What is going on?

Amaryllis bottom of leaves.

I posted about how my Minerva Amaryllis has not bloomed yet. Then I noticed that the bottom of it has this purplish red tint. This didn't used to be there and just recently appeared. Now is this normal? Or is my Amaryllis lacking some nutrients that I'm not aware off. I slack off on feeding my Amaryllis, it's just always forgotten. When I attended a meeting for the Texas Nursery and Landscape Associate for my herbaceous plants class the speaker mentioned a purple tinge being lack of phosphorous. If anyone knows if this is normal do tell.



Today while I was potting some seedlings that I've had in peat pots for awhile I discovered something. ANTS!!! There was one pot when I picked it up a ton of little ants were everywhere underneath it. I'm horrified. Do ants cause harm to plants. I have no idea if these are fire ants either because I have had a few stings in the past and had no idea how I got them. I wonder what I can do to get rid of them. I read briefly online of some natural remedies but I am skeptical. For one I've read that mint repels ants. I have two mints. One is spearmint and the other chocolate mint. The chocolate mint is always infested with ants and aphids. I'll spray it with some water and soap they will disappear for a day or two then come back. I love mint and wish I could plant a million pots of it but I don't want only mint plants on my balcony. I've never tried infusing mint in the water and watering my plants that way to get rid of the ants. I have a dog so anything natural is a very big plus. If I spray something on the plants I'm sure she will lick it or eat it when I am not looking. She has been known to nibble on certain plants. She loves to sniff the lemon balm and the chocolate mint but then will lick them.

I'm thinking of getting rid of the chocolate mint. I'm tired of spraying it every other day for aphids. It's the only plant on my balcony really giving me a hard time. I looked everywhere for that chocolate mint and was so happy to find it. Now I'd be so happy to get rid of the aphids it has that I just want to toss it out. No matter how good it smells darn it!

Plants with Problems

Corkscrew Vine

It seems I will never have luck with the Corkscrew Vine. I was so very happy with how my seedlings had grown compared to the other time I had tried. Now the leaves are turning pale and there are brown spots on them. I really need to learn more about plant illnesses so I can figure out what is wrong. At first I was thinking my Corkscrew Vine wasn't receive enough light being inside. I potted it in a bigger pot last week and the leaves have gotten pale. When I compare it to the other Corkscrew Vine I have growing their leaves are way to yellow. I'm still so very surprised my previous Corkscrew Vine plant lived through the short winter and whatever illness it had. Now I have my sick Corkscrew Vine outside for it to decide what it wants to do with it's self. Hopefully it will make a comeback like the other one did.


My other Corkscrew Vine. These were sick last year and completely lost all their leaves. I potted them in a new pot with more perlite to better aerate the soil. Now they are growing and looking rather healthy.


My Minerva Amaryllis still not blooming.

Now this isn't really a sick plant but just one that refuses to bloom for me. My Minerva Amaryllis I got and planted way back in November. Other bloggers have already had blooms and mine has not. All I have are leaves and a baby amaryllis that magically grew. It was quite for a while and nothing happened. Then last week a new leaf for both momma and baby appeared. But blooms where are they? I think I may be missing something that I'm supposed to do. Or my amaryllis just hates me and wants to be leaves with no flowers.