I am having hard time bringing this baby back.
Water once a week, fully saturated poring slowly. Has drainage and well draining soil. 14-16 inches from the grow light. Water soluble fertilizer. If you zoom in there were three new leaves and two of them dried out, one is still hanging there. No other new growth is noticed. humidifier in the room. What else could I offer it to keep going? @DreamMachine #HeartOfJesus
1ft to light, indirect
5” pot with drainage
Last watered 3 months ago
8
First thing, the pot is way too big for such a tiny plant. What ends up happening is after you water, the roots absorb what they need and are then left sitting in a bunch of excess damp soil, leading to root rot. What does the soil feel like right before you water it? I'm thinking the soil probably isn't drying out enough between waterings. Instead of watering on any type of schedule, only water when at least the top half of the soil has dried out. It might also be a good idea to mix some perlite into the soil to help with drainage. Perlite creates little air pockets in the soil so oxygen can reach the roots more easily. Consistently damp soil compacts around the roots and cuts off their oxygen supply, and the fungus that causes root rot thrives in an oxygen-deprived environment.
Also wanted to add...a 2-2.5" plastic nursery pot would be a better size for this little guy. Mix some perlite with whatever potting soil you have at a rate of approx 3 parts soil, 1 part perlite (I use cactus/succulent soil as the base for all my plants, then mix it with other amendments depending on the type of plant). When transferring to the smaller pot, take a close look at the roots to check for any signs of rot. Darker color, mushy, foul odor, fall apart easily when you touch them—if you notice any of these signs, you'll need to cut off affected roots before moving it. Use a pair of scissors/pruners sterilized with 70% or higher isopropyl alcohol. Once it's in the new pot, hold off on watering for at least a few days to give the roots more time to dry out.
Do you use the app for watering reminders? If so, it's best to think of them as suggestions more than anything. There are so many variables unique to your plant that the app can't possibly take into account, which is why checking the soil first with either a moisture meter, wooden chopstick, or just your finger before watering is so crucial.
Do you use the app for watering reminders? If so, it's best to think of them as suggestions more than anything. There are so many variables unique to your plant that the app can't possibly take into account, which is why checking the soil first with either a moisture meter, wooden chopstick, or just your finger before watering is so crucial.
@stephonicle thank you this is very helpful. It was a bigger plant originally so I never thought of transferring to a smaller pot.
The soil is more on the dry side before I water. I tried water more often before it got too dry. Then I moved to watering when it got more dry and then water thoroughly. Hence is the asking because I don’t know what I am doing to it. 🤪 I do use perlite in my mix. What is your thoughts on lighting? Should I move it a little further from grow light?
The soil is more on the dry side before I water. I tried water more often before it got too dry. Then I moved to watering when it got more dry and then water thoroughly. Hence is the asking because I don’t know what I am doing to it. 🤪 I do use perlite in my mix. What is your thoughts on lighting? Should I move it a little further from grow light?
@StableKale82 it depends on the strength of your grow light. Too much intense direct light can cause them to burn, not enough can cause them to lose their coloring (and increase the risk of root rot).
When it was bigger, before it started dying off and dropping leaves, were they turning yellow or brown? Did they fall off starting at the base of the plant, or from all over? This will shed more light on what's been happening.
When it was bigger, before it started dying off and dropping leaves, were they turning yellow or brown? Did they fall off starting at the base of the plant, or from all over? This will shed more light on what's been happening.
@StableKale82 I am nodding my head along with everything @stephonicle has mentioned! Especially with checking for root rot if and when you downsize the pot, which I think would be a great idea! While this baby is recovering I would suggest not fully saturating it. If roots have been damaged it makes it harder to drink up the water, so you’ll want to aim for consistently lightly damp, so that the recovering roots have a balance of moisture and oxygen to breathe too.
Is the grow light one of your older ones? Have you measured how much light is reaching this plant? I don’t know how strong it is, but I wouldn’t think you should move it any further than it is.
Is the grow light one of your older ones? Have you measured how much light is reaching this plant? I don’t know how strong it is, but I wouldn’t think you should move it any further than it is.
@stephonicle @DreamMachine so I repotted this plant to a smaller pot with drainage. I didn’t notice any funky smell on the roots. There wasn’t much of roots, but it 3 firm bulbs, corms? 😳 didn’t expect that. I will utilise all your tips and see if it comes back.
@stephonicle 🙏😍🤞