I bought this lipstick plant from logees about 3 months ago. It's been growing nicely, and even bloomed with 2 flowers, which were very delicate and dropped off when hit by a ball of my son's!
It's growing UP, and I know it's a hanging basket, but the stems are growing up diagonally, about a 45 degree angle, once they get big. They're not curling down to hang over the basket- and the problem is that once they get about a foot long they're cracking off at the base. This morning a branch cracked- this is the second time this has happened to me- what can I do about this?
Also, the branch is about 10 inches long- how can I propogate it?
Thanks so much:)
Ellen
Lipstick plant questions...
Hey Ellen,
Maybe you can post a pic of it so we can see it better. I don't know which type of plant you got but I have the "plain green leafed one". What kind of lighting is it getting? I do well with mine with bright indirect light. I have found that they like to dry out between waterings. I overwatered mine and it dropped blooms and buds. I always root mine from the side shoots off of the main stem. Everyone of the cuttings have rooted for me so far. I hope this has helped you a little bit :)
Connie
I'm thinking some of the Lipstick's just have that form of growth habit. I had a Logees e-mail advertisement yesterday and just went back to their site. This Aeschynanthus seems to have a more upright habit: http://www.logees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=L5005-4 whereas this one has the draping/hanging habit: http://www.logees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=L5003-5H
Thank you!
I installed a snapfish auto-picture-mover and now can't figure out how to get pictures off my camera- I have to work on it!
I have this one- http://www.logees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=L5003-5H and it's supposed to dangle, but it's growing up at 45 degrees, not curving and dangling! It seems to be doing very well, it's about 4 times bigger than it was when I bought it- but the branches are not curving down, and the weight just makes it snap after a while, it seems...
Do you dome them when you root them? In regular soil or a lighter mix with perlite?
Thanks,
Ellen
We have so much humidity here that if I dome or try to root anything in the zip lok bags, they rot.
I only have a couple of Lipstick plants left. The 'Black Pagoda': http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/53424/
and A. micranthus: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/169607/ and an unknown that wasn't labeled when I bought it at a local place a year ago. It hasn't bloomed yet (mainly because I don't take good care of it!) It got into the mid 40's here last night and I brought in my orchids because eight or nine of them have buds and I didn't want to take a chance leaving them out but everything else stayed outside. It has warmed up and is now 69º out and everything looks okay.
Do you use a rooting hormone to root it?
I suppose I'll call Logees and see what they have to say.
That is gorgeous, Ellen! I don't dome mine either and I use a light mix. I make sure I get a couple of nodes in the soil and let them go. They are very easy to root.
Connie
yep, just stick them in the soil and they should root. Maybe they are getting too long too fast, maybe more light. Or...have you cut them back? Cutting them back (and rooting the cuttings of course) will cause them to branch off new growth and thay may pull them downward as they grow. Mine is Schiediana and some grows up and then hangs down and some just hangs down. Its always reaching for light, so it never looks nice like in that picture, but each plant is a bit different. I haven't had them break off. See if the new growth starts hanging down where your branches broke off.
tish
Thanks, all.
I pulled a few leaves off the cutting and left about 3 leaves on the top of the cutting- dipped it into a rooting gel, then put it under lights.
Does that sound right?
I called Logees, and they said young branches may break because they're new and young, as the plant ages it ought not happen anymore.