My Psychotria Viridis is basically dead.

[Axle Rose]

So I made an order about 2 weeks ago. It came through.

1 cactus that came through perfect. Top job

But the other plant, the Psychotria Viridis plant came through dried out, the leaves were a pale yellow colour and wiltered, with cracks and holes in the leaves. I figured it might have been either lack of water, or fertilizer burning, so I transplanted it into a nice soil and watered it down. Next day: Worse.

What's the deal?

Can I save it? If so, how?

And if I can't, what's the deal with returns?

You can reach me at [email protected] if you need to.

[Stonehenge]

You could keep a dome over it to raise the humidity. Other than that, hope it gets better.

[Anonymous]

Chacruna also can be propagated easily from leaf, so if there is a good leaf on the plant, you could try planting it.

Let me see if I can dig up a thread I've seen...OK, here it is:

http://forums.ayahuasca.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2656

Looks pretty easy.

[Torsten]

Plants leave here in excellent condition and beyond that is the customers responsibility. The packaging we use keeps the plant fresh for about a week or so (express post only takes maximum 3 days). If the plant is damaged in any way it must have been exposed to heat like being left in full sun at time of delivery. we recommend using post box or post pick up for plants if you can't guarantee a shady delivery spot.

Repotting stright after transit is not a good idea. The plant needs to recover first before adding more stress (at least a few days).

But all may not be lost. Psychotria like many tropicals will drop it's leaves when overheated or when suffering from lack of water. This does not really damage the plant and new leaves will usually emerge soon after. If the damage from the heat did not affect the stem then your plant will recover.

[smogs]

i had a brugmansia that was in the post for 2 weeks! (express post my foot!)

i rang to track it and they said it was delievered but WASNT then i got it 2 weeks later... hmm musta falled under a seat or something

anwyays all the leaves were dead and yellow and had fallen off

it was justa stem

but just give it lots of water and it should come good... my brug did

as long as the stem looks liek a stem its fine

if it turns into a twig then you may have issues

what were the roots like when u repotted? nice and white? if so should be fine

[Axle Rose]

Hey again,

Ok, I think it's been a couple of weeks since I posted about the sick Psychotia Viridis. Thanks for your replies.

An update on it's condition:

The dried up yellowy white leaves have fallen off the bottom of the stem. There is still a moderately sized leaf hanging from near the top (a few brown edges), and some new baby leaves growing from the top of the main stem. The stem is fine and green.

Looks like it's getting healthier, though I'm not sure about the falling leaves. It's summer now, so obviously the Temp is rising, but I have been watering it fairly well too.

Any recommendations on how often I should water it?

Thanks.

[planthelper]

if, the roots are healty, this plant is very thirsty.

so water your viridis often (i, water mine twice a day, all out doors), because u live in perth/ semi tropics. but even in the cold climat zones you may have to frequently check on this plant and water & pamper it over the summer time (you naturaly would have moved your viridis out doors into "prime position", if you live semi cold).

my tip:

inspect the underneath side of a big mature viridis leaf, focus on the veins, can you see those funny, small v shaped spikes pokeing up?

the shamans in south america say, the more spikes the stronger the leave.

favorable enviro is a must for maximum potency, bla, bla.

[ 03. December 2004, 15:12: Message edited by: planthelper ]

[Rev]

Torsten:

(express post only takes maximum 3 days)

i know thats what they say and so really thats all you can bank on but its really not true

All depends when n where its from and to

I know you guys post mostly on mon and tues but even then getting to WA takes ages

In fact express post to WA really isnt worth the $ IME

i second the rationale behind gettinga PO box- aiurconditioned comfort for your seeds n plants and much more secure thna a letter box

[Torsten]

rev, if you post on monday before the EP mail stream closes the item will definitely get to perth by friday. it has never failed yet.

the problem is that if you post in Lismore on monday after 4pm it may not enter the express mailstream until tuesday 4pm. this means it takes on day to get to the coastal section (brisbane or sydney), ie wednesday afternoon and at least one day to perth, ie thursday afternoon. however, perth sometimes takes a second day which makes it friday afternoon. if the destination is outside the perth metro network then your item will not be delivered that week.

You have to understand the mailstream to get the maximum out of it. keeping in mind that the express post mailstream is totally separate from the normal mail stream, and has it's own/different deadlines both for despatch and delivery.

[Torsten]

axle rose - it appears your plant was cooked. The bag must have been exposed to sunlight at some point in the journey. we pack the plants in a way that most will survive it anyway (if a tropical plants loses it's leaves it is no big deal for the plant as it will recover quickly). our new packing system for 4 plants or more uses boxes to protect from cooking.

I know it isn't always possible, but we thoroughly recommend to order 4-6 plants at a time as this is the best method for the plants.

[mescalito]

Axel: if there's any more green stem left chop it and drop it upright into a glass of water.Keep out of direct sun and change the water daily.

I had one that did the same thing and after 3 months of this treatment she started sprouting leaves and roots....

then the cat knocked it down the back of the fridge where by the time I found it, it had met it's demise