psychoshaman Posted May 26, 2009 hey all.... as i am now the proud owner of this magical plant, any tips on care and maintenance would be great... found the basics... but upon waking this morning, saw there was a little bit of "rust???" on the tips of some leaves. transplanted about 5 days ago... here is a pic shanti Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chiral Posted May 27, 2009 (edited) What is that plant...? is it a Viridis...?need more info...where abouts is it growing...outside full sun outside shady spot ...hot weather cold weather...it looks very light green if it's Viridis ...or I might be completly way off but Viridis is usually a lot darker green than that ...anyway give us more info and we will see what we can do to help ... Edited May 27, 2009 by Hunab Ku Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderIdeal Posted May 27, 2009 whatever it is it looks a bit sad. did you water it after repotting it? that's a must. i would monitor soil moisture closely and try hitting it with a copper based fungicide (cuz it's organic), keep it out of harsh sun. that's some pretty basic advice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
psychoshaman Posted May 27, 2009 yeah sorry about the no info had a puff and it being early in the morn... P. viridis in the shade it be about 15 'c at the moment, cold mornings of late, you know with the frost coming outta ya mouth over a hot cup of coffee cold (Perth weather anyway, live near the coast) soil; 1/3 sand rest commercial potting mix watered regularly, but not overly as the night rolls in P. v comes inside... doesn't sound like the kind of environment it be used too... ta... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chiral Posted May 27, 2009 (edited) mmmm I have mine in a very hydroponic style soil mix and it lives outside in very similar weather to yours only across the country...mine is actually going off it's head since I transplanted it to this new soil mix...I ripped 10 leaves off it recently and they have almost been replaced with new shoots even at this time of the year...I never fertilize mine either...just leave her outside and let her harden off in a sheltered area in your garden maybe the inside then outside thing is causing more harm than good...maybe sprinkle some chicken poo pellets around the base of the plant and let the rain water those in and she may get some green back into her....they have been known to curl up their leaves in colder months so watch out for that but it shouldn't kill it unless it cops a frost ....the leaves on mine haven't curled yet and have had a few cold nights but nothing of any real concern I think the coldest it's gotten over here on the east coast is about 9 degrees Celsius this Autumn. oh and regularly check underneath each leaf for white fly and aphids and watch for any ant activity they simply love Viridis and they nearly killed mine when it lived in the ground...maybe your soil mix is slightly off PH wise too...lacking somewhat in nitrogen maybe by the look of the colour of those leaves. H. Edited May 27, 2009 by Hunab Ku Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hedonix Posted May 27, 2009 mmmm I have mine in a very hydroponic style soil mix and it lives outside in very similar weather to yours only across the country...mine is actually going off it's head since I transplanted it to this new soil mix...I ripped 10 leaves off it recently and they have almost been replaced with new shoots even at this time of the year...I never fertilize mine either...just leave her outside and let her harden off in a sheltered area in your garden maybe the inside then outside thing is causing more harm than good...maybe sprinkle some chicken poo pellets around the base of the plant and let the rain water those in and she may get some green back into her....they have been known to curl up their leaves in colder months so watch out for that but it shouldn't kill it unless it cops a frost ....the leaves on mine haven't curled yet and have had a few cold nights but nothing of any real concern I think the coldest it's gotten over here on the east coast is about 9 degrees Celsius this Autumn.oh and regularly check underneath each leaf for white fly and aphids and watch for any ant activity they simply love Viridis and they nearly killed mine when it lived in the ground...maybe your soil mix is slightly off PH wise too...lacking somewhat in nitrogen maybe by the look of the colour of those leaves. H. Hey guys, interested to learn a little more about this as my p.viridis, p.alba and b.caapi are in a similar condition... my growing conditions are west sydney - still in 75mm pots they came in. - same soil. no roots coming out the bottom as yet. I'm keeping them in a mini greenhouse along with tabernanth iboga, cebil and Trich Pach. i only water them about 2 times per week as I havn't transplanted them yet and don't want to keep crap soil over moist.. the soil i'm using is from my garden..average stuff.. sun = 7am - 1pm. roughly. the condensation is covering the inside lining of the greenhouse thouroughly and when I touch it, the soil is actually warm in each of the pots... with a bit of warmth felt when opening the flap on the greenhouse.. i'm thinking the humidity and temp is ok in there... going to pick a thermometer and humidity gauge on the weekend. the leaves are slightly yellowish.. and most of the tips of the leaves are dark crispy looking brown colour.. the Viridis' leaves are almost all yellow.. and this happened 2 days after taking delivery and watering... over a month later... the plants seem to be in a similar condition - no ferts - just water (rain when it comes) the Bcaapi's leaves in particular are real crispy, dead looking at the ends.. but toward the center of the leaves is actaully a light to dark green... i'll post some photos tonight. I check the plants every day - at first i was most concerned about the Tabernanth but that seems to be going hard... when i transplanted that, it was sitting crooked in the pot... only watered once in about 2 weeks after watering in well when transplanted after delivery... a week and a bit later, the plant is nice and upright leaves even starting to point upwards. nice and green. cebil plant seems to be going well... need to change soil for all plants though... on the weekend I purchased a bag of 'Brunnings' coarse sand and a bag of vermiculite... can I only use coarse sand and vermiculite for propagating or can i mix sand,good potting mix, and maybe a little verm in together to transplant these dudes? what would be the best mix to put these guys in? just a good soil... or would soil + sand + verm be recommended? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
psychoshaman Posted May 27, 2009 mucho gracias, so chicken poo eh? we'll give that a go... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kenny Posted May 27, 2009 I had the same problem with my p.alba a while back. It was originally out in a sunny position receiving a several hours of direct light per day, and possibly not enough water. After moving her into a well lit position with no actual direct light, just a touch of filtered light for about 1hr in the afternoon, the burning ceased and she is growing lovely. Mine was also very pale green to being with, but after a couple months of shade life the leaves started to darken. Also, she is potted in plain old seasol potting mix. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hedonix Posted May 27, 2009 I had the same problem with my p.alba a while back. It was originally out in a sunny position receiving a several hours of direct light per day, and possibly not enough water. After moving her into a well lit position with no actual direct light, just a touch of filtered light for about 1hr in the afternoon, the burning ceased and she is growing lovely.Mine was also very pale green to being with, but after a couple months of shade life the leaves started to darken. Also, she is potted in plain old seasol potting mix. I think it's time to move the greenhouse... thanks Kenny i'll give that a go.. makes sense because i'm guessing these plants would be well under the canopy of larger trees etc in the amazon...getting only partial or filtered light.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gerbil Posted May 27, 2009 (edited) To me it looks like you are overwatering it. When you say transplanted, did you just aquire this rooted cutting? but either way if you are watering it regularly like you mentioned that's already too much, 5 days from a water and transplant in these conditions should not require any more water in the majority of cases. Moving it inside and outside everyday isn't helping the health either, it won't like such drastic changes especially regarding humidity. It's not a good time of year for viridis down south, coming into the winter, the humidity is good but the cold and wet conditions aren't overly the best conditions for it. It's important to get them to good health before the colder times of the year hit if you want to successfully keep them outdoors in melb/vic. Whether you bring it inside over winter, keep it outside and protected or outside in a greenhouse is a matter you'll have to figure out based on your conditions and ability to respond to it's needs over the period. They should be able to survive outdoors in melbourne if in the right microclimate, sheltered and the warmest possible. You may want to lightly foliar feed occasionally after you've got the soil moisture issue sorted (if that's what is the case), but not too much as sending into high nitrogen growth can be damaging this time of year aswell. oops see you are in perth, no experience there, but prob similar to a melb winter... Edited May 27, 2009 by gerbil Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chiral Posted May 27, 2009 Leave it outside..sheltered position off the ground and out of the wind...don't water it at all.... lately there has been enough rain to keep things moist continuously unless there has been some drought over there...and the nitrogen thing like Gerbil says be gentle that's why pellets and slow release may be better...but definitely stop moving it around ..leave it in one spot. H. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
t st tantra Posted May 27, 2009 if it lives on those cold tiles put an esky lid or similar under it......keep the roots a little warmer. i know gerbil seems to do ok but i will no longer even try in adelaide,i've killed about 3 or 4 . wait til spring and get some alba! t s t . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted May 27, 2009 lot's of good tips and info here! let's summarize: don't move them, keep them outdoors in a super sheltered spot, but with lot's of light. if you keep a psychotria in total shade, surley the leaves will get darker, but thats just a responce of the plant, to make most out of the not so bright aspect, maybe something like very dark green leaves are needed, to keep photosythese up, under this, "less than favorable" conditions. aswell a plant with yellowish leaves will get darker leaves if moved in a more shaded location, because plants need lots of nitrogen to be sun hardy. hedonix, describes a typical case of nitrogen deficency (only the inner parts of the leaves are a bit green). so psych s and hedonix have to fertilize just a little bit. psych s plant looks very weak as a result of having kept indoors for a long time, and the dry air made the edge of the leaf turn brown and dry up. hunab your viridis are in big pot's so you had no need to fertilize them yet, but please do so, and before they show signs of slowing down. just rather add a tiny ammount of pellets now, than more later. i used to fert my viridis every week, but just a little bit of course. well nourished plants, withstand the cold better and are able to recieve stronger light levels. and more light means the plant will contain more actives. psycho s plant looks to me to like it's was kept indoors with too little light in a sealed high humidety chamber, if that is so the plant needs to be hardent out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gerbil Posted May 27, 2009 (edited) But i should clarify tantra, this lot of plants i have now is probably my last attempt at it as well. I more so meant it's possible but not particularly easy hehehe Tried years ago on multiple occasions with single plants, got one through one or two winters from memory then a borer or something got into the stem and rot took it out. I then took a few years off to reflect and plan better. This time i've found the best microclimate in my yard possible and have had the best growth ever since i've tried with these plants (this is their first major growth season and now first winter), i understand them a lot more these days but it can all go pear shaped pretty quick. Will get some pics up eventually. I too don't like losing them especially taking away stock that could otherwise be out in a more appropriate climate, I really look forward to trying out the hybrid when it's eventually released though. I really hope the changes i've made over the years will work for me this time. Edited May 27, 2009 by gerbil Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chiral Posted May 27, 2009 hunab your viridis are in big pot's so you had no need to fertilize them yet, but please do so, and before they show signs of slowing down. just rather add a tiny ammount of pellets now, than more later.i used to fert my viridis every week, but just a little bit of course. In the soil mix of my Viridis is some very nicely cured horse manure for nutrients and that's the little secret i reckon...its kept the plant in spanking condition since I planted it in a pot with hydro soil mix and some horse poo...eventually when spring comes I will add some chicken poo pellets more often...I love chicken poo it's so good after some rain it simply dissolves and starts to wash into the soil nicely... H. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted May 28, 2009 In the soil mix of my Viridis is some very nicely cured horse manure for nutrients and that's the little secret i reckon...its kept the plant in spanking condition since I planted it in a pot with hydro soil mix and some horse poo...eventually when spring comes I will add some chicken poo pellets more often...I love chicken poo it's so good after some rain it simply dissolves and starts to wash into the soil nicely... H. i totaly get the picture of your plant now, and of course well matured horse manure makes an ideal potting mix additative, or even use instead of potting mix. i realy love this approach, and the growth rate i have seen with plants cared for in this manner was allways record breaking!! as with everything, this has some downsides, which are quite minor for most of the time, however a very high organic compost potting mix can cause, a, a break down (volume) dercrease in the pot, b, increased risc of sciriad fly problem. the older the compost the much better anyway, once that manure based compost, loosed more and more volume over time, the roots of the plant will suffer. aswell the once high drainage material might become more water logged, sort of gooey material, which leads to health problems of the plant, because the roots get compressed and damaged. but repotting often totaly can totaly avoid this problem, and i am sure you like re potting. the perlite is a good idea, as it will lessen the fungus gnat risks. i love perlite and add it if i want fast grow and a high drainage mix it, and who doesn't like that, hehe. i have seen often fungus gnats in plague ammounts brought on by lifter pellets or fresh compost. i like to mix/disolve them into my watering water... anyway, it's better a few pellets here and then, than a layer or clumps of the lifter or compost. fungus gnats love that stuff and will breed in it. some people complain about fungus gnats outbreaks but once one clears all the compost like materials off and out of the pot's (and cleans the whole growing area of debris and fallen leaves and so on..), the fungus problem can be beaten. hmm, i suddenly got all talking about the fungus gnats, but gee they can arouse ones passions and, of many pest i dislike fungus gnats probably the most..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
psychoshaman Posted June 2, 2009 Thanx for all your help guys, she now stays in the shade, and yes the rains are coming so there is no real need to water... i'll just keep an eye on her... again cheers... shanti Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cactophyle Posted June 2, 2009 I'm no P. viridis expert, but doesn't that come from South America? Have you tried putting it in a humidity tent to see if those leaves lift up? G'luck! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hutch Posted June 10, 2009 Mine is looking much like yours, LINK http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/inde...showtopic=21361 I'm following some good advise but not seeming to be having any luck. Can't wait for winter to be gone. I've started to sing to her..Can't hurt lol Hutch Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
psychoshaman Posted June 11, 2009 (edited) hey hutch, yes my P. viridis was pretty much the same, all i did was move it to the shade (filtered light, big bush of some kind gives it shade and filtered light) , nipped the brown tips off with me fingernail (didn't want to offend the spirit of the plant by using steel, thought that might be important???), lightly fert. with the only thing i had (blood and bone, and i mean lightly) i do not bring it indoors anymore, and to date i have made a temporary greenhouse out of cling wrap so that it stays a bit warmer and is not to exposed to the winter elements as much... in all honesty it still looks pale and a bit sick, BUT the leaves are perky and do not droop down no longer and the topmost leaves seem to be darkening up in the middle... i'm no plant expert and i dread to think that ill will come of this magnificent species, all i'm basically doing is giving her the best care i can with the knowledge i hold and the help from all you great people on this forum... and yeah i don't see anything wrong with singing, as i talk to mine almost every morning, personally i think they like it "hee hee" anyhoo... goodluck peace love and mungbeans just checked on her and there still seems to be a little bit of browning around edges of leaves only a little though, might that be the nitrogen thingy, please excuse my lack of knowledge... Edited June 11, 2009 by psychoshaman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hutch Posted June 11, 2009 hey hutch, yes my P. viridis was pretty much the same, all i did was move it to the shade (filtered light, big bush of some kind gives it shade and filtered light) , nipped the brown tips off with me fingernail (didn't want to offend the spirit of the plant by using steel, thought that might be important???), lightly fert. with the only thing i had (blood and bone, and i mean lightly) i do not bring it indoors anymore, and to date i have made a temporary greenhouse out of cling wrap so that it stays a bit warmer and is not to exposed to the winter elements as much... in all honesty it still looks pale and a bit sick, BUT the leaves are perky and do not droop down no longer and the topmost leaves seem to be darkening up in the middle... i'm no plant expert and i dread to think that ill will come of this magnificent species, all i'm basically doing is giving her the best care i can with the knowledge i hold and the help from all you great people on this forum... and yeah i don't see anything wrong with singing, as i talk to mine almost every morning, personally i think they like it "hee hee" anyhoo... goodluck peace love and mungbeans just checked on her and there still seems to be a little bit of browning around edges of leaves only a little though, might that be the nitrogen thingy, please excuse my lack of knowledge... Thanks for that psychoshaman, I have still got mine inside and I have noticed just a marginal improvement. I cut the black parts off her leaves and I think they are looking a bit healthier. It's hard being a new parent ins't it LOL Good luck with it... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
psychoshaman Posted June 12, 2009 OMG... this morning there was a thin film of soft "spider web" like silk covering the soil, now i'm no expert, but after much research (and help from you guys of course) i have come to the conclusion that it may be root rot...(???) or maybe some fungal infection i have read so many different opinions as to why leaves brown at edges (which left me a little confused i must say) is this a fungal thing/root rot? (uncle staunch i saw your P. viridis and got scared as you mentioned root rot eek!) leaves are still browning at the edges, but leaves are perky and raised (as opposed to drooping, which is how leaves used to be) stem is dark down near the soil and nice healthy green the rest of the way... thing is it's a week before i get any flow of $$ as i was thinking to treat it with something, and worried it might progress and escalate beyond repair... it never ends and i'm really left just to guess Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hutch Posted June 12, 2009 Now I'm panicking about mine again..LOL Hutch Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chiral Posted June 13, 2009 I told if you want to save it...re pot it now...pot it up in that soil mix I gave you and leave it alone somewhere off the ground and out of the cold wind. H. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hutch Posted June 13, 2009 In the soil mix of my Viridis is some very nicely cured horse manure for nutrients and that's the little secret i reckon...its kept the plant in spanking condition since I planted it in a pot with hydro soil mix and some horse poo...eventually when spring comes I will add some chicken poo pellets more often...I love chicken poo it's so good after some rain it simply dissolves and starts to wash into the soil nicely... H. Would cow poo be as good? Got a couple of those myself so have plenty of that. Can get horse if not. I do worry about chook poo though. Unless it's old it tends to burn things. Are poo pellets a brought fertilizer? Thanks Hutch Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
