Pups! But not the canine kind.

[spark]

These are aloe vera pups. My old mother plant wasn't doing so great, so I pulled some pups so that I'd have something or other even if the main plant tanked. I've already rooted the biggest one, and put it in a pot. These little guys are hanging out in the jar until they start rooting down and then I'll pot them up as well. There are ten of them.

I have a thing about plants. They are just one of my many hobbies and obsessions.

Oh! If anybody else here is into plants, I'm looking to trade some of these pups off for other plants. I put more details over on livejournal, http://bladespark.livejournal.com/883451.html (Or you can pm or whatever.)

But anyhow, I think it's funny how baby cacti and succulents get called pups. And I wanted to share. This is the only good thing that's happened today.

[draggar]

Also is great to have - it looks nice, isn't too hard to maintain (even does well here in south Florida), and handy for skin issues.

[spark]

Yup, it's happy indoors here in Oregon and was happy as a clam both indoors and out when I lived in the middle of the Utah desert. It'll grow in just about any climate, all you have to do is not leave it out in the rain, and not let it freeze. The momma plant for these little guys survived not getting watered for 6 months, (oops) me forgetting to repot it since I got it 15 years ago (oops again) getting eaten by cats (lots of oops, they barfed all over) and even a month or so when I forgot it out in the rain, though that one nearly did it in. I like aloes, they're spiffy.

[SengaKitty]

How cute! Have I mentioned I've got such a brown thumb, I actually KILLED an aloe plant? But I can't say it's ALL my fault.. Where I lived, my apartment had zero sun exposure.

[draggar]

all you have to do is not leave it out in the rain, and not let it freeze.

freezing isn't an issue here but they do very well during the rainy season here.

How cute! Have I mentioned I've got such a brown thumb, I actually KILLED an aloe plant? But I can't say it's ALL my fault.. Where I lived, my apartment had zero sun exposure.

Try rosemary. Grows well with little to no sun and you don't need to water it often.

[Kogarashi]

If my plumeria were older, I'd be tempted to trade. Unfortunately, it's still on the one "stick" (as my two-year-old calls it), so I don't have anything to trim for clippings for trade yet. I'd love an aloe, though. My mom had one on top of the microwave in upstate NY.

[spark]

Well I don't doubt I'll get a second batch of pups eventually, they don't take long to start multiplying like crazy. It looks like this batch has all been spoken for.

[freeatlast]

Have I mentioned I've got such a brown thumb, I actually KILLED an aloe plant?

Me too! It only took me about 3 months to do it.

[SengaKitty]

Try rosemary. Grows well with little to no sun and you don't need to water it often.

I'd love to try rosemary and lavender I've got to get some window boxes when I start getting paid though, because I have a feeling my rascals (kittens) will eat any plants I try to grow inside.

[draggar]

The nice thing about rosemary is that it is great on potatoes, chicken, steak...

Basil is pretty easy too but it likes a lot of water (but it's great on chicken, in salads (even meat salads), pasta sauce, soups)- I tried some basil inside and my cats didn't touch it (YMMV).

Scallions are easy, too and are great in soups, salads, (mine have done so well that they're actually budding now).

Other than cutting them and cleaning them - no other preparation is needed for the above. Scallions have an aloe-like slime in the very bottom - just cut above that. Basil - you can cut some of the stems with the leaves, too. Rosemary - just the "leaves" (needles?).

[tropicsgoddess]

Also is great to have - it looks nice, isn't too hard to maintain (even does well here in south Florida), and handy for skin issues.

same for the scalp too. My MIL has a bunch in the porch.

[Kittish]

With rosemary, if it's happy where it is you'll need to cut it back pretty hard from time to time. The twigs and branches can be used as skewers for grilling and baking, they'll also impart the flavor to whatever you've stuck them through.

I've had a couple of rosemarys that were just HUGE, one of them was over 5 feet tall and almost that big around. Never did anything to it other than chop it back when it got serious about blocking off the sidewalk (about twice a year).

[spark]

Sadly I don't really like the flavor of Rosemary.

I should try growing garlic, I can go through a good bit of that! And onions. And maybe basil and parsley. But I'd never use rosemary.

[Kogarashi]

Garlic and onions are actually quite easy to grow. Just make sure to harvest them before they put up flowers, or the bulbs start shriveling up.

[spark]

Man, I can't wait until I have someplace with a real yard and not this little apartment. :P I want to go plant some onions right now, but of course I can't do that without buying more pots, and more soil, and I'm running out of room on the patio! I think I will probably not, but I may try and work them into my gardening plans for next year.