Mutant horticulture

Well, I thought it was Monarch’s, but…

Nor Sure

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Ah, a Painted Lady!

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Doesn’t matter, had cake got butterfly.

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Indeed, my flame confirmed:

Day 23

Monarchs will be the next batch…

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Amazing! When hatched do they fly around a greenhouse and act as pollinators, or is the hobby more about breading different varieties?

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She’s blooming :smile:

Also, the starfish sansevieria sprouted a baby. I think I should detach it and pot it up separately.

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humidity is rising here in the islands. i find it brutal and sometimes unbearable. but, the orchids love this shit and their flowers make me happy.

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Here’s an idea for your next postcard:

Liberté - Égalité - Humidité

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Repotted the lemongrass this morning. Just a little root-bound lol.

I divided it (with a saw), and now I have two to find inside space for come winter. (Assuming they survive the rather brutal treatment.)

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What does one do with lemongrass? Is it purely ornamental?

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adventure time GIF

Oh, sorry…you said “lemongrass” not “lemongrab”!

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I grow it mostly as an ornamental. It’s tropical, so I’ve schlepped it inside for the past two years after cutting it back hard, but mine doesn’t go dormant, which is a hassle. Some of the garden centers here label it as a mosquito repelling plant, but that’s nonsense.

It’s used in Southeast (corrected) Asian cuisines as a seasoning for soups, broths, sauces, etc, and I’ve read it’s used as a soothing tea as well. There are a bunch of different species, some better suited for cooking than others. I think mine is probably one of the tougher ones, though I will sometimes throw a stalk of it into chicken broth for its subtle-but-there, hint-of-something-citrusy flavor.

(The essential oil crowd claims various medicinal uses, but that’s not my scene.)

(Edit to correct directional typo)

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Make the best food - Thai food!

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If lemongrass behaves the same as ornamental grass, it should be fine. I have a couple of stands of it in my yard, and every couple of years, in the early spring, I have to dig them up and divide them. I usually use a sawzall and cut each one in quarters. They don’t seem to mind, but it does stress the plant so I make sure it’s well watered for the first season after dividing. I’ve run out of places to put all of the divisions. I guess I’ll have to resort to giving them away on NextDoor next time.

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I had a tour of a serious herb farm last week that sends fresh herbs and Asian greens (bok choy, choy sum etc) to the major Australian supermarket chains, and was given a box of goodies to take away.

The lemongrass and basil went straight into a Thai green curry that night. One of the guys there told me mint, lemongrass and chives are among the easiest ones to grow and harvest*, compared to basil and Thai basil that are apparently a PITFA. I can’t confirm that, but the mint greenhouse did smell amazing.

*that’s growing on a massive scale in SE Australia climate. YMMV

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I was thinking about getting a bonsai starter kit? Anyone done that? Any suggestions if you have?

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If you get one, be sure to post your progress over the next hundred years! :face_with_peeking_eye:

ETA appropriate funny image

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Im Ready Lets Go GIF by Leroy Patterson

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