One of my newly arrived plants is keeling over...
All the others look okay.
They came with wicks, so I assumed the mix they were in was okay for wicking, but when I checked them this evening one plant looked waterlogged, drooping, leaves, mushy and stems shrinking and browning.
I took it out of the mix and re-potted in an only slightly damp mix with lots more perlite and will not water again till /if it perks up.
I kinda think it won't make it, and I have my doubts about even saving a leaf...
Any suggestions what to do or why this would happen?
It looks almost like it's been frozen, but it looked okay when I received it.
Signed,
Sad Sharon
HELP!!!!
Where was the plant sent from? It could have been cold damaged. Sent so wet is a poor way to ship also especially if the plant is exposed to cold temps.
If it came thru the midwest-- we had hard freezes(26deg) Tues & Weds nites.
Yes, It has been very cold in many parts of the country. Unusually so.
ive had a few frozen plants,sometimes the outsides freeze but the center will come back
I would place it in a plastic bag,till it revives
those things has saved more plants for me,even if I over water then Ill repot and bag it
seems to work miracles
JIM
Bagging does work miracles and I use them often not only to salvage plants but in general. Good for putting plants inside for rooting.
Okay...here's an example of a cold damaged plant I received this week. I am not faulting the shipper as they did a good job packing. There is only so much one can do shipping these fragile plants growing in warm protected environment and then being exposed to the elements of cold.
This plant looked so so when taken out of the box but within 48 hours you can see the extent of the damage to the plant tissue. Funny how it affected only the one side of the plant. Ugly, isn't it?
Thanks... into the bag it goes...lol...altho it's mostly mush at this point...hopefully the crown will survive.
They were well packed with lots of insulation, and so far the other plants look great.
It wasn't packed wet, but I watered it well when I got it to get the wicking started and the soil was pretty saturated when I checked it.
I took all the others off wicking and now I'm a bit afraid to put them back on...
Maybe I should repot all of them?
It looks like a light mix they're in...
Decisions, decisions...lol...
Sharon
Good luck with your plant, it sounds like you are doing everything possible to save it.
I still don't quite understand the wicking idea and why. Is it the same as a self watering pot? Where can I buy the wicks?
Thanks, RW!
The wicks go up into the soil and hang down into a container of water sitting below the pot. The wicks, once wet, draw water up into the soil.
Most people make their own using acrylic yarn, string, or pantyhose.
And thank you, 2manyplants
Hmmm so I am trying to visulize this. There would be plants on a shelf with wicks hanging down to a shelf below with a container of water? I am guessing that many wicks can go into the single water container. Does anyone have a picture they can post or reference to a thread that does?
http://www.avsa.org/Library/Wicking%20African%20Violets.pdf
Usually you set the pot on the lid of the container with a hole in the lid, or put egg crating (the stuff they cover flourescent light panels with) over a large container filled with water. The problem with the multiples is you can spread disease more easily...
Here's a pic of some of my new ones on the egg crating...
Beautiful, thank you! Somethings I just can't see in my head even with the best directions. Now I understand. Can you tell me how long you wick it 2MP? All the time or just until wet? That looks so much easier than my moving my AV's from watering container back and again. I am always juggling plants.
All the time...just make sure the wick is wet when you start and check the water level every day or so to make sure the wick stays wet.
You put a small amount of fertilizer in the water (I like to use water from my aquarium with just a bit of AV fertilizer added) and you're all set!
Gee I always forget about my aquarium water! Wahooo. Thanks!