Saturday, September 4, 2010

RIP

There IS another Yellow Spider Plant...but it turns out that it's not really yellow at all - phew! Check out the picture below. Actually, don't - I'm a green blogger who know's not if I can copy photos for a post. But I will tell you this plant features LOTS-O green variegation. It's also known as Chlorophytum comosum ‘Mandaianum’ or Manda's Spider Plant. If that's the closest they have EVER come to making a yellow spider plant; our little friend has nothing to worry about. The only other yellow spider plants I could find were dead spider plants. RIP
 

Friday, September 3, 2010

Oops! Scratch the last post...

I just noticed that, that isn't reverse variegation, the center dark strip is just VERY thin. I mispoke, but I do believe this would still be considered a sport. I will keep everyone posted on it's growth and offspring. Does anyone out there have a plant that looks like the sport yet? I think I may have seen one before, but I could be imagining things.

She did it again?!?

Well, it seems that the Yellow spider plant's mother is on a tear this week because no sooner had I finished writing my initial post about her first famous child, that I decided to go outside to thank her for giving me a new little project & some renewed excitement regarding spider plants. The last time I was this excited about a spider plant - I think - was in 1981, when I saw one hanging with dozens of little plantlets for the very first time in my life. Anyway...so, I went outside to pay "Mommy Yellow" a visit and look at what I found growing from her! It's a reverse variegation sport & a darned attractive one if you ask me! How exciting! I'm calling this one "Pinstripe Spider." I'll need to make sure that name is not already taken. Is this more common than I think? It seems odd that this plant would have two occurrences like this in the same week if this is not common. I've just never seen it myself. Anyone? Surely there would be a yellow spider plant on the market by now if this had happened before. This is a brand new blog so I'm sure I won't get an answer any time soon but please feel free to chime in when you find this, if you happen to know the answer to any of these questions.

Baby "Pinstripe" Spider

Well this is interesting!

   I've been selling some plants and nursery supplies online, so I decided to plant a few seeds from one of my variegated spider plants to see what would come up & all was what's to be expected at first - the same old green baby spider plants. I had been hoping for some more variegated plants or for at least something because spider plants can be kind of (Well? How do I say this without offending spider plant lovers??)boring(!) when you've been growing them for a while and they all look the same...
   Well, it looks like I got what I wanted because about a week ago I went to check on all of my plants and seedlings as I do every morning & take a gander (above) at what I found... 
   Yup! Looks like an ALL yellow spider plant to me. What do you think? So I Googled "yellow spider plant" to see if this is something normal that I had just never heard of before and NOTHING(!) came up. Nope, not even one measly, little reference to yellow spider plants. What? I know! It actually looks almost white when the sun hits it a certain way. So...I don't know what's going to happen but it's been a week now and the color hasn't changed yet and, best of all, it has grown. I have noticed that the green seedlings are growing about twice as fast, which is to be expected because they produce more chlorophyll & because of that I'm amazed that the little white/yellow spider plant has even survived this long. So now what? Well, I would love to (of course) grow this plant into an adult and make many more plants like it to share with the world, but there are so many, as of yet, unanswered questions. Will it grow fast enough? Will it be long and thin? Will it be short and stubby? Will it eventually variegate itself? Will it even survive? Take a look below (in the middle pot with its "twin" sibling) at the the little guy or gal. Go little yellow spider plant! Go! And, erm - GROW!

Stay Tuned!