Wow, what a tricky girl this is turning out to be!
Although she's not dead yet, you will see that she has been slowly declining daily.
About a week ago I decided to use this girl as an experiment.
I bought all the ingredients to make the "beer recipe" fertilizer and began using it.
Since then, I have lost only one leaf (when I first started using it) and she almost looks like she's bouncing back.
Here is a picture of her today
Could this be a good sign?
Keeping fingers crossed and will keep updating her progress or my failure *lol*
Woohoo...see, we *told* you that you could do it!!
The leaf loss may have just been from 'ship-shock'.
I don't think this would do well in a terrarium since it's a 'legume'....they need fresh circulating air, don't they?
Keep up the good work, Kim!!!
I don't have the accomodations for a terrarium so this thing is just gonna have to like what I can provide or she will bite the bullet I guess *lol*. It's bad when every single day I have to check on a plant at least 4 or 5 times *lol* I'm so nervous about this one Nan.
Still keeping fingers crossed....
Will update again soon hopefully with good news :)
Kim
BEER FERTILIZER??? hahaha That's a new one for me!! ; ) Good luck with it! I'm still crossing my fingers for ya!
Look at you Kim!!! Great job....plants either drunk, happy or both...LOL
(Ü) Chantell!! LOL!!
Wanted to share another update with all of you.
Nan, I think I'm doing it, I think I'm doing it *lol*
I can't believe it but I THINK she's liking the beer fertilizer! As you can see in the attached picture, alot has changed since my last update November 9th. She still isn't as pretty as she was when she arrived here...but, I'm beginning to think there might be hope.
I have had her in the bathroom in very filtered light. In there she enjoys any and all humidity from showers that she can get in a day. I have her in a self watering pot and keep water in the pot at all times. I have only been using the new fertilizer on her and misting the leaves with the same mixture as often as possible.
What do you all think?.....Is there hope? I'm not sure about that 3rd little stick, not sure if it's still alive or not but I'm not going to give up on it just yet.
I'll keep you all updated with any future news *lol*
Kim
The new leaves are a bright green with pink markings. I'm wondering if maybe I should try her in more light for the leaves to "pinken" up. Any thoughts on this idea?
Kim
Hey Kim, I thought that I would come over from hoyas, and check out your butterfly plant. I will tell you what, Becky swears that she saw a difference in her Easter cactus in just one application!!! I think your plant DOES like the beer formula, and will tell you, my harder hoyas are growing like crazy! Good for you!
Sara
Please tell us "newbies" what the beer fertilizer is?
Hi jamminspoons, I am usually over on the hoya forum, as more than 75% of my plants are hoyas. I had soooooo many that I needed to narrow things down. I started by deciding that I would buy only flowering or flowering and fragrant plants. I have a couple of epiphyllums, and found the epiforums, on which is a recipe for a beer, epsom salt and amonia concoction.
Over on the hoya forum, someone asked about fertilizing hoyas, and I have been using this beer recipe for over 6 months, and LOVE it. So do my plants. Here is the link to the thread on hoya forum. http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/665824/
I do not add the bloom booster, or the vitamin B solution, but that is optional.
Here is the recipe:
12 oz beer (any beer but lite)
1/2 c. plain amonia ( no lemon or added detergents)
1 c. epsom salts
2 c. water
added to the orig. recipe:
4 T. bloom booster
1/2 c. molasses
1c. vit. B-1 plant starter
dilute to 1 tablespoon per gallon of water, and use when you water
I added the molasses, but not the other ingredients. On the thread is the link to the epiforums, where there is about 7 pages of testimonials.....they are very informative if you take the time to read them.
Kim, how did you make yours? The whole recipe, or just the original?
Sara
Hello Sara & All :)
I made my fertilizer using everything.
I read all 7 pages of the testimonials and decided that this would be a good plant to use the concoction on and quite honestly, I am SOOO tickled by the new growth of this plant. It was going downhill daily and since I have started using the fertilizer it hasn't dropped any leaves and in fact is making new leaves.
If you have read this whole thread, you can see that this is a difficult plant to grow and I have a hard time with difficult plants so I'm quite amazed that she's pulling through honestly.
I have been using the fertilizer on ALL my plants now and I will never use anything but this fertilizer again. I like the fact that I can make it myself, I know what's in it etc.
My plants have all turned a beautiful neon green and the new growth is just amazing.
I have things budding up that have never flowered (1 of my lipstick plants) but mostly it's the nice plush green it turns everything that has me hooked.
I have been using 1 1/2 tablespoons rather than 1 tablespoon per gallon though as I have always been one of those "more is better" kind of girls *lol* So far I haven't seen any ill effects from pushing the envelope a little.
Watching this plant has been alot of fun and I will keep updates coming as things happen with her.
Kim
Woohoo, Kim!!! I *Knew* you'd be the one to 'out-do' the rest of us on this plant!
I'm still not sure if I'll ever try that 'beer-fertilizer'...but I'm *SO* happy that it's bringing you good results!
Hey...that reminds me...have you heard anything about that nursery dept. job?
Kim: I wouldn't move the butterfly for a few months. I know some plants get cranky if you move them, and I don't think you wanna risk anymore leaf drop. If you've got new growth in the bathroom, I think you should leave primadonna right there.....at least long enough to really stabilize.
and I really like the beer fertilizer....which I need to go do right now.
I think you are right, I think leaving her where she is is probably the best idea.
I know, I was thinking of naming her prissy *lol* as she is a real pain in the bottom *lol* but I love her since she wants to put out new leaves :)
She's no where near looking as pretty as she once did but it's nice to see that there might be hope. Feel like I'm walking on egg shells with this one *lol*
This is my year for some challenging babies *lol* I have a couple more coming that will probably be a bit challenging for me also.
I like trying things I've never tried before *lol*
Kim
How exciting Kim!!! Yea YOU!!! Well...guess I need to mix up a batch eh? Don't think my C & S' really need it esp. during these colder months but I do have a few hoyas and such to use it on!!! Great job!!!
Meant to ask - how long is does this mixture stay "good" for? Should it be kept in the fridge? And by amonia we are talking about the stuff that is used to clean with...correct? :) Thanks all!!
This message was edited Nov 21, 2006 12:37 PM
Hello Chantell,
The information (if I have understood it correctly) that I remember reading is that it has a shelf life until whenever and no, it does not have to be refrigerated.
Mine is smelling a little stronger since preparing it but I have still been using it and everything seems better than it ever has :)
Yes, amonia that we clean with and NOT the lemon type.
I water everything with it now and won't using anything else again *lol* Things have just spruced up that much!
Kim
Kim - you GO girl!! Thanks for the quick response - will defiately be mixing up the brew here shortly!!
Hi All,
I came across this thread by accident.
I had been googling for a Cristia obcordata, butterfly plant when this thread popped up.
The plant you have been discussing is a Red Butterfly Wing, Christia vespertilionis. I have them growing in my yard and nursery. Here is a Dave's link to the plant http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/113737/index.html
Fort Lauderdale is in zone 10b, a sub tropical climate (10b) which is what they prefer.
I can't help you with your problems trying to grow them indoors, but I will say when I got my first one, I treated it like it was something special. That didn't work. I was lucky in that it went to seed so I was able to reproduce it.
I belong to a local garden club, the SF Galloping Gardeners. I passed this plant on to anyone in our group wanting them. One of the members grew it outside in the full sun and it went to over three feet. Because of his success, I planted mine in the yard too. They grow like crazy out there in the warmer humid months.
They should be treated as an annual. They make lots of seeds that are usually potent.
I enclosed an earlier picture of one in my nursery.
Art
Okay, I've got a confession...
After you posted your original picture of the plant and we all oohed and ahhed over it...I went on to eBay and found one and bought it. Then when you posted it wasn't doing so hot, I panicked, but I don't do so well about giving a certain plant special treatment so I put it under lights and figured it'd just go away after a while. It hasn't had any problems and has actually had some new growth. I wonder if the problem is that they advertise it's a shady plant??
Wow, your plant looks beautiful!
Maybe I should move mine to more light.
I have been babying it daily and hover over the new leaves coming.
Cjolene, so you have one too? That's wonderful! I'm going to take your suggestion and put it under more light. It is in quite a dark location with glimpses of light from the bathroom window. I put it there mostly for the humidity and warmth from the showers but quite honestly, my house stays very warm and I try to mist often. We don't have a humidifier but I find that if I mist often my plants seem to do OK.
Right after I got mine, she went into a huge shock and almost all of the leaves fell off (literally dried off) but I'm sure coming from Florida to Maine would put anyone into shock.
I think she's coming out of it now but still isn't growing by leaps and bounds yet.
I would love to see a picture of yours and hear if you keep it on the wet or dry side etc.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Kim
Cjolene above noted the plant was advertised as a shade only plant.
I have had these plants for about a year and a half, and grow them under different conditions. All plants, unless otherwise noted are growing in pots. In South Florida this means they get watered every day.
After the seed has sprouted, I transplant them and move them to the top shelf of my smaller (shelving unit) nursery in partial shade of a large Christmas Senna bush. They seem to grow best there. They get 2-3 new leaves a week. This time of the year they are getting about 3 hours of partially blocked sun. As the season moves closer to spring and the days get longer the plants on this shelf will get about 5-6 hours of full sun.
I have several growing in an area that is all sun all day. They do just fine there, except those that are exposed to the wind get minor burns on the outer edges of the leaves. My yard is exposed to a strong Easterly breeze almost all the time. There is some wind blockage in this area by a fence in front of this full sun growing area, but those that are not protected by the fence get the wind burn damage.
I have one in the ground in mostly sun that is about 2 foot tall. It's just beginning to go to seed. It has been in the ground about three months.
In the South Florida area we are inundated with all kinds of critters that damage plants. In the time I have been growing these plants nothing seems to bother them.
If they flower for you, leave the dried buds on the plant until they are almost dried out and begin to partially open at the tip. Then you can squeze the seed out with your finger tips. Green seeds are not mature. They should be a browinsh color. One or two seeds per bud pod is usual. A large seed would be about 1/8 inch but most are a little smaller. They handle and store well. They ususally are very potent with about 8 out of every 10 producing plants.
I grow a lot of them for give away's at plant auctions held at clubs I belong to. Because they are not very comon they usually get a lot of attention.
Treat them as annuals. Very few of mine have lasted more than six-seven months. Of course all mine are outdoors. We don't do many plants indoors in South Florida.
Art
I, too, have killed several of these. I tried terrarium, greenhouse, low indirect light, watered regularly, watered irregularly, fertilized, not fertilized and each time, they dried out & died. Did anybody on this thread ever determine what we are doing wrong? Maybe the plant only lives 6 months, flowers, reseeds & dies. Maybe I should be starting this from seed. Anybody got any seed to share?
This message was edited Mar 10, 2007 4:22 PM
