New psychotrias are dropping leaves everywhere

[gneumatics]

Hey all. So I've since had my p.viridis's delivered and at first they seemd quite happy to be placed in the indoor environment I have going. The top leaves have been growing bigger and bigger each day however the lower leaves are all starting to drop. They also have black edges once they have dropped.

My question is if this is normal? i mean are they just getting used to their new home or should i be doing something drastic to make sure they live?

The details of the setup are as follows...

Plant size: 6 inch/15cm mark.

Soil: Soil mixture comprised of %40 perlite, %30 humus and %30 cactus soil.

Growing area: 2ft x 2ft (60cms x 60 cms) enclosed space with painted white walls.

Light type: 2 x 55w T5 6500k fluorescent tubes with a 60cmx50cm metal reflector placed 10 inches/25cms from the tips.

Light Intensity: 500 lux at the tips of the plants.

Light Cycle: 16hrs on and 8 hrs off (set by a timer to ensure cycle is constant from day to day).

Watering Times and Type: Twice weekly with filtered tap water. Once on Monday which will be a full watering (Adding water, allowing it to drain and then adding water again this time with fertilizer) and again on Thursday night which will be a half watering (simply adding water and allowing it to drain). If little growth is happening the watering schedule will be reduced and humidity levels increased.

Fertilizing: Liquid fertilizer to be used once fortnightly with the full watering (using half the strength of the direcions on the packaging), and Seasol once fortnightly (alternating with the liquid fertilizer, this time at 3/4's of the strength dierected on the packaging). Once plants are established Osmocote will be applied at 1/4 the recommended amount on the packaging.

Humidity: Humidifier to be used. Fungicide will be sprayed on the walls and plants once a month.

Temperature: Aiming to keep as close to a constant 25 degrees Celsius as possible with the help of a small oil heater.

Pot Size: Standard plastic 6 inch pots (14 cms).

Any help would be much appreciated.....

... Cheers...

... G

[Roopey]

Way too much light.

Edited April 28, 2012 by Roopey

[Stillman]

I'm no expert on Pyschotria sp but that doesn't sound like too much light to grow most green leaf plants. I would probably have the light even closer? Maybe I'm reading it wrong? If anything I might think the watering schedule might be the cause? With indoors stuff personally I tend to regularly feed the plant nutes and then occassionally flush with "straight water" Again I am no Pychotria expert.

[Sallubrious]

Let's not forget they were bare rooted, bunged a box and sent across the country.

To me it just seems like transplant shock, which is common for any plant that's been through such a trauma.

If the top leaves are looking good they should be OK after a they settle in.

When you water them do you stick your finger in the soil mix to get an idea of the moisture levels ?

When you say oil heater is an oil burning heater or an electric fin type heater ?

Be careful with the fertiliser, that seems a bit excessive to me, plants in soil can accumulate a lot of salts. When the temps start warming up in spring and summer you could end up burning them.

http://www.improve-y...lizer-burn.html

Be sure to remove any dropped leaves.

[Alice]

Certainly not too much light. Full direct sun is up too 130000 lux, for comparison. 500 lux may seem bright because our eyes adapt incredibly well to light, but really it is very dim light to a plant.

I agree with transplant shock. More specifically, I think what you are seeing is the plant sacrificing older growth for nutrients to fuel the newer growth. When washing the roots bare before sending, it is impossible not to damage all the fine root which are responsible for taking up water and nutrient. Once they re-establish, your plants will be better able to take up nutrient for itself and sacrificial abscission of older growth will reduce.

Go easy on the fertiliser for now. That 30% humus will hold onto a great deal of fertiliser that you've already applied by chelation. It will take a while for those feeder roots to grow back, and excessive fertiliser slows this down.

[gneumatics]

Stillman: Do you think it might be too much or too little?

SallyD: Yes, I do stick my finger into the soil but i also use a moisture sensor and water when they are at number 4 (1-3 says 'dry' 4-7 says 'moist' and 8-10 says 'dry'). This is because i assume with my humidifier blowing over the plants the top soil is likely to be wetter then the soil down at the roots.

The heater is an electric fin heater that heats oil in the fins.

Fertilizer seems unlikely to be the case as I've only seasol'd them once so far in about 2 weeks. Will go easier on the amount of ferts all the same now.

... G

Edited April 29, 2012 by gneumatics

[Stillman]

I think it may be too much watering, if its not drying rapidly and its a fresh transplanted plant I think it could go with a moist but not wet soil to almost drying then water. But also could be stress I don't think your plant is in any real trouble. How hot is the box without the heater?

[gneumatics]

The room would be around the 18 degree Celsius mark without the heater.

One thing I forgot to mention, I have the humidifier blowing over the leaves all of the time so a lot are almost constantly wet. Is this a bad this you think?

... G

[Stillman]

I would give it a few weeks. I have seen friends grow them in plastic greenhouses which keep the humidity really high and they seem to love it. If its only the bottom leaves and its not spreading up and the plant isn't defoliating then it is probably just transplant stress. In a month you will know.

[DarkSpark]

Moisture on the leaves shouldn't be a bad thing as Psychotrias grow in humid environments. I have mine tucked in a corner of my greenhouse getting no direct sunlight and watering rarely (weekly or whenever leaves start to droop) and this seems to work well for me. They can survive with minimal water in the soil as long as the leaves have moisture. If you think it may not survive i would suggest taking a couple of leaf cuttings now and that way you have guaranteed plants in the future if this one carks it. I would advise as do others that you cut the watering back a bit, if the pot is a fair bit bigger than the plant it will hold heaps of excess moisture around the edges where the roots arent yet and this will discourage root growth which is the opposite of what you want to be doing.

also keep your eyes out for fungus gnats ! they will kill your plants quickly.

[space cadet swami]

Where's "planthelper", his psychotria's looked awesome....

I kept mine really well sheltered in the shade for the 1st mth & kept the leaves misted (every time I walked past them), before they went into the shade house. Mine are in a really well drained mix & they get dunked once a week...I put them in searles cactus mix, they love it. The main problem I had was the bugs love them...neem oil Yeah!

I've fertilised them twice in 5mths with a nitrogen/phosphorous mix (hydro nutrient), they're green as & have lateral development already...filtered light inside should b sufficient & keep the leaves misted. Mine haven't dropped 1 leaf. They've grown about an 1"/mth.

Mist them constantly...works 4 me anyhow.

"DarkSpark's" leading u up the right path...mist my man, mist...

[Heretic]

I find indoor gardening to be fraught with problems , trying to create a suitable environment is not easy and pests can be rampant. Although a tropical species , I have seen a psychotria thriving outdoors in Melbourne on a balcony . Some plants can be quite adaptable as far as habitat , however , I imagine psychotria would be very sensitive to frost . Mine are outdoors , and shaded from noon sun , fed with S/R Nitrophoska and occasional seasol - powerfeed combo . I think DarkSpark's suggestion to take some cuttings is a good idea , if your plants are big enough - that way you would be able to experiment with environments , or as a safeguard against the plant dying for some reason . Not sure if your problem would be too much light - I'm thinking if that were the case then it would be the top leaves stressing , not the lower ones . I'm inclined to agree with Stillman and DarkSpark about watering , IME anything in pots seems to prefer alternating wet - dry conditions , without drying out to the point where the fine roots start to die . Indoors pest numbers can quickly explode . I know a chap who catches ladybugs outside , sprays them with Coke to glue their wings down to prevent escape , then releases them into his indoor herb garden to control pests . He says it works quite well . Good luck with your indoor garden though , I hope it does well for you !