First, I have to admit that I have not been a very good student or else I think I would know the answer. But, my baby brug leaves are looking moteled. Is this the dreaded spider mites. I have done the paper test but these eyes don't see a thing. I have never had spider mites this time of year but who knows! I have had some of the leaves fall off.
I thought I was doing so good. Lots of roots,leaves and they were all looking so good and healthy and now some of them need some sort of attention more than water and a warm place.
Any suggestions would be most welcome.
Have a Happy and Safe New Year everyone.
Kim
What could this be?
Are you overwintering your brugs inside?
I am starting some new ones inside. I took cuttings and then some really generous people here shared their cuttings with me. I have them all in liter drink bottles and they are all rooted really well. I just noticed last night that the leaves looked wilted and started watering and noticed the moteling on the leaves.
One of the cuttings looks like it is about to Y and I sure don't want to lose it!
If your new leaves are not brittle, or "crunchy," just molten looking, then more than likely the molten look is caused by lack of sunlight. You can have tons of lights on your brugs, but true sunlight is what they need, so it sounds like you are suffering from what most others are suffering from -- lack of sun.
I was freaked out by the same thing because I've not had to deal with overwintering them before and my leaves were doing almost the same thing, but someone on a different website asked the very same thing, and the unanimous answer was lack of sunlight.
In winter brugs can get hinky looking for sure. And just when you think you know brugs, one will come down with some new strange looking problem! Can make me nuts. LOL
I wonder too why some brugs get mottled looking and others don't even under the same living conditions. Felicia, I think you are right, lack of sunlight can put a strain on the brugs and the leaves can look mottled. I do wonder though when I have seen mottling at my house if that brug has a virus. I have read that brugs can carry different viruses that are not lethal but can cause the leaves to mottle when the plant is under stress, such as winter conditions. But once you get the brug in the environmental conditions it likes, the stress is gone and the virus becomes latent again and the mottling disappears till it is under stress again. Sounds like the herpes virus in humans!
I used to notice this routinely with sangs. In the heat they would mottle badly and then in the cooler weather they would get happy again and look so much better.
Mottling can also be from a nutritional deficiency. Sometimes when you give them a high nitrogen fertilizer with minors the leaf greens up and looks better. I know Susie French has said boron deficiency causes mottled leaves too.
I hope your brugs cheer up for you, Kim. Was the wilting just from lack of water and they perked up when you watered? I wouldn't worry too much about falling leaves. Brugs shed a lot.
I haven't fertilized them yet. They are in an east window and it still gets alot of sun until about 1 in the afternoon. They will perk up I bet. I may be a little over protective since I want them to do well and be ready to put in the ground and bloom this spring.
We shall see what happens and make the most out of it. Thanks everyone for the thoughts and suggestions. I need to be a better student as I feel I am learning from the best!
Happy New Year,
Kim