[net.garden] Help save a plant.

kolling@decwrl.UUCP (Karen Kolling) (11/17/85)

Last weekend I bought a beautiful plant from a "gardening" place
where the clerks don't know anything about plants.  One thought it was
a lipstick plant.  It's a trailing plant about 20 inches in diameter.
It has thick, glossy dark green leaves, teardrop shaped, the biggest
about two inches long.  There are very tiny tubular violet flowers on
the ends of the branches.  I bought it even though there was obviously
something wrong with it, what they didn't know.  Quite a few of the
leaves had lost a lot of color and were almost white in areas, a very
few had jagged edges and some had brown edges.  I made a wild guess that
either it had been over fertilized, or doused with insecticide, and perhaps
it had some minor insect damage.  So I picked off all the bad leaves, watered
it (the soil was just slightly damp) and put it in medium light to rest.
Today, a week later I picked off 4 or 5 more leaves that I noticed that were
bad.  I think it's holding it's own.  Anyone know exactly what this plant
this might be, what might have happened to it, what growing conditions it
needs, and how to propagate it (cuttings?)

chris@leadsv.UUCP (Chris Salander) (11/20/85)

	My suggestions:

	1) Repot the plant into a pot that is twice as large;
	   add fresh soil and don't hesitate to throw out any
	   of the old soil.

	2) When repotting, check for bugs or mold.  If lots of
	   bugs or mold is present, get rid of the plant before
	   you spread it to any others you might have.

	3) For recuperation, I recommend keeping the plant at
	   work, if there are florescent lights and temp. control.

	My reasons:  Most of the plants I have bought from stores
	   have been root-bound.  Either they wanted to use the 
	   smallest pot possible to save money, the plant was a
  	   lot smaller when they first got it, or they are trying
	   to make the plant look bigger.  If it is a drug store
	   or grocery store, they usually do no more than water
	   the plants and remove the dead leaves and plants.

	Further, stores tend to use a really high percentage of
	styrofoam bits in their soil.  Plants can't live on that.
	Finally, I have found that most "tropical-type house plants"
	just LOVE the flourescent light and steady temperature at
	work.  I have saved more than one plant just by bringing it
	to work.

	Now if someone on the net happens to know what the exact
	watering and sunning requirements of that plant are, then
	you are all set.

				- Chris Salander