 4th March 2011) because it looks like a neat and unusual plant. Even after close to 6 months, this plant showed hardly any growth as well. Like the First plant, it did not like sunlight too much, so again it was to the shade as well. Burnt spots will appear on the leaves from exposure to sunlight. Yesterday I moved it to a sunnier location to see if that will stimulate it to grow any faster. The leaves are broader and look healthier compared to when I first bought it. Lovely foliage, don't you think so? Imagine what a beauty it will grow into eventually ..... :- ) !
5 comments:
The first one look like a relative of the Rhapis excelsa Lady Palm but somehow, the leaf arrangement seem a bit different. The second one look like Ledebouria socialis. Check these out.
Thanks Autumn Belle for the information - yes, I will look up these two plants.
Hi,
I saw your comment on Dr Ng's blog about your neighbor avocado's tree bearing lots of avocados every year. Can you please upload a picture of your neighbor's tree with close-ups of its fruits and leaves. I am planning to plant an avocado tree outside my house and I am aware that there are numerous varieties of avocados. I am very curious as to your neighbor's variety of avocado tree. May I know whether you are staying anywhere in Subang Jaya or in Selangor so that I can perhaps buy some fruits from your neighbour.
Christina
Hello Christina,
Thank you for dropping by. I got the avocado plant from was my mother's neighbor. I do not live near my mother. You can see my avocado tree on my post dated Sept 2, 2010 . It is now much taller since last year. When it starts to flower and bear fruits I will definitely post the photos up....! I am pleased to meet someone who loves avocado as well. BTW I live up North, Kedah. Since you live in Subang, perhaps you should get advice from Dr Francis Ng as to where to get a plant with good stock.
I have no idea what that second plant is. Did you get an ID? It's fabulouse. Looks like it has a cane like growth habit. Never seen it before. The little palm if you don't know already looks to me very much like a rattan seedling. They get very tall and climb through the trees and usualy have lots of spines. They often have very beutifull long drooping leaflets as adults that do the Mexican wave in the slightest breeze, quite dreamy. Im always tempted to try one somewhere but the spines and rampant growth make me a bit nervous so I just admire them in the forest near us instead. As seedlings they make lovely little pot plants for deep shade, they can stay small for a good number of years like this, the leaves getting a few meters tall and even showing some of the lovely adult leaflet form. Unfortunately there is no stopping them eventualy elongating and reaching for the sky, this usualy happens when the roots escape out the bottom of the pot. Suddenly they will throw a giant long long leaf then you know it realised it's a rattan and not a mini palm. Enjoy!
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