Any hope?
#Senecio my poor #StringOfDolphins is looking really bad 😢 I just moved it closer to a window. Do I have any chance to save this guy?
2ft to light, indirect
4” pot with drainage
Last watered 3 years ago
18
Best Answer
Hello! I love SOD! (Thanks for the tag @Nataliesplants .) I would do a few things.
1. CAREFULLY repot. Handle it very delicately or leaves will drop off. Use Succulent and Cactus Mix. SOD will rot in regular soil because it doesn’t drain well enough. While you’re doing it check the roots and remove any black or mushy ones. Sprinkle the roots with cinnamon, a natural fungicide. Don’t water for 5 days or so.
2. Don’t cut them off and prop them. That makes it unnecessarily difficult. Instead gently move the vines up onto the soil. You can wind 🌀 them around on the top of the pot. Use hairpins, bent paperclips, or Bobby pins to tack the vines down so that they have good contact with the soil. They’ll sprout new vines all along their lengths and fill it out in no time. This method is called basketing.
3. Review your watering technique. Greg is an excellent guide, but it is not 100%. There are too many important variables the program can’t figure in. How warm is it in your home? How much humidity is in the air? What shape is your pot? These all change things.
The only way to know when to water is to check the dirt itself. Stick your finger down deep into the soil. If it’s totally dry, it’s time. If not, hit snooze. Greg will learn what you need and become much more accurate.
Then, bottom water the plant. This helps to discourage pests, rot, fungus, mold, and other issues. Just set the pot in some water that comes up the side of your plant for a depth of 1” or more. Let it sit for 20 minutes. Remove the pot and let the excess water drain. Check back after 10 minutes to empty any remaining water that may have gathered in the saucer.
4. If you move it into more light it should help, but do it gradually. My SOD gets direct sun, but I’ve moved her off of the windowsill and on a stand just 6” away. If you see your plant reacting badly try moving it a very short distance away. It makes it just a bit less intense. My own plant is happier now.
❤️❤️❤️🌀🌀🌀❤️❤️❤️
I hope this helps. Your SOD is definitely well enough to come back completely and become bushy and beautiful! ❤️❤️❤️
1. CAREFULLY repot. Handle it very delicately or leaves will drop off. Use Succulent and Cactus Mix. SOD will rot in regular soil because it doesn’t drain well enough. While you’re doing it check the roots and remove any black or mushy ones. Sprinkle the roots with cinnamon, a natural fungicide. Don’t water for 5 days or so.
2. Don’t cut them off and prop them. That makes it unnecessarily difficult. Instead gently move the vines up onto the soil. You can wind 🌀 them around on the top of the pot. Use hairpins, bent paperclips, or Bobby pins to tack the vines down so that they have good contact with the soil. They’ll sprout new vines all along their lengths and fill it out in no time. This method is called basketing.
3. Review your watering technique. Greg is an excellent guide, but it is not 100%. There are too many important variables the program can’t figure in. How warm is it in your home? How much humidity is in the air? What shape is your pot? These all change things.
The only way to know when to water is to check the dirt itself. Stick your finger down deep into the soil. If it’s totally dry, it’s time. If not, hit snooze. Greg will learn what you need and become much more accurate.
Then, bottom water the plant. This helps to discourage pests, rot, fungus, mold, and other issues. Just set the pot in some water that comes up the side of your plant for a depth of 1” or more. Let it sit for 20 minutes. Remove the pot and let the excess water drain. Check back after 10 minutes to empty any remaining water that may have gathered in the saucer.
4. If you move it into more light it should help, but do it gradually. My SOD gets direct sun, but I’ve moved her off of the windowsill and on a stand just 6” away. If you see your plant reacting badly try moving it a very short distance away. It makes it just a bit less intense. My own plant is happier now.
❤️❤️❤️🌀🌀🌀❤️❤️❤️
I hope this helps. Your SOD is definitely well enough to come back completely and become bushy and beautiful! ❤️❤️❤️
Hi Sarah! Do you mind attaching a pic of what your sting of dolphins looks like now? Also @TruthfulApricot had a lot of experience with strings so tagging her 😊
LIGHT - Closer to a window should help, as long as it's not drafty, where light can hit to top of the pot.
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SOIL - Use a well-draining soil, cacti/succ pre-bagged stuff will be fine. I use a chunky aroid mix with added sand. Make sure the pot has good drainage and they prefer a shallow pot. Unless they have a big root system, that pot looks way too big. You only want about 1" of space all the way around the root "ball" when/if you repot.
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WATER - Water only when FULLY dry. Use your finger or a wooden skewer/chopstick to check the soil.
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ABOUT - Senecio are a ground cover, meaning they creep along the ground and get partial to spotty to full sun. They have shallow roots that love a mix of soil, bark, moss, etc... where the water will drain away quickly and not sit there.
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Good luck and happy growing!
.
SOIL - Use a well-draining soil, cacti/succ pre-bagged stuff will be fine. I use a chunky aroid mix with added sand. Make sure the pot has good drainage and they prefer a shallow pot. Unless they have a big root system, that pot looks way too big. You only want about 1" of space all the way around the root "ball" when/if you repot.
.
WATER - Water only when FULLY dry. Use your finger or a wooden skewer/chopstick to check the soil.
.
ABOUT - Senecio are a ground cover, meaning they creep along the ground and get partial to spotty to full sun. They have shallow roots that love a mix of soil, bark, moss, etc... where the water will drain away quickly and not sit there.
.
Good luck and happy growing!
@jaysjungle thank you! Do you think it would be a good idea to repot it to a more shallow pot in its current condition?
@AZSarah84 it's hard to say without seeing the roots currently. If it was MINE, I would unpot to inspect roots and repot if they seem healthy. If they are brown, black, or mushy, then I would likely chop the healthy growth and propagate (which is pretty easy for these) and repot in good soil/pot once rooted out.
@PlantMompy Check out my response below because there’s a better way to prop it. You just bring the vines up and lay them on the soil. This method takes advantage of the existing root structure and is MUCH faster. What do you think? ❤️
@TruthfulApricot
Personally, I've had great luck chopping and propping (it's how I received mine and continue to grow it).
My reason for not suggesting a repot is because of how upset it makes plants, especially strings. I figured she could keep watering the original plant if she wanted and if the roots are good it'll sprout new growth on the unpruned parts, but if they aren't it won't do harm to the parts that are left.
Winding is a great idea if you're not worried about your plant's conditions, but personally it makes me too nervous if I think the pot, soil, roots, etc might not be right. I'd rather have some props in case the parent plant does continue to go downhill.
Personally, I've had great luck chopping and propping (it's how I received mine and continue to grow it).
My reason for not suggesting a repot is because of how upset it makes plants, especially strings. I figured she could keep watering the original plant if she wanted and if the roots are good it'll sprout new growth on the unpruned parts, but if they aren't it won't do harm to the parts that are left.
Winding is a great idea if you're not worried about your plant's conditions, but personally it makes me too nervous if I think the pot, soil, roots, etc might not be right. I'd rather have some props in case the parent plant does continue to go downhill.
@TruthfulApricot and @PlantMompy thank you BOTH so much! I’m actually going to do both ideas 😊 I’ve cut a few to prop and I’m going to repot the rest in succulent soil and wrap those that are left around the top. My string of bananas is doing awesome but my string of hearts is much like my dolphins, so I’m going to try this with those too. Something will work! Appreciate you both for your info!!
@TruthfulApricot awesome!! I’ll try that with my string of hearts 🙂