Sick little P. Viridis

[LikeAshesWeFade]

Hey guys!! I received two little P. Viridis rooted cuttings in the mail roughly 3 weeks ago now, they were healthy when they arrived and I expected some yellowing and wilting due to the fact they've come from QLD over to WA's dry hot weather. The leaves on both plants haven't really shrivelled at all they tend to tuck in a little at the tip when its hot but I had some nice looking green new growth coming up through the middle, they both had a little brown on the tips which I also expected from the dry heat.

But.. what is happening is the new growth gets roughly 1cm or so big and from the little dry brown tips on both, a brown starts to form further and further down the new little leaf until it gets to the base of the new leaf. One plant had both little leaves go brown so I picked them off and the other seemed happy as until today (which was 35 degrees and dry) when I noticed on the other plant that the brown was also going further down from the tip of the new leaf, the other side of the new growth seems ok atm, it's just one of the leaves is starting to do it, like the other plant did.

My question is.. is this due to the fact that even the new growth won't be used to the humidity change yet and will turn brown and drop off until its acclimatized properly? Or.. is it because I cannot bloody leave them alone and keep touching them atleast once a day on the new growth to make sure there's no bugs etc. All the acid's from my fingers I thought may be contributing to the new leaves turning brown? As for the yellowing of the bigger leaves, I have added dynamic lifter and some UREA and also the growing medium has added nitrophoska in it. I just figured it's still adapting to this dry weather!

Sorry for writing a book! Don't wanna lose these little guys, any info would be GREATLY appreciated! Also.. I'm misting them roughly 5 - 7 times a day.

Cheers

LikeAshes

Edited November 28, 2010 by LikeAshesWeFade

[LikeAshesWeFade]

Hmm think I may have just found my answer! I have been misting too much when I shouldn't need to mist at all, it sounds like there is a foliage bacteria forming from the hot days and constant misting. I have literally watched a leaf turn brown at the tip and then later that day the whole leaf is brown, so it definitely sounds like some sort of foliage bacteria.

I'm going to stop the misting, especially with tap water! Give them a good feed of some miracle gro and leave them be. Let's hope it works! Anyone with some extra advice would still be hugely appreciated!

[mint]

hey doode,

im no plant guru although ive helped my viridis threw tuff times,

first i reccomend getting a plastic bottle halfing it and puttting it on your viridis for some extra hummidity, then go to bunnings buy a 70% or 90% shade cloth in the gardening section $5 worth, somehow put the shadecloth over it if there in direct sun, mist twice a day preferrably before peak heat and after peak heat, although i believe a shade cloth well help with the the sun so if the leaves are most the water wont work as a magnifying glass and burn your blant, after some good plant food and growth remove the bottle slowly and you have a reborn virgin! when u mist just 1 pump or 2 at the most is more than enough.

[LikeAshesWeFade]

Cheers for the advice dude! I've been bloody misting it heaps hey, and very heavily too when I do. So I will cut that down to a minimum and also I'm boiling the water now and letting it cool to remove any chlorine or heavy metals that may be staining the leaf too. As for shade.. I have them under my patio which has a few strips of smokey clear plastic to allow some light in which they seem to like, but because of this raw heat I have placed them in a nice bright room to get some new growth.

I tried the humidity thing last night in a white bucket with glad wrap on top and airholes.. but they were quickly wilting so I took em back out, which now they're quite happy with leaves up high. So fingers crossed that they survive haha! I am fairly sure aslong as they stems stay green they will regrow new leaves!

Thanks again mate