Each year the club members receive a growing challenge. Members who wish to participate receive a cutting or seeds in the early year to grow. Members bring this plant in to each monthly meeting and compare their results with the results achieved by other members.
Information on what is being done right and what can be improved on is exchanged.
For 2008 the project plant is the pelargonium "China Red".
China Red (silver leaf pelargonium) – red flowers – some semi-double. Pot size depends on how large you want your project plant to grow; smaller pot/smaller plant.
The plant was brought to the US as a cutting from China by a Chinese student and given to his teacher in the 1960’s. The plant had been in the Student’s family for at least three generations and the origins are unknown. A cutting had been given to Faye Brawner in the early 1970’s but it was never named. In 1997 when Marilyn Holt visited Faye in West Virginia for ten days, Faye gave Marilyn two cuttings of this plant and suggested she tag it “Vertrees Chinese” so it wouldn’t get mixed up with her other silver leaf zonals. When Marilyn built up enough stock of this plant, she approached Faye for permission to release it and this was when Faye mentioned that Professor Vertrees was not comfortable with his name on the plant so Faye asked to have the name changed to“China Red”. It is now being offered to our Club members as our 2008 Project Plant.
Care:
- Silver leaf pelargoniums have finer root systems than the zonals, so bear this in mind when caring for them.
- Don’t over water as this could drown the delicate root system – if in doubt, error on the side of drier conditions rather than wetter.
- Don’t overpot – gradual increase in pot sizes is preferable to planting this silver leaf in its final pot size as larger soil mass could result in wetter conditions than preferred.
- Morning and/or afternoon sun is fine but avoid the strong midday sun as it may burn their leaves.
- Water the plant before transplanting – this will help in preventing the roots from sticking to the sides of the pot and tearing off.
- Fertilize regularly.