The Plant Thread

[pinkkittywinks]

I can't remember what colour they were supposed to be, either purple or blue.

I bought some cat grass to grow for Amber should she want anything green to chew on and keep myself up to speed with what are and are not pet safe plants.

Love pkw xxx

[Taffeta]

Funny you say that. I had both blue and white ones grown from seed, but while the white ones flourished, the blue ones...didn't? THere were one or two that survived - I think maybe just one plant, actually - but the others all died off and never flowered. They were sharing space with the thunbergia, but like I said, the white variant was fine. I can't remember what the type was, but it had purple tints on the petals.

Definitely a no-no if there's a risk to the pet, though.

I also tried growing them years ago when I was very into blue flowers. The same thing happened to me, but in this case there were pink and white ones but no blue. Unfortunately I think it's one of those situations where the flower seed industry is telling you a bit of a fib. I'm not sure what the reason is, maybe they need acid soil to go blue like hydrangeas. Seed companies know that domestic customers tend to blame themselves if their seeds don't perform well 

Well, I know that there were 2 different types because the seeds grew slightly differently. The one (?) plant that flowered produced large blue flowers, while all the others were smaller white blooms. SO...who knows. I used to grow them as a kid without issue, and the seedlings grew just fine but...didn't really crack on once outside.

The white ones have probably seeded the whole lawn.

[Ponyfan]

If I fill the saucers and come back in an hour or so and they're dry, do I need to add more water? I don't want to accidently kill the mints by not giving them enough water.


Ponyfan

[pinkkittywinks]

Let's see, mints are pretty tough, but I wouldn't leave then standing in water (if they suck all the water that's ok, but if they don't it can mean the soil is water logged and that can kill a plant. I stick my finger in the earth in the pot, quite far down about an inch. If the pot is dry there, the plant needs water, if it is damp, plant is ok for a bit longer.

Love pkw xxx

[BlackCurtains]

Since Ben's last soaking, he's doing well again. I think he finally stopped dropping leaves. The stem that had turned brown died. I cut it off.

[Ponyfan]

Thanks pinkkittywinks. 

Mint 1 looks terrible today.  It was fine yesterday, but when I went to water it today, it looks like it split in 2.  I can literally see two halves of the plant where yesterday I had a bushy mint plant.  Is this normal?  Maybe Mint 1 is going dormant even though it's inside. I don't have a pic uploaded yet, but can post one tomorrow.


Ponyfan

[Beth3346]

i'm sorry i haven't done an update in a while. rosemary and chives look ok. the basil is very unhappy. it's been rainy and cold for the last few weeks so not much sun. i'm going to trim it down but i'll probably need to resow in the spring. cilantro still looks the same. i need to bring it inside but i don't have an available window that faces east or west. only south.

[Ponyfan]

Here's a pic of Mint 1 from the top down instead of the side.  Does anyone know what is happening to my plant?

visitors can't see pics , please register or login



Ponyfan

[Taffeta]

Could anything have fallen on it, Ponyfan?

[Ponyfan]

I don't think anything could have fallen on it.  The other day I watered the mints like I have been doing from the tray, went back a little while later and saw most of the water had already been sucked up by Mint 1.  I gave it another saucer full of water which it also sucked up pretty fast.  Maybe I over watered it?   

The green leaves on Mint 1 feel rubbery.

Here's this week's pic of the mint plants.

visitors can't see pics , please register or login


visitors can't see pics , please register or login


Mint 2



Ponyfan

[Taffeta]

TBH, Mint 1 looks a bit like it hasn't had enough water. Is it in a position where it's very sunny or warm (a heater or something) that might dry out it's soil quickly? Plants will always prioritise their roots over everything, so if there isn't enough water, they'll drop the leaves or wilt.

That said, it's also possible that they've had too much water and/or something has got into the roots. I would probably do the finger test as suggested above to see how dry the soil is, and if it's damp, then I would probably be investigating the roots and repotting it (providing I could do so without it getting cold).

...If it is very cold where you are, and where the plants are, that might also affect it, but my strongest suspicion is warmth maybe drying it out, because you said it sucked up two trays of water and that seems like a lot...

[Artemesia's Garden]

I have a new theory about mint 1. Does it have vine weevil or a grub in the pot or something similar that could be eating the roots?

[Ponyfan]

Thanks Taffeta and Artie.  Taffeta, I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that it might be too warm and drying out.  When I checked it yesterday the soil was hard and dry even at the top of the pot.   I gave it a good watering from the top down and Mint 1 perked up a bit.  I'm not sure if the wilting parts will all survive not having enough water as some of them have dried up completely and broken off. 

Poor Mint 1.   I've tried so hard to keep it healthy, but it seems like I keep doing things that aren't good for it.

I'll be watering it form the top down from now on until it's time to go outside in the spring.


Ponyfan
 

[Taffeta]

I'm sure Mint 1 and Mint 2 know you're doing your best

Hopefully it's not something as nasty as vine weevil! I had one of those in my dragon tree's pot last summer. Poor Nik. He had a hard summer :/ He also overheated and some of his summer growth is very dry and yellow. His new growth is ok though. Phew.

Of the three little morning glory self seeders I salvaged from the tower before the soil got composted, two look like they may be putting up shoots. We'll see if they make progress. They shouldn't really be shooting in the winter, but I want to give them a chance.

I have 3 spider plants on my windowsill with them, and two fuchsia cuttings from last spring who are doing great and flowering. The middle spider plant is now just over a year old, and I swear she has a personality. Her 'parent' plants tend to grow their flower/pup stems towards the window/light. This one grows them towards the TV. Three times. I also find the leaves brushing other plants a lot. I move the plants, but when I come back later, they're leaf touching again. I think it's just a very social plant? LOL

I'm not sure if she's more interested in watching Strictly or the football.

[Artemesia's Garden]

My mint plant was also dying back. But, already sprouting again from the bottom with healthy shoots. So I trimmed it back and moved it to a more sheltered position to avoid the severe weather. I bought some plastc gauzes to put in the drainage holes next year and hopefully avoid vine weevil.