wandjina Posted June 2, 2005 I recently acquired a young viridis plant, and living in a small apartment in increasingly chilly sydney, I'm not sure how best to care for it. I've been bringing it in the bathroom when i shower for a little humidity, in the closet with the hot water heater at night to keep it warm (approx 20C), and on my back porch for some filtered rays during the day. Is this enough? I'm more of a cactus/succulent fancier -don't know how best to look after a trop plant over the winter. Any advice appreciated Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Benzito Posted June 2, 2005 I live in the Blue Mountains, where it is a fair bit colder than Sydney. I keep my Psychotria Viridis, and Carthaginensis, in one of those Bunnings 'greenhouses'. The little plastic enclosure with the zippers up the front? And no ventilation? (unfortunately) Well, I acquired it from SAB in February, and it has only sent out one new shoot since then. So, it really doesn't look to overly happy, but it's surviving. I figure if it pulls through winter, it should grow a bit in Spring. I just mist the plants in there once a day, and have some shallow trays of water covering the ground underneath the greenhouse, and this seems to keep it humid enough. Every time I've kept a plant, and moved it around as much as you are describing, it has died within a few months. It's best to find one spot that is kind of a happy medium of conditions, and leave the plant there. Or at least, maybe just a day-time and night-time position. Don't move it several times a day. This has never worked well for me. It seems to confuse and stress the plant. While it is a tropical plant, it will be living in Sydney now, so it does have to toughen up a little bit. Don't baby it too much, and don't expect to be able to recreate it's natural environment. Just, do the best you can, and hope the plant adapts. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyAmine. Posted June 2, 2005 I agree with Benzito, I have found that my Viridis is quite hearty and has been reasonably happy outside with no direct spraying, just a top dressing of expanded clay pellets that get a spray every few days. The only time it has ever gottn angry with me was when I sprayed it with a rose spray containing white oil because it had aphids or something similar when it arrived (litte green fellas under the leaves)... man, dont ever do that!!! LOL, it burned the shite out of all the new growth and has made a lot of the leaves cup shaped. Until 2 days ago it was outside with 13c nights no worries and has sent out 2 new sets of leaves in the last 3 weeks. Go Planthelper! his plants are Aussie Tough! Dont baby them to much otherwise they will always need it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mulch Posted June 2, 2005 i have to agree with benzito re: moving it round. also, viridis seems to do just fine outdoors all year round in urban sydney as long as it's protected from the cold southerly winds in winter and the hot, dry westerlys in summer. you dont get frosts, and with an hour or two of morning sun - if possible - you can expect year round growth. just dont over water it during winter. Winter is the drier season on the tropics. Try to emulate it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wandjina Posted June 2, 2005 cheers folks...will do. Andy, you mention aphids, there's few of them on the new shoots, what do you recommend? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Benzito Posted June 2, 2005 Re: Aphids. See this thread: http://www.shaman-australis.com.au/ubb/ult...ic;f=2;t=002169 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted June 2, 2005 how much natural light do you have in the bathroom and how cold does it get there? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wandjina Posted June 3, 2005 the bathrooms relatively bright, indirect light, NW facing windows...gets good afternoon rays this time of year. During the day temp is moderate, but gets pretty cold at night, in the teens I guess...middle winter might get down below 10C. I've put the baby in a sheltered nook on my back porch, nice and warm during the day, but pretty cold in the wee hours. Wide temp fluctuation an issue? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted June 3, 2005 in the cold the plant won't grow. in the dry the plant won't grow. a well lit bathroom is ideal because it provides humidity and filtered light just like a rainforest. Any rainforest plant like kratom, Psychotria and salvia thrive here. The problem is the temp though. Psychotria will probably not grow in your bathroom at this time of year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smogs Posted June 4, 2005 my viridis seems to be doing ok on my balcony in syd with very little care (i have been busy as a mother fucker in a maternity ward lately). its not growing, but its not dying either which is good enough for me... im not spraying it and waterings infrequent... i hate getting home and its too dark to see wtf is going on... damn winter and its short daylight hours Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wandjina Posted June 7, 2005 busy as a mother fucker in a maternity ward *LMAO* :D :D :D Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted June 7, 2005 wanjina i have attached a mini camera to the plant, so please put it back into the bathroom so i can perf on you, lol. no but seriously i would like to ask you out for a date, if you would not be engaged and 1800k away from me. ph loves wanjina. smogs is your gf a nurse? i mean nurse action rulz! edit: i think as said by others the viridis is best kept outdoors even in sydney, you could put her in a foam (brocoli) box without any cover for additional protection and warmth... [ 07. June 2005, 12:53: Message edited by: planthelper ] Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted June 7, 2005 geez, no wonder most girls keep quiet about their gender Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wandjina Posted June 8, 2005 ph loves wanjina Gee, I dunno ph, you can't even spell my handle right Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted June 8, 2005 oh come on, nothing wrong with apreciating the beauty of a human being, i just simply said that because visiting gom i discovered what webcam's get used for these day's, hehe. and i know that misspelling a members name might offence, but than again i might blame it on my sticky keyboard or my general akward spelling skills. i am the way i am, and i found that idea quite funny, no hard feelings mate... btw tort thank you very much for this big seedpackage, the feeling i got when i saw them was, tort loves me, but you might call it something else but it doesn't matter what it "is" all that matters is that i got a cozy feeling in my chest everytime i look at the seeds and my innervoice goes bonkers about it. in short i hope, no i rephrase i know you had a nice glow aswell in your chest giving them away, as giving is superior to recieving. thx for your genorosety tort, i will try my best with them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted June 8, 2005 LOL ph, glad you liked them. I think you are in a much better climate than me to grow them, so it's better if you have lots. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wandjina Posted June 10, 2005 Aw, come on ph, anyone'd think we we're picking on you...besides, I'm not really offended. (pssst...torsten, you pin him down and I'll shave off his eyebrows) :D Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted June 10, 2005 lol! and all the best for your asigement. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bean me Posted June 10, 2005 i'm in tropical lowland bali and my plant from sab i got half year ago. it did well at first, but now curly leaves and brown ends, new leave growth burnt off after just a bit of organic fertiliser (neemcake and other manure) stays at shady place and water evryday so maybe too hot for her ? no luck yet with leavecuttings yet and no rootinghormone available here, is there a alternative to that? T, salvia also seems to grow better above 800 m so i ve heard. any ideas ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted June 11, 2005 i think you have burnt the plant with the fert, so water even more as so to flush the fert. if a plant hasn't been ferted for a while and the tissue was not full of water, than even a small amount of fert can cause those symptoms! water even more. let's hope your roots havent been damaged too much by this odeal as a dried up viridis plant will ony recover very sowly, and sometimes not at all. shriveled leaves=not enough water! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wandjina Posted June 15, 2005 another question...as I've noted elsewhere a few aphids came along with said plant, which I removed. However, after a few days, ants arrived on the scene (i've lived in my apartment for a year and never seen an ant!), bringing with them more aphids and distributing them along the midribs of the older leaves. again, removed aphids...to no avail. The ants keep bringing them back. 'Keep the ants off' I thought...make a moat...effective. Led me to wonder, what else don't ants like? Would a moat of diatomaceous earth or other super-fine media, say talcum powder, deter them? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
planthelper Posted June 15, 2005 hmm... ant's are very smart and quite resilliant... killing them the way i describe is a bit dangerous for the health of the plant aswell it's not an all green aproach. water your plant very well the night before, proly use a saucer so the potting mix is very wet and the tissue of the plant full of water. next day (AND DO THIS ALL IN THE SHADE, NO DIRECT SUN LIGHT, as pyretrum is photo toxic),get a bucket or container just slightly bigger than your pot. if you have repotted just recently, take the pot off and all of the pottingmix which comes off easy (hasn't got roots ther yet). than get pyrethrum and mix it with 4 equals of water or even stronger. now put the pot into your container and pour the pyrethrum water mixture onto the soilsurface and into the container. make sure the solution soaks in everywhere. any ant's hidding in airfilled caves will survive otherwise... but don't do this for too long just a few minutes! than let it drain off (save the solution for other treatments) and FLUSH WITH PURE WATER repeatetly. pyretrum could harm your plant if you don't flush it out soon... now spray all the above ground parts with full strengh pyretrum, but aswell clean off all residue after 3 minutes or so with hand warm misted water. now inspect if all pests are gone, if not repeat the areas which has been missed out... for the scales use white oil, but wash it off very fast aswell, as whiteoil can kill viridis if left on. take a soft cloth and rub the scales (and the black scum, if you have any) off. this methode is basicly the same as tort once desribed for eraticating fungus gnats!! [ 15. June 2005, 09:10: Message edited by: planthelper ] Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
