Hello and HELP!

I used to have a jungle in my home when I lived in Florida, everything thrived. Since we moved all the way to Oregon, I gave all my babies away and have started fresh. I purchased many, and seem to have good instincts if not real knowledge, but I posted and ad on Craigslist and have been getting MANY plants I have no idea what they are.....most are doing well but some...well....

This one isn't really dying, but it turns yellow often. I have tried different windows and played with the water amounts with no luck. #1


This one was given to me as a cutting, but she thought I could get roots from water...that isn't happening. I am in LOVE with it and would love to find out what it is so I can plant it!
#2

This one stays healthy enough but the under leaves tend to curl up and die. I am also curious if it will flower eventually?
#3

This one seems to be thriving, but I am just curious what it is as it is so pretty...
#4

Lastly, this thing wants to die so bad. I have also varied the water and the light and it just keeps looking more and more pathetic. (*the tall one in the back was so dead when it was given to me I almost threw it away, so glad I didn't now! No idea what it is tho...)
#5

I live in central Oregon, known as the high dessert. The climate here is D-R-Y. I humidify as best as I can but I wonder how difficult it will make what were very easy plants back home in the South.

Thanks for looking!

This message was edited Nov 10, 2007 8:40 PM

Here is the first picture, apparently I had trouble with photobucket.

And here is the second one, I don't seem to be able to post multiple ones. Forgive me for the many posts but I have been trying to identify these by searching random houseplant images for sometime. I am a bit excited to find these forums!

Here is the 5th one, I feel silly adding so many replies to my own thread....but I would love to be able to save this one.

Second picture is a Begonia and should be able to root in either soil or water. Fifth pic is Dieffenbachia. Medium to bright light and follw the general rule of thumb on watering- Let top inch or so of soil dry out between watering.

'Tall one in the back' is Aglaonema or commonly called Chinese Evergreen. Are the other ones your talking about in the first photo?

No, I jsut didn't want to add a gazillion photos in one thread until I looked around some. I hate when people show up in forums and don't pay attention prior to posting all over. But..this picture is #4. Just want a name really.


Thanks for the input on the cutting. I bought some root hormone today and thought I might try that, I am just afraid of killing this cutting because I am sooo in love with the leaves.

I am only familiar with Dumb Cane as far as diffenbaccia but this poor dying plant is much different than my dumb canes.

This message was edited Nov 10, 2007 9:36 PM

That pic is one of my faves- Maranta- the Prayer Plant I love those!
All Dieffenbachias are called Dumb Cane because of the sap- very irritating to the throat and can make it swell and temp. paralyze vocal cords

The first pic- the one in the terracotta looks like Spathiphyllum AKA Peace Lily or Closet Plant. Lower light, slightly moist soil to just starting to dry between waterings and sensitive to fert. salts and hard water. The terracotta might be part of the problem your having with that one- unless you're an over-waterer- which I'm not- I have the opposite problem

Thanks for the help!
I have so many I want to show off now since I have been reading through the threads, but I thought I would just start with the ones that I am struggling with.

I am really somewhat embarrassed, I have always had such a knack for plants and the few that are struggling just have me perplexed.

Here is a better shot of the most pathetic one...#5 again different angle.

So if I change it from the terra cotta (I inherited it in that pot) what would be best? Ceramic, or will plastic work?

Pots are hard to come by this time of year in Oregon. I have been raising the roof because all of the "garden centers" have no plant items, just Christmas stuff.

And here was photo #3, the one that I think looks like it may want to bloom someday.

Plastic will work fine. #3- Not sure, but looks kind of Hydrangea-ish to me. If you could send the feeling of the leaves through here it would be easy! LOL

Funny! for what it is worth, # 3 feels very solid, not flimsy or overly bendy yet still supple. The top of the leaves almost feel furry, despite the obscene dust here, and the undersides of the leaves are very "veiny". Very sharp contrast from top to bottom.

How'd I do? I closed my eyes as I felt it, trying to figure out how to word the texture. I am such a geek, I need to get to bed!

We do tend to get goofy late at night don't we? LOL You did pretty good! I still am going to say Hydrangea. Which means water! Lots of water feed with acid like Miracid. You can change the color of the blooms on those even if th buds are already there. For bluer blooms give it Aluminum Sulfate. Can't change it to pink if the buds are already there but can add something before the buds- which escapes me right now! Like yo I need to get to sleep

The 'pathetic one'-your phrase not mine! is a Dieffenbachia they used to call them the Rudolph Rohrs Type but haven't heard that phrase in a while so they may have come up with new lingo on it. Those are more difficult for me than the pretty Tropic Snow I saw in the background of one of your pics

So it WILL bloom! I was hoping so! Thanks! I got it from someone in the late spring, I had it on my porch all summer and have figured out it needs plenty of water. I usually just saturate it so that the dish is fairly full and wait until that disappears to add more. (Usually less than a week)

Now I want to ask about a barren hibiscus that I acquired but it will have to wait till tomorrow. Big sleep come soon.

Your first plant is the peace lily, usually white flowers or spathes as they are sometimes called,
they need dappled shade for the type of light, plenty water and flower better when the plants are almost filling the pot, yours look like they are either too dry, maybe in home where central heating is causing the air to be too dry, so I would remove the plant from the pot, take away a good bit of soil, replant is into fresh compost and pop back into the same pot, every few days, mist your plants with a hand help mister onto all the foliage if you have them in a warm house, feed them after you re pot them ALL and liquid feed starting about 2 weeks after re potting.
2nd dont see it as begonia, but could be wrong, all begonias have sort of hair under leaves, but cant see that from pictures, but conditions is the same as the others so treat all the same way, as for re potting,
3 definitely Hydrangea, about the healthiest of them all, but would still re pot, It could end up as one you can grow outdoors in the garden, but without flowers, they all look the same at this stage. Inside the house, your plants will struggle with a dry atmosphere so you must give them more moister by misting the foliage, also even though the plants need light, dont sit them on a sunny window where the glass acts like a magnifying glass and absolutely fry in this hot sun through the glass, I think they all need re potting into fresher healthier compost, maybe back into the same pots, but they all look like they have depleted all the goodness from the soil in the pot, start a winter feed regime say every two weeks of half strength indoor plant feed once the have a week or two to settle after the re potting. Hope you get the names of the others, If they come to me, I'll get back to you. good luck. WeeNel.

Thank you! I do mist my plants most mornings and I also keep a pot of water boiling in my kitchen at ALL times when I am home. Not just for my plants, I get too dry here too! lol

I will try some of the plan foods....but the only 2 plants that were not repotted with fresh soil this Spring are the two larger ones in the terra cotta pots. The woman told me she had just done this when I got them and I didn't want to do it again so soon.

A humidifier might be safer and more energy efficient than always boiling water on the stove?