After bringing my salvias in for the winter I began to notice buds. There are what seem to be the start of flowers. However, they haven't shown much progress over the winter. They are receiving window light and the days should now be getting longer again. Are the chances of further flowering progress over unless I move them to artificial lights?
Also, I'm wondering if there is any particular factor I could have changed to increase the flowering speed over the winter.
Thanks.
It seems the major flowering factor is light cycles. With the days getting longer, I would expect your plant to go back into vegitation mode. Putting it under 12/12 light might help it finish flowering.
"Also, I'm wondering if there is any particular factor I could have changed to increase the flowering speed over the winter. "
Place it under 12/12 light cycles.
In my experience, they start flowering around 10-11 dayhours, but have been responding to dropping levels for months, stretching and growing up taller. Pinching the main top, I think prevents them from completing cycle. In "general"hey seem to only put out one flower per stalk, and if there are any health issues, they won't finish the job.
edit...some suggest that any light interruption, like indoor ambient living lighting,(on and off etc.) will stop the cycle, so they would have to be in absolute darkeness. I only grow under natural daylength timeng, so don't now if thats true or not.
Hey TSST!!! Hows plants this year?
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It's going by the natural light cycle, but I realize the regular house lights may have interrupted it a bit. Yet, new buds have formed under these conditions. They just seem to stay that way. I suppose like you said the best route is to put them under an artificial cylce. I heard about 10 hours of light was good too. I guess my new question is, once it has been interrupted, will it continue if I put it under these conditions or will new buds need to form and grow continuously into flowers?
Nice pics by the way. Did you collect any seeds?
I had a few flowers which never developed, started late or something.
Thanx to Seamac's encouragement, and realizing how SMALL the seeds are(1mm) I was able to find them and to get 48 seeds for the first time, before the cold winter and harvest shut everything down. I donated 20 to Sagewisdom, and will try my hand with the others.
In previous years, rains might have knocked flowers and seeds off, and I didn't know what to look for. :roll:
Jupe your plants are BEAUTIFUL!!
mine start around thanks givin and go till xmas or a little later but my plants are outdoors all year . the flowering has now stopped and vegetative growth is starting again . the stupid spider mites ate most the flowers and have destroyed every leaf , and the plants are nearly 9ft tall ,its ugly and sad so i never got any pics this season.
humingbirds love the blooms though
Mites don't like wind and rain, they prefer still dusty conditons...so wash undersides and tops of plants frequently with strong water spray....Horticultural oils also can be used, they are water soluable, and smother eggs and mites.