Oh no! I've drowned it!

I need help from all you experts here - I think I have over watered my Shenandoah Something Special! I noticed it was wilted this morning and when I watered it, I thought "Hey didn't I water this yesterday?". Well, I had to go to work, but when I got home it still looks exactly the same. I took it out of its pot and it is slightly damp, but not soggy at all. It is in a 3" pot, and most of the roots are on the outside. Is this typical of streps, or could it actually not be getting enough water? I have a feeling I have overwatered it. Please help.

let it dry some, then put it back in the pot, looks like maybe a little to much water, are the leaves limp?
bonnie

Now let me add this - I have done this overwatering thing very recently to my Purple Panda strep. It was wilted, and I again mistakenly thought it must be dry and watered it again. What I did in that case (which I think I read about in another thread) , was to take it out of the pot (it was pretty sopping wet), then I loosened the wet dirt, dipped it briefly in hydrogen peroxide, and repotted it in fresh dry dirt. Then I had to progressively cut off 3 large leaves as they wilted and I cut off the two gorgeous flowers it had produced (ouch that hurt!) So, I am not sure if I saved it or not, but it has been holding pretty steady for the past week. But it has not dried out at all. Here is a photo. Please note that the leaves are NOT white - that is just the light hitting the fuzziness at an angle. Do you all think I need to cut all the buds off, too?
Thanks in advance for any help! I really want to get good at growing streps

Yes, mrsbonnie, the leaves are limp, especially on the ends - I think I can find a "before" photo for you....

For whatever help this may be, two different pros have told me that when a strep gets real dry and limp leaves, never start out with more than a tblsp. of water at a time. Come back and hour later and add another tablespoon of water.

I don't ever take mine out of the soil if I have overwatered them........I just get an old towel out, put the plant on it overnight and let the towel suck up all the extra water.............

Yours both look like they are going to make it...............

Ok, thanks Gail - do you think I should take them out of their pots and let them sit on a towel for several hours?

I've done the same thing before........ my mother in law taught me the same trick 40 years ago. And I've used it hundreds of times to save plants. I personally wouldn't take the plant out of the pot. If the roots are exposed to air for too long and dry out they will die faster. Either sit it on a kitchen towel, or if that doesn't seem to be pulling enough water out of it........take several paper towels and kind of twist them......then stick one end down in the soil at least an inch into the top of the pot. They act like a wick and pull the excess water out. It's always worked for me. : )
I've actually done both at once for a really badly over-loved plant.

It is sooooo easy to overwater Streps. They like it cooler than AVs and when I first started growing them every time they would wilt from the heat......I'd water them. That's how I know the paper towel trick works. LOL

That's brilliant! I will try that - thanks so much!

I just keep a stack of old messed up and torn bath towels in the kitchen just for the purpose of putting pots on that I have overwatered.............

I will have to do that, too - I always tend to underwater plants, but I didn't realize that they could be overwatered when they are dry. I always made sure they weren't ever sitting in water, but that tip about the tablespoon of water is really helpful.

something that I read is to never water the plant by pouring water near the plant. Always aim for the edges of the pot. This way, the roots can get water but the crown will not get soaked.

When I water mine, i aways pour just a little water. I never soak it.

Does anyone Wick Water their streps?

I wick water about half of mine Roxy..Don't know if I really like it tho..I really need to keep an eye on the wicked ones so they don't draw up too much water..I am finding lately with streps at least..lol..I like the more hands on aproach..so I have more control of how much water they get.I know alot of people swear by wick watering their streps and it works great for them!

I wick mine.

I wick water everything. AVs, Streps, Sinningias, Koleria, etc. Everything! I think it all is dependent on what soil you use. I use a totally different soil recipe for my Streps than I do for my violets.

I started doing it out of necessity........waaay too many plants to hand water. Now I've just got a fraction of the plants I once had, but I'm afraid to change back. Don't know if I remember how to grow 'em any other way. LOL

I am going to try thinner wicks once and see if that helps a bit..If both of you wick everything and I know quite a few others here do to..I am going to get it right if it kills me..lol..It sure would cut back on watering time if I could do it right and not lose so many...

What I am using now is Volkmanns wicking mix on my wicked plants..I use 2 pieces of Volkmanns large wicking cord per pot..Is that how everyone else does it or maybe it would work better for me if I just pulled one of the wicks out and just used one?

GRRRRR!!! I hit the wrong button and now I've got to start my reply all over again.....I hate when that happens!!!

I used Volkmann's soils for years. I was adding a little bit of this, and a little bit of that and finally decided it was cheaper to start from scratch and make my own soil mix. Typical ME.....can't leave well enough alone.

Is there a thread on this forum about potting mixes?

ooo not that I know of Roxy..maybe you can start a new thread on mixes..I would love to know what everyone uses!! Maybe I will get some new ideas : )

Hi,

I am no expert. i use half promix with fungicide and half perlite.

I don't use wicks. I water my plants by hand but I don't have many so it is OK.

I started a new thread on Potting Soils. Let's fill if up with some dirty talk. LOL

Lol..thats cute Roxy..see ya there : )

Today Something Special's three largest leaves have wilted even more, and the dirt is just barely moist. Should I go ahead and cut those leaves off?

Did you put the plant in a zip lock???????? It certainly won't hurt the plant to cut the leaves but I would be more concerned with cutting any buds or flowers off.......let all its energy go into making strong leaves.

Get your camera out ericabelle........and show us...........

Hi,

I am having the same problem with a baby strep I got last week. When I unpackaged it, its leaves were already wilted and dark green. I kept it inside a bag but I wrapped the bag around the pot so the bottom was uncovered as the plant felt a bit too wet. I put it on a kitchen cloth to take away excess water.

It still looks the same. The leaves are completely limp and hanging down the edges of the pots. The new little leaves at the centre are also limp.

I don't think it is going to make it. I think it is already dead.:o(

Good luck with yours!

Spider, I don't know where I posted that one of mine is doing the same thing, but I think the pot size is waay too big on yours and mine. I try to keep mine in 21/2" as long as it can grow ok there. You really have to be careful stepping up in pot size without drowning the root system.

I will post again a picture of a strep still in its' 21'2 " pot.

Here is the one I tried to push from a 1 1/2" pot to a 3" pot and she may not make it......she is sitting on fresh paper towels each day and she is domed for now.

Hi Gail,

Thank you very much for the info and photos. I had no idea they need to be in small pots.

I am going to repot all that came in big pots.

The only place I know that ships in big 3" pots is Brennans but they are sending fully grown plants so that is not a problem.

I do know that Blue Bird sends african violets in 4" pots which is waaaaaaay too big for the root system.

I think the single biggest problem we all have is thinking every plant needs a bigger pot.
Although most gessies like to have the soil changed every 4 or 5 months, that doesn't mean they need a bigger pot.

good luck to both of us!