kiss my "smooched" good-bye?

Hi All,

I bought a little "smooched" strep from Logee's a few weeks ago. It had two big leaves and very little leaves in the center. Nothing much was happening for a while, so I moved it from a west to south window. Now the big leaves have black edges and are very limp. The center leaves did get larger, though, and they look ok. I'm soooo confused! Any thoughts?

Donna

Donna,

I don't know that much about streps, but if the center leaves are growing that should be a good sign. I don't know if the outer leaves are rotting or are getting burned.

Sharon

Donna: I am not a good Strep Mom .... for some reason they just don't like me at all! I had received a few small ones in trades early this year and they all died. Gessiegail sent me two more recently to try and I am trying to keep them alive. One has the leaves turning brown and crispy ... but the other one seems fine. They both are receiving the exact same care and are in the same exact location side by side! I have no idea what I am doing wrong with these plants. Hopefully one of the experienced growers will come along with some good advice for you.

thanks! Lin, what sort of mix are yours in? What sort or light do they get?

Snowrose, please come back.................we need you............badly....................
Why don't you all get Bmedel in on this conversation because I grow under lights only.........so I am no help..............but Brenda grows them beautifully without lights..............

I have them planted in the same soil I use for AV's and other plants. I use a lot of perlite in my mix to make it lighter so it drains well. I also have them wicked.
These two streps on top of a plant stand in natural light from an east window. The ones that died on me before were not wicked and I had them under the grow lights so I'm thinking they got way too hot from the lights and too dry.

Remember how much stronger any natural light is compared to gro lights..............i can't even imagine any strep getting the west sun.................

So, I should move it to the east window then? I probably did the damage when I moved it from the west to the south window. I don't think it's too late to save it, so I appreciate the input. I really need to get my act together as far as a potting mixture, too. I am just using regular potting soil for all my plants. Oddly enough, other than the strep, the two plants that are doing poorly are ferns. I thought they would be the easiest. They seem to need water every day or they wilt.

never never never use regular potting soil without at least perlite in it even for outside plants.................inside..........always use (not Miracle grow potting soil ever) a soil-less mix.......Schultz makes it, .................a lot of companies do and it is called African violet soil..........but when you get the soil-less mix home...............here is a recipe you can live with..........i got it from Rain..........1 part soil less mix, 1 part perlite, and 1/2 part vermiculite...................

One thing I learned is that a heavy soil will get so heavy like clay that the roots of the plant can't even get the water you are using.............

On my front porch I use the same mix as i do on my african violets or at least take miracle gro potting soil and mix perlite and vermiculite with it..............

I have my husband buy me the really huge bags of Miracle Grow Potting Soil from Home Depot and I always mix LOTS of perlite in with it for everything I plant! I do find the Schultz AV potting mix at Wal-Mart and they only have one size bag that is pretty small .... when I use this soil I also mix in a lot of perlite! I sometimes add vermiculite to the mix but most of the time I forget.

All these plants are indoor plants and I'm afraid my last batch of plants was potted with Miracle Grow potting soil. I will go out and get the right product this week and repot them all. That should keep me busy for a while! Thanks for the recipe, gessiegail. Can I use that mixture for all my houseplants, or is it best for AV's and Gesneriads?

It is what I use on everything in the house.....................It isn't my idea...........got it from several DGers...................

I grew Streps in my windows all winter last year. I had them in a South window, but the blinds stayed down and I only opened them about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way. Light came in, but maybe not as much as would have if I hadn't had the blinds. They bloomed like crazy, too. Yours might have been in a bit of shock from shipping and from the change in environment from the grower to your house. Most likely, your humidity is less than they were used to. You can trim those dark ugly ends off, it won't hurt them a bit. Not sure about them being wilty, though. Makes me wonder if they're over or underwatered. Streps can't tolerate being overwatered, so be careful of that.

That potting mix recipe Gail gave you is what I use for all of my houseplants, except for Hoyas and Orchids. :o)

Thanks gail and gazer. I will definitely repot all in the new mixture. I do have two hoya, though, and I'm wondering what I should use for a potting mixture for them.

Thanks,
Donna

I'm just getting started with Hoyas, so really I hesitate to tell you anything about them. There is a Hoya forum on here that has a lot of very knowledgeable people on it, and you can search that forum for info.

Having said all that, I'll tell you what mine are potted in, but take it as from one Hoya beginner to another. ;o) I use that same mix as above, but add in a handful or two of Orchid bark mix to make it chunky and very free-draining.

I have used the plain recipe above, but it looks like I've got some rotted roots in those pots and am going to have to repot those Hoyas just to remove the dead and rotting roots. I, personally, think that one stays too wet for Hoyas without the chunky Orchid mix in it.

I use the same mix of potting soil and lots of perlite that I use for most everything. The last couple of Hoya's I repotted, I put the orchid bark in the bottom of the pot. Don't know if it is making a difference. I have a problem with not watering frequently enough ... they dry out quickly. The Hoya's do need a well draining soil.

You should pop in at the Hoya forum http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/hoya/all/

and click on the sticky that says Hoya related links sticky. Some good info there regarding these plants. And, as Rain said, there are some real pro's on that forum who will be a great help in answering any questions about Hoya's!

Ok, thanks again for your help ladies. I will go to the hoya forum and ask.

Rain............I use orchid bark with the mix in the hoyas, too.................has to be well draining.........