SAFE HOMES FOR TROPICAL SHADE PLANTS

From: "Ron Iles" roniles at eircom.net> on 2001.05.01 at 22:39:51(6348) In the tropics nowadays plants as well as mere humans are subject to increasing threats to their existences. There seems to be argument for separate "Arks" which can be safe from natural and manmade catastrophes. Conventionall greenhouses are easily damaged by storms, difficult to heat enough when it is very cold. In hot seasons especially in the sub-tropics and in other areas of extreme climate variations, unless vented losing humidity, plants are grilled or roasted. Greenhouses are good for "eurythermal" plants which require relatively high light intensities and which tolerate wide temperature and other environmental variations. Spathiphyllum and other aroids, Marantaceae and so many other genera and species are stenothermal i.e. they prefer and tolerate narrow temperature and other environmental variations. Naturally they are sheltered by the rain forest canopy in constant warmth but never roasting hot. They thrive only in shade not much higher than 25% and commonly less than 10% of sunlight. In these days of high efficiency lighting and space age insulation and heating, it can be argued that ubiquitous tropical shade plants can be grown safer, better, much cheaper but in enclosures without sunlight not in greenhouses. In England cold for seven months of the year I grew 10,000 Spathiphyllum, other aroids and Marantaceae in such enclosures under fluorescent lights which also provided controlled warmth for ten years. Here in Ireland if a World Spathiphyllum Reference is able to be completed within time these principles will be carried much further. The water plants will be grown with submerged roots in rockwool in re-circulating streams. It is interesting to observe the unfavourable paling of leaves of Spathiphyllum grown in presumably shaded greenhouses in May to those even in February. Observations of Peace Lilies and other "good" house plants in equitable homes suggest they thrive in astonishingly deeper shade than those recommended by greenhouse producers of un-naturally forced cultivars". I hope these thoughts shared by a newcomer are not impertinent. Ron

From: Rand Nicholson writserv at nbnet.nb.ca> on 2001.05.04 at 22:09:30(6369) Hi Ron: > You wrote: +More >Spathiphyllum and other aroids, Marantaceae and so many other genera and >species are stenothermal (snip) >They thrive only in shade not much higher than 25% and commonly less >than 10% of sunlight. (snip) >It is >interesting to observe the unfavourable paling of leaves of Spathiphyllum >grown in presumably shaded greenhouses in May to those even in February. >Observations of Peace Lilies and other "good" house plants in equitable >homes suggest they thrive in astonishingly deeper shade than those >recommended by greenhouse producers of un-naturally forced cultivars". > Will you elaborate upon this phenomenon of "leaf paling", please. I have a small, rather old (25 + yrs) Spathiphyllum that has recently exhibited this "paling" effect. It had been moved to under a south-west window where it receives very little direct sun, perhaps a couple of hours, per day. It usually blooms foolishly year long, giving off a delightful cinnamon scent from its white spathes. It seems to bloom less with the move. Kind Regards, Rand Nicholson (Who had two A. konjacs bloom in succession in his living room because they broke dormancy early before they could be planted outside in Maritime Canada, East Coast. Friends and relatives were not delighted when they made a close inspection of the blooms, which all agreed were beautiful from a distance, if unusual and, somehow, slightly disturbing.)

From: "Ron Iles" roniles at eircom.net> on 2001.05.05 at 19:48:49(6374) Hi Rand! Are you THE major tissue culture fellah? If you are, you got over 21 US cultivars I need to buy? Say "Yes"..........PLEASE! Small, and 25 years old? Rather old, that's an understatement surely? 25 years...one plant becomes thousands and thousands usually. Is yours plastic and you didn't realise? Yellowing? I can only guess wildly. Is it pot bound and needing root systems divided? Has it dried out sometimes so that the flesh can't re-constitute and the rot sets in, doubtful. Spaths should NEVER have direct sunlight. South West window, my God! If I was a Spath cat particularly if I was old and my roots were constipated and blackened with trying to survive your catfood, I'd scream "let me out of this pot", and when I've spread myself about I'd like a good very dilute feed with trace elements between total submersion, only every two weeks mind you, with NOT TOO HIGH nitrogen please. Move me back into shade else I'll play dead or sceam. Actually maybe I'm just hypochondriac and not sick even after 25 years in solitary confinement but I'll yellow a few leaves to shock him. And I'll flower and fumigate him with my scent so he still wants me and doesn't throw me out. Perhaps he'll email Ron and tell him my name but maybe he doesn't know that? I do hope he splits me up so there'll be a lot of children and I hope one of 'em will go to Ireland as its good there and I'll have millions of European grandchildren. Put my little one's roots in sphagnum and foil, wrap him in todays newspaper and cosset in polythene film from the supermarket. (Have you seen the new upstart Spaths there, shocking!). Then put him in a cardboard box and whizz him at the speed of light to Erin. Wow! Or I could tell him to send a leaf or two in a plastic bag to Unkl Ron and I'll know whether anything is really wrong. I'm not old, I need to be great grandchildren that's all. Oh God I hope he does something soon. TWENTY FIVE YEARS in prison and I'm innocent! My pot bottom isn't even in water and if he did that now the ALL the roots would go black and I'd crock. Don't he realise I'm immortal and that all my roots should be wet, warm, white with plenty of room. And please keep me out of the sun or bright light or give me double thick Mafia sunglasses. I might need a bit of Magnesium or decent trace element supplement especially at my age but don't do anything until I'm out of this pot. But when I'm so constipated after 25 years blooming mad for him he complains without helping me properly. Shocking, shocking! I wouldn't be like this in Fairchild or Ireland. Sorry Randy I don't know for sure but send a snippet safely and I might! Do you have CERES or "Mini" or ANY other "common commercial" Spaths in your local supermarkets or plant emporia? They are as rare as hens teeth over here. Serious chuckles Ron +More ----- Original Message ----- To: "Multiple recipients of list AROID-L" Sent: Friday, May 04, 2001 11:11 PM Subject: Re: SAFE HOMES FOR TROPICAL SHADE PLANTS | Hi Ron: | > | You wrote: | | >Spathiphyllum and other aroids, Marantaceae and so many other genera and | >species are stenothermal | (snip) | >They thrive only in shade not much higher than 25% and commonly less | >than 10% of sunlight. | (snip) | >It is | >interesting to observe the unfavourable paling of leaves of Spathiphyllum | >grown in presumably shaded greenhouses in May to those even in February. | >Observations of Peace Lilies and other "good" house plants in equitable | >homes suggest they thrive in astonishingly deeper shade than those | >recommended by greenhouse producers of un-naturally forced cultivars". | > | Will you elaborate upon this phenomenon of "leaf paling", please. I | have a small, rather old (25 + yrs) Spathiphyllum that has recently | exhibited this "paling" effect. It had been moved to under a | south-west window where it receives very little direct sun, perhaps a | couple of hours, per day. It usually blooms foolishly year long, | giving off a delightful cinnamon scent from its white spathes. It | seems to bloom less with the move. | | Kind Regards, | | Rand Nicholson | | (Who had two A. konjacs bloom in succession in his living room | because they broke dormancy early before they could be planted | outside in Maritime Canada, East Coast. Friends and relatives were | not delighted when they made a close inspection of the blooms, which | all agreed were beautiful from a distance, if unusual and, somehow, | slightly disturbing.) |

From: "Ron Iles" roniles at eircom.net> on 2001.05.05 at 19:49:03(6375) Sorry it was Rand not Randy! AND I'd go pale in fright and not want to flower and fumigate you if you put me in South West sun in May even if it was shaded a bit! Huh! Telling Unkl Ron about how you treat me! From now on I'll stop smelling like pineapple and pretend I'm a corpse flower plant. Twenty five years! Am I not the World Pot Record? Ron (Irish Soc for Protection of Pot Plants) +More ----- Original Message ----- To: Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2001 12:01 PM Subject: Re: SAFE HOMES FOR TROPICAL SHADE PLANTS | | | Hi Rand! | | Are you THE major tissue culture fellah? If you are, you got over 21 US | cultivars I need to buy? Say "Yes"..........PLEASE! | | Small, and 25 years old? Rather old, that's an understatement surely? 25 | years...one plant becomes thousands and thousands usually. Is yours | plastic and you didn't realise? | | Yellowing? I can only guess wildly. Is it pot bound and needing root | systems divided? Has it dried out sometimes so that the flesh can't | re-constitute and the rot sets in, doubtful. Spaths should NEVER have | direct sunlight. South West window, my God! If I was a Spath cat | particularly if I was old and my roots were constipated and blackened with | trying to survive your catfood, I'd scream "let me out of this pot", and | when I've spread myself about I'd like a good very dilute feed with trace | elements between total submersion, only every two weeks mind you, with NOT | TOO HIGH nitrogen please. Move me back into shade else I'll play dead or | sceam. Actually maybe I'm just hypochondriac and not sick even after 25 | years in solitary confinement but I'll yellow a few leaves to shock him. | And I'll flower and fumigate him with my scent so he still wants me and | doesn't throw me out. Perhaps he'll email Ron and tell him my name but | maybe he doesn't know that? I do hope he splits me up so there'll be a lot | of children and I hope one of 'em will go to Ireland as its good there and | I'll have millions of European grandchildren. Put my little one's roots in | sphagnum and foil, wrap him in todays newspaper and cosset in polythene film | from the supermarket. (Have you seen the new upstart Spaths there, | shocking!). Then put him in a cardboard box and whizz him at the speed of | light to Erin. Wow! Or I could tell him to send a leaf or two in a | plastic bag to Unkl Ron and I'll know whether anything is really wrong. | I'm not old, I need to be great grandchildren that's all. Oh God I hope he | does something soon. TWENTY FIVE YEARS in prison and I'm innocent! My pot | bottom isn't even in water and if he did that now the ALL the roots would go | black and I'd crock. Don't he realise I'm immortal and that all my roots | should be wet, warm, white with plenty of room. And please keep me out of | the sun or bright light or give me double thick Mafia sunglasses. I might | need a bit of Magnesium or decent trace element supplement especially at my | age but don't do anything until I'm out of this pot. But when I'm so | constipated after 25 years blooming mad for him he complains without helping | me properly. Shocking, shocking! I wouldn't be like this in Fairchild or | Ireland. | | Sorry Randy I don't know for sure but send a snippet safely and I might! Do | you have CERES or "Mini" or ANY other "common commercial" Spaths in your | local supermarkets or plant emporia? They are as rare as hens teeth over | here. | | Serious chuckles | | Ron | | ----- Original Message ----- | From: "Rand Nicholson" | To: "Multiple recipients of list AROID-L" | Sent: Friday, May 04, 2001 11:11 PM | Subject: Re: SAFE HOMES FOR TROPICAL SHADE PLANTS | | | | Hi Ron: | | > | | You wrote: | | | | >Spathiphyllum and other aroids, Marantaceae and so many other genera and | | >species are stenothermal | | (snip) | | >They thrive only in shade not much higher than 25% and commonly less | | >than 10% of sunlight. | | (snip) | | >It is | | >interesting to observe the unfavourable paling of leaves of Spathiphyllum | | >grown in presumably shaded greenhouses in May to those even in February. | | >Observations of Peace Lilies and other "good" house plants in equitable | | >homes suggest they thrive in astonishingly deeper shade than those | | >recommended by greenhouse producers of un-naturally forced cultivars". | | > | | Will you elaborate upon this phenomenon of "leaf paling", please. I | | have a small, rather old (25 + yrs) Spathiphyllum that has recently | | exhibited this "paling" effect. It had been moved to under a | | south-west window where it receives very little direct sun, perhaps a | | couple of hours, per day. It usually blooms foolishly year long, | | giving off a delightful cinnamon scent from its white spathes. It | | seems to bloom less with the move. | | | | Kind Regards, | | | | Rand Nicholson | | | | (Who had two A. konjacs bloom in succession in his living room | | because they broke dormancy early before they could be planted | | outside in Maritime Canada, East Coast. Friends and relatives were | | not delighted when they made a close inspection of the blooms, which | | all agreed were beautiful from a distance, if unusual and, somehow, | | slightly disturbing.) | | |

From: Rand Nicholson writserv at nbnet.nb.ca> on 2001.05.14 at 14:57:39(6439) Hi Ron: Ron Isles wrote from Erin at 05/05/01: >| Hi Rand! >| >| Are you THE major tissue culture fellah? If you are, you got over 21 US >| cultivars I need to buy? Say "Yes"..........PLEASE! Sorry, I am not. >| >| Small, and 25 years old? Rather old, that's an understatement surely? >25 +More >| years...one plant becomes thousands and thousands usually. Is yours >| plastic and you didn't realise? It is just well groomed and well behaved. >| >| Yellowing? I can only guess wildly. Is it pot bound and needing root >| systems divided? Done regularly. > Spaths should NEVER have direct sunlight. South West window, my God! This must be the cause of the leaf yellowing. It is an otherwise healthy plant and well cared for. > Perhaps he'll email Ron and tell him my name but >| maybe he doesn't know that? This most likely is Spathiphyllum "Wallisii" which was being sold in supermarkets as "White Sails" and some nurseries as a "Peace Lily" at the time. I got this one in a 2" pot at a supermarket (checked the name later at a nursery) even though it was sick, browning and covered with spider mites. It had one small, cinnamony, glistening white spathe on it and I figured that, for 25 cents (CDN), it was worth a rescue. I knew nothing about Spathiphyllum or aroids at the time. > I do hope he splits me up so there'll be a >lot >| of children The children have gone far and wide. > and I hope one of 'em will go to Ireland You most likely have this. It is very common commercially. > TWENTY FIVE YEARS in prison and I'm innocent! More like part of the family. He is well fed and fat and a bit of a show-off. > >| you have CERES or "Mini" or ANY other "common commercial" Spaths in your >| local supermarkets or plant emporia? They are as rare as hens teeth over >| here. I am not sure, but I will have a look next time they stock them. They are presented in a rather arbitrary fashion over here. One week it is all Mums and the next it could be cactus. I suspect it is a suppliers' thing. ************************ ************************ Ron Isles did scribe _again_ from Erin at 05/05/01: Hi Again "Unkl" Ron: >Sorry it was Rand not Randy! This is correct; my name is _Rand_ short for "Randolph". Whether I am, or am not randy (a peculiar bit of British slang), is a personal matter best left to the imagination. Be assured, however, that Spathiphyllum do not make me randy. Although, they do give me a warm glow. > AND I'd go pale in fright and not want to >flower and fumigate you if you put me in South West sun in May even if it >was shaded a bit! Huh! Telling Unkl Ron about how you treat me! The plant is now moved to a more comfortable, shadier spot, but still displayed prominently where all can view it's tidy foliage and smell the sweet cinnamon fragrance produced by it's charming white spathes. I promise to never subject my "White Sails/Peace Lily" to an overabundance of sun again (or, indeed, to any sun, lest I risk ire from Ireland). > From >now on I'll stop smelling like pineapple and pretend I'm a corpse flower >plant. I had two Amorphophallus konjac blooming (remember) in the same room as the Spath. All are welcome (if not appreciated by some of my aroidically challenged friends). > Twenty five years! Am I not the World Pot Record? It outgrows the pot, very slowly, and I cut it back, repot, and pot up the cuttings for instant plants. The old stems kick into gear, rather quickly producing new offshoots and the cycle repeats. A most obliging Spath, it never misses a beat through repotting and all this fussing, and the cuttings rarely even toss a leaf, but just start up and grow. Thanks for the info. Kind Regards, Rand - OOPSS! (Organization Opposing and Preventing Sunburned Spathiphyllum)

From: "Ron Iles" roniles at eircom.net> on 2001.05.14 at 20:08:50(6443) Hi, Rand At HER age, that pretty lil 'ole wallisii, must feel very satisfied at your concern. Sweet! Glad you gave her sunblock. Now, apologise to her. Go on! Do it! Ply her with enough water with magnesium and potassium. and she'll come out in flowers all over. "Wallis" is Spathiphyllum "Smith", much too common, most look posh or odder and have fancy names.

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