Sinningia Darth Vader..Help Please!!

"Luke I am your Father" lol..I have always wanted to say that just once!

Anyway could someone please help me with this? I received this Perdot Darth Vader last week(been wanting one forever) and need to know how to care for it.... would really love to be able to keep it alive so I can see blooms one day.Right now it looks pretty good yet but the edges of the leaves are getting brown and crunchy.The 1st pic don't show it so I will post a 2nd pic of side view.What can I do that will make it really happy? Any advice for Sinningia challenged Nancy??

I am not a what you would call very good at growing Sinningias..lol..who am I kidding...actually I know nothing about their care...just the micro ones I can keep in a jar...

here is pic 2 ..I hope you can see the crusty edges on the leaves?? What causes this? and How can I keep this plant happy?..Thanks for any advice^_^
Nancy

keep it very pot bound and wick it................they love that being wicked for constant moisture plus sitting over a reservoir of water is helping to build the humidity up, also. My big sinningias are still in 2" pots............

Thank Gail..should I repot it in a wicking pot then about the same size its in?? Do they like to be on a light stand?..or do they like natural light beter?

They like a lot of light under the gro lights......put them in the middle where the light is highest. You don't need any other pot. Just crook the neck of a small piece of wire and wrap the size 36 string or two 18 size strings and cram up the string from the bottom through a hole. That is all you have to do to wick.

Thanks gail..I went brain dead there for a minute..lol..I bet you read that and thought?????....same way we wick everything else..gotcha

Gail told you basically what I was going to suggest, so I suppose it's the right info. I don't wick, so I was going to suggest putting it on a pebble tray for humidity because that's probably what's causing the brown leaf edges. Wicking seems to help with humidity somewhat, though, so if you like to wick, then just take that route. ^_^ Sinns do like stronger light. They get very leggy if they don't get enough. I've moved most of my Sinns to 4-light shelves.

Did you get that from Violet Barn? I have been mulling it over, but haven't decided yet. It looks to be a very nice sized one, which is always a concern with VB. Hmmm... LOL

Hi Amy...yeppers got it at VB...I was kinda impressed at how large it was too...considering some things I have gotten in the past..lol..Been wanting one forever and they actually are on special right now..LOL..twisting your arm yet??

I don't wick all my plants and just wasn't sure the route to take with this..Don't have much experience with Sinningias at all...I have never used the pebble trays..I know you have super luck setting your plants in them...I pulled a wick thru it for now as gail suggested and moved it to the center of my lightstand so hopefully that will help those brown edges....If it continues to keep crisping I might have to try a different plan......

Another question??..How close to the lights do they like to be??.I have it sitting about 10 inches below.....

don't have time to read the thread but I ordered my sinningias from Dave'sviolets...........they were nice..........and well priced, too.

Nancy I bought one of the Darth Vadar's from Rob's (had a special going then too ^_^) last October and it looked like this.... with maybe a bit bigger leaves but no stem coming out of the pot.
~Brenda

I put it into a self watering pot and two month later it had only grown a little and added two more leaves. I was keeping it on one of my stands in natural light but with the wood stove going I could tell it was suffering (dry brown edges on the leafs like your saying) despite the self watering pot....
~Brenda

So up stairs it went into the mini greenhouse I have in the guest room. I probably had it 10 inches from the light like you are saying....

So nearly four months later here it is now.... it loves the humidity in that greenhouse along with the light. I think I detect the tiniest of two buds starting at the second set of leaves down from the top!! I'm sure yours will do much better getting it in the spring than in the late fall like I did!!~Brenda

My problem with this is that I do not want to go upstairs and look in a greenhouse to see my pretty plants in bloom. I guess I can pull it downstairs when it finally blooms and enjoy it until it stops and the hustle it back to the greenhouse. Or maybe summer will just be better all the way around for it and it will just live the winters in the green house. I could live with that. ^_^

This message was edited Apr 22, 2008 9:36 PM

OMG Brenda that is amazing..Look at all that growth..All that from being in your mini greenhouse a few months! Oh I do think I need to try that...That is absolutely Gorgeous..Make sure you post pics please when those buds open......after seeing Lins pics the other day of her aquarium she was using for rooting cuttings..I ran down and bought a lighted cover for my aquarium...LOL..because I loved her idea so much and I am such a copycat..lol.. I bet Darth Vader would love it in there.....maybe I could use that as a mini greenhouse..or maybe that wuld put it a little too close to the lights? Thank you for posting your beauty..now I am more excited than ever!!

That, Brenda, is one fine looking plant. That is amazing what those little mini greenhouses do for people in dry climates.................in the wintertime anyway........

I am going to just start it off with the wicking it under my lights and see how it does..looks happier already Gail since I did that..lol....if it still has dry leaves after a few weeks I might try putting it on a pebble tray or move it into the terrarium aquarium and see if that helps.....

Thanks! I'm so excited to see what I think are the littlest of blooms forming!! So was it the bloom from Darth Vader that Snowrose posted that suckered you in too Nancy? ^_^

I think with spring here and summer coming that it will probably be perfectly happy the way you are doing it now!

I loved Lin's aquarium nursery also and will be on the look out for one myself!

In this same mini greenhouse I put a Sininngia Cardinals that Rain sent me last Oct that was about the same size as Darth Vader when it came, it has done will also.
~Brenda

You got it Brenda..lol..this pic of snowroses right here....

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/133379/

ohh my heart just skips a beat everytime I look at it^_^

That Cardinals is beautiful Brenda..you have a pretty cozy set up there..really nice ..

Thank You!!!! for posting the link to that picture. I remembered it was so awesome but I had forgotten how really magnificent it was!! I will be beside myself if I get a couple of blooms like that!! 3 1/2 inches across, mercy, I didn't remember that part!

I got two of mini greenhouses at Lowes last fall marked down to $39.99 and they have been life savers for me this past winter!! Here is one with hoya seedlings on top and then full of strep babies, the flap is unzipped and thrown back in this picture. I used natural light for the top shelves and then single lights from Wal Mart for the other shelves. It all worked really well and I'm very pleased!
~Brenda

This message was edited Apr 22, 2008 10:28 PM

Oh my gosh!! I love the look of those stands..and you just zip them up and the plants stay nice and cozy....All your plants look so happy in there! What a great deal you got on them!! Now you got my wheels spinning..lol..if I could pick up a couple of them I could use my 2nd story rooms even in the winter!

Ah Yes..What a Bloom..If I could live to see one like that in person my life would be complete!!

My sinningia cardinalis wants to bloom so badly but she won't open up!

Gail, what size Sinns did you get from Dave's Violets? Pretty big, or still small? There are several Sinns I'd like to have and if he's got them, that would narrow down the places I'd have to order and cut down on shipping charges.

Nancy, I think Sinns can be pretty close to the lights. You could gradually raise it higher and you'll know when it's too close.

Brenda, your Darth Vader looks wonderful! I want to see pictures when it blooms! And the Sinn cardinalis is a beauty! It's a big one, isn't it? I love that mini greenhouse. Last year, the Dollar Store had those, so I think I'll look next time I'm in there for milk and see if they're there this year.

Gail, when my Sinn cardinalis looked like that, I was about a month away from blooms. Be patient...they're worth the wait! ^_^

Ok........I will be patient Rain

Here are the sinningias I got from Dave'sViolets. There were all sizes. Some were very small but very healthy and some were bigger. The important thing is that I can smell something in the soil so I don't want to change the soil he used for another few weeks until they are real established.

Here are 3 trays of them. I have had them 2 or 3 weeks. Oh, I do remember that they didn't come until the end of the first week of April.

the pictures are kinda overlapping. See the tall one on the right in the back......that is Merry Christmas and she doesn't even have foliage on the bottom but she was the only one sent that way. That other tall one is a species not belonging to Dave.

The one in the front is a species from Jan.............I will say this. All his plants are blooming even as babies and they are covered in buds. I want them to quit blooming so I can start cuttings. His packing is incredible!! There was not one single broken leaf at all.

Those are great, Gail! I see Aurora Borealis back there...did you just get it from him and it came with buds? I really love the foliage of it!

We crossposted, so I see that it did come with buds! Yay! Hmm, maybe I'll order some from him rather than VB. I'm off to see if he has Darth Vader. LOL

I don't think he has Darth Vader or I would have gotten it. Belisle's I think has it!

You're killing me! LOL Another place to window shop... I've really gotta win the lottery! ^_^

Don't we all, Rain, need to win the lottery. My mastercard is just slowly building up over all these plants. Now I need all new gro lights at one time. The president of our club says that IGS has the best ones that last the longest . If you order a lot of them the price is only 6.00 a tube. This is going to be a big expense!

Gail..your sinningias look amazing..I am right there with you all on needing to win the lottery..LOL

Wow, great pictures of those sinns Gail! I really like them, such delicate little beauties. If Cardinals is any indication of what they all do when they bud up then I'm a ways off for buds!

Nancy and Amy I have heard that both the Dollar Store and Big Lots get mini greenhouses in in the early spring but then they put them on clearance pretty fast (15 to 20 bucks I've read over on the Frugal living threads) ) in the warmer areas as those lucky devils don't really need them!! LOL

Nancy with the 3 lights that I'm using in each one they produce enough heat inside with it all zipped up that I don't have to heat the upstairs to use them up there! Just whatever heat floats up that way. I'll have to put the flaps up this summer. I've already got them unzipped and left open.
~Brenda

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL Gail!
That Aurora Borealis is just a stunner even when not in bloom :)
I'm so glad you got her :)
Darth Vader is another very pretty one. I can't wait until they all bloom for you ladies so we can see pictures of the flowers :)
My favorite sinns have have to be Aurora Borealis, Touch of Spice, Merry Christmas, Darth Vader and Playful Porpoise.
I haven't really tried sinningias yet. I do have one, Ozark Rosey Cheeks from Pier that has sprouted but I don't think it's anywhere near blooming yet. I can't wait to see if it does though :)

SOOOOO pretty ladies!!!

Kim

Thats good to know Brenda...love the thought of being able to use stands upstairs over the winter here..That would be so wonderful!! I better go check out the dollar store this weekend..don't think we have a big lots..I did see one last spring at a Garden Center in the city that looked like yours but if I remember correctly they were asking $80.00 back then..now with inflation the price has probably doubled..lol

here are a few of my sinns,all different sizes, this is heartlands double dilly
mrsbonnie

here is auora borelius, not in bloom, but the only varigated sinningia

here is caitland, a larger sinn.

lastly is dave harris blue popcorn.
mrsbonnie

oops found 2 more, this is sentimental journey, larger sinn.
mrsbonnie

here is baby blue, even bigger sinn.
mrsbonnie

Bonnie..I always love seeing your plants! Thanks for posting some of your pretties....those are all so Beautiful..I love that heartlands double dilly..those blooms are soo pink!! the foliage on Aurora Borealis is really neat! On your bigger ones..just how BIG do some of the larger Sinningias get??
That blue bloom on baby blue is stunning!!