Hey all! Thought Allison might like to see how the little Moon Goddess plant she sent me is doing. She is getting ready to bloom her heart out.
Russian Moon Goddess
Oh wow look at those beautiful flowers ! And all those buds. Great growing Nanna ! One of my favorite Russians,
I love her, too. Thanks for the chance to help her grow.
Hi Nan,
Very nice!!! TFS!
Joanne
Nanna that is just too pretty!
The Russians ro me are more on the Old Fashion line, easy to progate nice bloomers ! Fun to grow and share !
Great! I like the way the leaves droop over.
This is the first av I have had that the leaves droop. Allison, is this a natural trait for Russian Plants?
Are they drooping soft mushy ?
It might need a larger pot ? and or a ring support ??
I don't think mine does .. I have a few babies still left that don't.
You could also take the outside leaves off and root them maybe new ones growing in won't ?
Nanna I just checked the couple I have and their not. But I do notice quilted foliage does tend to need suopport . You can train the foliage to stay up !
I'll take pictures of the couple I have later.
Nanna I've been reading Violet Barn and Optimaras and books !
One possible cultural cause may be excessive light. Just as leaves reach when not enough light they will curl down over the rim of its pot if excessive light.
It can be cause of this is genetic and not cultural but in this case I don't think is is genetic.
I have fount my Russians like end of tube or natural light best.
It's a trait especially common among varieties with heavily ruffled or girl foliage. Many of the older varieties also had this characteristic
Plants with this growth habit don't like to have excess rows of leaves. Regularly removing the outer leaves will allow the remaining foliage to grow flatter and more symmetrically.
Another solution would be using a "leaf support" or "ring". These are collars that are attached to the pot to provide support for the leaves. By supporting the leaves, not only is appearance improved, but more surface area of the foliage is exposed to light, encouraging more vigorous growth. Most exhibitors use these supports on the showplants for this reason.
http://www.robsviolet.com/faq_page_10.htm#leaves%20curling%20down
I feel your'a if from too much light.
Could be. I have Moon Goddess at the end of the shelf and have reduced the amount of light all my plants are receiving. You certainly have done a lot of research to help me. Thank you.
I checked her out and her leaves are very supple. I have supported them. Thanks for your research and caring.
Looks good to me. Also looks like she is growing really fast, much larger than I sent her. Is her pot size still ok ?
I also do with a lot of plants like Rob reccomend " Regularly removing the outer leaves will allow the remaining foliage to grow flatter and more symmetrically. "
Helps a lot. I need to buy more leaf supports or make them like show in that one old thread of you'rs. Not for this plant but many others even a row of my Annabelle's foliage is heavy and could use suporrt.
When I bought them I only bought three from VB for my Snow Leopard, Guelph's Christmas , and my big Chirita. But I notice I have others that would benifit having one also !
I like everyone to enjoy their plants to the best they can be. And I knew there had to be a reason and some help available and Rob has help for just about everything !
You sent her in a 3 inch pot. I just potted up to a 4 inch. I like Rob to.
Sounds good. Yes he has a lot of info there. You can also call him !
His "Library" is good and they have added more things. And he added my most favorite notes from the
1998 AVSA Convention Show in Sacramento, California ~ I've had them for a few years and have shared them and enjoy them. They have the best information about Streptocarpus plants ~
He did not have this on the Library before
http://www.robsviolet.com/streptocarpus1.htm