My sp tanna island has been growing beauifully since I rooted it this winter, until Just recently. I looked & the soil was starting to dry out, some of it was lightercolored. I watered it but all the leaves have wilted. I also noticed a little narrow larva move when I blew on the soil surface. Checked the roots, they were white & healthy looking, so left it in the little humid greenhouse & waited a couple weeks. Still wilted, so I changed the soil, remembering I had potted it in soil with slow release fert. in it. It had a lot of bark in it. I think it was attracting bugs. The new soil doesn't have any fert. in it, & I haven't put any in yet, cause the plant is still wilted. I left it in that condition again for a week or two, but took it outside in the shade. Then checked roots again. They are holding more soil around them, but the plant is still wilted. Any suggestions? Should I set the whole plant inside a plastic bag? Or does it like to be dryer than constantly moist? I'm afraid to let it dry out. Maybe it is just a fert. problem. Does it like fert? Maybe I used fert. water by mistake which would have given it a double dose one time. Could that have done it? Have I given enough information for suggestions?, guess's? thanks, Cflowr
wilted tanna island
You might check the stem at the soil level...just above and just below. That larvae could have bitten it and the plant is dying. If the roots are healthy, it will sprout again if you cut the dying part off...it should sprout again!!!
Tanna does not like to dry out...likes to be moist...but not wet. Tanna is an area of high humidity and very warm! Yes..a plastic bag over it might help...but somehow the stem is damaged and the water isn't able to be sucked up into the leaves...check the whole system....
Hope this helps,
Carol
Thankyou, I cut off the roots, after checking them again. They were just threads this time. Nothing succulent white in there. Kept the pot of roots though, just in case it sprouts again. Put the tops dipped in hormone in a plastic bag with a touch of water, sealed it & put it on a heating pad. I didn't see the tiny narrow black wingless bug this time. Ididn't wash all the soil off though. Just don't expect the roots to survive. It must have been the other hoya I repotted that had the good white fleshy roots, because these roots were just barely threads. Like fine silk. ....Question....When you said "cut off the dying part, did you mean If the roots were healthy that I could have cut the stems off at soil level even ..no leaves, & it might have resprouted? Cindy
Well...sometimes that works. but what I meant is that often when the roots are rotted...the rot starts travelling UP the stem. When the roots look bad, I start snipping the bottom of the rooted stem...and I snip up and up and up until I get to healthy live tissue. If there are roots left, Great!! If no roots, then I just restart it.