Taffy's Inbox

I reread your first posting, Taffy. The bit about wilting is not right.
A spath. should not be allowed to wilt...three times and it's out.

Hi Taffy, Go to WalMart and get Schultz's Instant...They make specialty ferts...for african violets, orchids, etc. but just get the regular stuff...It is in a dropper top bottle. Find yourself a litre Juice bottle, (glass no plastic) with a tight fitting lid. If it's a litre bottle it takes the guess work out of mixing...shake the fert. stuff up really good...then place four (4) drops of the liquid in the litre of tepid water, shake up and after you've given Wally his dousing, fertlize as the last step...Let all the water/fertilizer drain through, set him back in his special not too bright spot...and voila. He will love you and repay you with some lovely blooms, did you know the blooms are fragrant? Also it is hard to over-water in a clay pot...just make sure you drain the pot well after each watering. Stick your finger down into the soil about an inch, if it's dry it's time to water. You can also tell if it needs watering just by lifting the pot...if it's heavy there is still water in the soil...if it feels lighter, maybe it needs the finger check and some more water.
Getting the 'hang' of houseplants may take a few tries...but they can even improve the quality of air in your apartment...Find yourself a
Spider Plant. They produce fountains of offshoots (babies) and they are one of the best houseplants for air improvement...
Learning how to water is easy...drainage, drainage, drainage...never put a plant in a pot that doesnot have a draining opening in the bottom... Well guess I'm done for now...good luck and post some pics.
regards
Lori

Put Wally in the tub, or in a laundry sink, somewhere that you can be liberal with the water...You have him in a clay pot and the clay pot may be claiming the water that is intended for Wally.Remove Wally and the soil from the pot. just wrap his roots in a paperbag for the time being. Before planting in a clay pot you should immerse it in water...you will be surprised to see all the bubbles; it may even sing! let it absorb water for 3 or four hours. Then put Wally back in the pot with some nice fresh compost or potting mix...with the pot still in the sink, saturate his soil with warm water, till the air that's in the dried soil bubbles up.Keep drenching the soil then letting it drain..when the bubbling ceases, place him in the empty sink and let the pot drain. Place it on a drip saucer. and put him in a cool, dry, not overly bright corner...and he should recover. Spaths like Wally don't need direct sunlight, they prefer light filtered through a sheer curtain and will even grow in less than bright indirect light.. Keep his soil moist, and every second watering give him a dunking to get the air out of the soil and replace some of the moisture in the clay pot. give him a weak balanced fertilizer solution... like 10-10-10 BUT ONLY AFTER HE HAS RECOVERED FROM THE WILT.
too much fertilizer will do more harm than good sometimes. Cute name, by-the-way! I had a Draceana Sanderiana that I called Charlemange! He was so tall he had to have an imperial name.

Poor Wally. He looks a whole lot different to the pic you posted of him back in December. I went the other way with mine a few months ago and grossly overwatered. Thankfully I seem to have rescued the situation. I have to say though Taffy, your Peace Lilly-or Spathiphyllum as it's otherwise known seems to have suffered a spell of underwatering. I never wait for mine to show signs of wilting but give it just a drop of water about once a week. They don't like too much sunshine or unnatural heat from say, radiators. Is yours near a radiator perhaps or in direct sunlight? That might explain quick drying out and wilting. I also shove a few slow release food capsules into the soil at the start of the growing season. They last for months.

I do hope you can save your Wally. He looks a real beauty when in good nick! Best wiishes and good luck, Mack.

Perhaps a plastic, non porous pot rather than terracotta would help too to avoid the plant drying out so quickly...Good luck!

i would recommend repotting in to new compost and a bigger pot, he does look a little bit big for the one he is in, and the more space he has the more the pot will hold the moisture. spring is a good time to repot any plant so i would do it soon. from your pic it does'nt look like there is too much wrong with him at all. he is obviously well cared for and likes his home.

I love the way you've given all your plants names. I especially liked the 'Guvnah' :o )

hi there this lucky bamboo, does'nt need soil to grow, it grows in water, but they are not long lasting anyway you need to replace them every so often. best to treat it as a long lasting cut flower rather than a plant, the root rot could be lack of water or stale water, it likes clean deep water. - hope this helps.