Water only when most of the soil is going dry (infrequently!), and don't keep in bright light.

Much thanks to both of you! One of the things I read said that goldfish plants were from the same family as African Violets and required similar care, soil, watering, and light. Based on the advice you both gave it sounds to me like that's true, so once this leaf drop problem is corrected I should be all set.

"Your plant is drooping? Is the soil wet? Are any leaves changing colours (brown, yellow...)? How often do you water? Does the soil stay wet for very long? Is the soil too dry? It's best to correct the drooping problem first. Plants typically droop when they are parched, but they can also droop when they are too hot and when they have been overwatered regularly (roots drown)."

Soil is moist. I've only watered once since I got the plant about a month ago, and now I'm waiting for it to dry out before I water again. I had it on top of a bookshelf in low light, but I moved it to my table with all my african violets a couple days ago. I'd like to transfer it out of the soil it's in and into soil that I know will be better for it, but I'm afraid of losing all the leaves if I so much as look at it funny.

As far as leaf color goes... the leaves looked totally green and fine to me, but in these pictures they're almost the color of bananas. If I could get the plant out of the pot then I'd be able to cut off the damaged roots and get it into a better soil, but how do I do that without losing all the leaves? Should I just give up and trim the plant down to an inch or two, and let it start over completely? I wouldn't mind doing that if there's any chance of it working.

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(click on images to make larger)

Thanks again for your help!

I will tell you what I would think about doing. If you are losing the lower leaves, and them stems seem fine, I would trim some the roots off, repot it, and then bury some of the leafless stems, them should grow now roots from the nodes. I see one branch that is broken, you can cut this off and reroot it if you want. I just repotted my Goldfish plant today, I buried about an inch of the stems where my leaves have fallen off. The plant doesnt look too bad, you should be albe to save it.

Tracy

Awesome, thank you! This is great, since I have time to do this kind of stuff today. ;0)

One last question, then I'm off to go play in the dirt - do goldfish plants tend to bloom better when they're a little rootbound, or do they like room to grow?

Being a little snug will probably make your goldfish plant happy. This won't guarantee blooms since other factors are important, but it won't hurt either. If given proper care, this precious plant will grow in leaps and bounds, and flower for most of the year - with a short dormancy period. Enjoy!

water_roots! How funny that you happened to reply. I've been reading your site and love it, and it's because of you that I've gotten into hydro. I haven't had the nerve to try to convert anything from soil yet, but everything I propagate is now growing in hydroton. So far I have a dracaena, a jade plant, another succulent that I forget the name of, and a ton of african violets all happily growing roots. Oh, and the newest one: the goldfish plant stems that got trimmed off today. ;0)

Violetta, thanks! When I first tried my hand at hydroculture, I was reluctant as well to convert plants. But after trying it with small plants and realizing how simple it was, I became a 'converting junkie'. LOL... Now I convert anything and everything I bring home. And it's fun.

I'm glad you're enjoying your new growing method. And if you need any help, or encouragement, to get you going, drop me a line on my email. I'd be happy to help.

Hi all,

Violetta,

I really cannot add much more to the conversation. Water_roots has given you very good advice. The only thing that I can add is that I have two Columnea or goldfish plants and have had them for years. I have grown them both under fluorescent lights and in direct sunlight. I have had them in a South window so that they get no direct Summer sun, but plenty of direct winter sunlight. In fact, I have trouble getting them to bloom in the summertime because the light is not strong enough. Also, the direct winter sunlight is Colorado (altitude one-mile) sunlight. The air is thin up here and the sunlight is very strong and can burn plants (and people) very easily. Even with that my columnea do just fine. If you are on the Oregon Coast I would imagine that you would not have any problem with direct sunlight at all. I hope this helps.

Hi water_roots aka nature lover. I see that you changed your name. And appropriately so, considering your passion about your method of plant watering. Just wanted to say "hi".

Larry

Hiya Larry! Looks like you found me out...LOL... Yes, after much thought, I decided to change my name to something more appropriate. I've been meaning to do this for a long time, but never got around to it. I lurk around here regularly, enjoying what other people write but don't always get the time to post. Today is a little quieter, so 'HI' right back at ya!

Thanks Larry! I have it hanging in a SW corner that is all glass. I'm keeping a close eye on it - if it looks like it's starting to burn I'll move it, but I think it's high up enough that it's not getting hit straight through the glass. I'm about 90 miles inland - the sun can definitely get strong here, but it doesn't happen often. :0)

Portland is so cloudy and plants that will burn with direct sun in other areas often need it here. Plants recommended for north exposure in books often need east or south here.

Violetta, there is a great book called Green Plants for Gray Days by Martha Stuckey and Ethel Hofman-Biskar that you might try to find at a used bookstore. It is an oldie but goodie.

Thanks buyorsell! You're once again saving my greenery. :0)

My prior experience with houseplants was in Boston, which was MUCH different, as you can imagine. Your tips on growing in the PNW are always greatly appreciated.

I'll pop over to Powell's during lunch and try to track down that book. Thanks!

You are welcome. Don't you just LOVE Powell's?

I know Boston is much colder but it is sunnier. Almost everywhere is sunnier. People who don't live here can't imagine how dreary it really is during the long gray months.

We've had a mature goldfish plant for about 2 months sitting on a reception area desk of an office. It had about 10 blooms on it, is thriving beautifully, unfortunately, the blooms dropped off within the first few days and have not returned. It's summer and I frequently put it outside in the sun and if it rains. We're all patiently waiting for the blooms to return. Is there something further that I could be doing?

Hi norma, not an expert on goldfish plant, but I just recently received a small plant. If it is in your office just be extra careful when you put it outside in the sun. It could get sunburn. Not sure where your zone is, but I live in FL and our sun is very strong right now. I sunburned one of my plants when I put it in full sun after it was in the house for a while. You have to acclimate it slowly to full sun. Start my putting it in morning sun for an hour or so, and extend it for a little longer each day for about 7-10 days. Rain water is definitely good for it. My plants do great with rain water. Also maybe give it some all purpose fertilizer, not too strong, maybe 1/2 of the recommended dosage every couple of weeks...Good luck and hope it blooms real soon for you. I really like this plant and had the hardest time finding it here.

Hi,
I have a similar problem as Violetta was having. I bought it about a month-and-a-half ago from a nice nursery, and at the time it was very full with lots of blooms. I have it hanging on a ceiling hook in front of my bedroom windows, which face northeast, so it gets a lot of indirect light in the morning, but less in the afternoon, and never really very bright. The hook is up kind of high, so I take the plant down and leave it in front of the window (also next to an African violet, actually) while I'm at work. I've only watered it twice, the first time heavily, the second only lightly (and recently) and the soil is slightly damp now. About a week after I got it, the blooms started falling off, and more recently (last few weeks) a lot of leaves having been dropping as well.

I noticed that one side seemed considerably healthier--with less leaf dropping, and with a lot of the branches from the other side growing in that direction, so I figured that maybe I had just been giving one side more light when I took it down. The last week, I've tried to correct this by giving the less healthy side more light, but now there is more leaf dropping on the other side.

I've also noticed that the leaves tend to be dropping from branches that have dried out and no longer have green ends. I've started trimming these back, though it's tricky as the plant is still fairly think in some areas. The leaves are still almost entirely green, except for those on the driest branches, which have large black spots (though I'm fairly certain this is because they are dead, and the branch seems to be as well).

I'm not sure if I should just accept that the plant is adjusting to far less light than it had in the greenhouse where I got it, and that it is scaling itself back in some ways, or if there's something I should do. I'm also not sure whether it would be better to always face the same side of the plant toward the sunlight, allowing the branches to grow in that direction at the expense of the other side, or to rotate it daily or so to give it equal light on both sides, but constantly changing the direction. Perhaps it would be better to leave it hanging up high where it gets less light, I really don't know.

For now, I'm going to plan on letting it dry out, then giving it a heavy watering, but I could use some advice on sunlight and pruning. I'm not too comfortable removing it from the pot, and I'm a little anxious even about trimming back even the dead branches too far now, so any advice would be a huge help in those areas! Thanks so much!

Hey Frank,

I hate to tell you this but I think your goldfish plant is dying. And I think it is dying from root rot. Whenever I hear someone say that they are getting black spots on the leaves or that the leaves are turning black it tells me that the plant is getting too much water. The fact that you said that you only watered it twice in the last month and a half also tells me that the plant is not picking up the water and that the soil is way too dense.

I think you need to do some emergency measures here pretty soon, like tomorrow. I'm going to ask you to do things that you have already said you don't want to do, but I don't think you have any choice if you're going to save the plant. I'm also hoping that someone else who has goldfish plants will chime in and back me up on this.

First you need to take that plant out of the pot and inspect its roots. Healthy roots are white. Dead roots are black or brown. You need to cut away all of those black or brown roots. The next thing that needs to be addressed is the dense soil. I would do a complete soil change. That involves getting as much soil out of their roots as possible and putting as much porous soil in its place. I like a mixture of 1/3 milled spagmum, 1/3 vermiculite and 1/3 perlite. If you don't have resources for the first two, then buy a good African violet soil and mix it half and half with perlite. You should be able to get perlite at Home Depot or Lowes if you can't find it at any other garden store. Soak the potting medium first before you repot the plant in it. It will burn the roots otherwise. That doesn't mean drench. There should only be enough moisture so that you can squeeze some of the medium where it has the consistency of a snowball. If you lightly squeeze the medium you shouldn't be able to squeeze any water out of it. I would also cut the plant back severely. Any bare or dead stems should be completely cut down to the ground. Healthy stems should be cut to about 6 inches in length. Even if they don't have any leaves on them. This will let the plant put its energy into the roots and not support a huge plant. If you can find a clear plastic bag that is large enough to put the plant, pot and all, into the bag and seal it, that will make a miniature greenhouse for it to be able to put more energy into the root system also. Leave the plant in the bag for about two weeks.

For insurance I would also start a new plant. Take several (5 or 6) 4 inch cuttings from the tips of healthy stems. Take 1 inches of leaves off the bottom of each cutting. Get a 4 inch pot and fill it up with your moist potting medium. Take a toothpick and make a hole for each cutting and stick the bare stem into the holes. Put the pot and all into a clear plastic bag and seal up the bag. Put the bag into a well lit area that will not get any direct sunlight. Direct sunlight will cook the plant inside the bag. In one month you can take the plant out of the bag and you will have a new goldfish plant. It takes about a month for a goldfish plant to make a new set of roots.

If you don't want to repot the old plant then at least try to propagate a new plant from the healthy stems. If you don't repot the old plant I think it will die on you, but at least you'll have a new healthy plant in a good potting medium.

Good luck,

Larry

PS - In case you are wondering, I have been growing goldfish plants for over 20 years. I'm very familiar with them and if I had the plant you have I would definitely do some drastic measures quickly to save the thing.

Larry,

Thanks a lot. I think you're right. I was really anxious about trying to repot it and all, and still am a bit, not because I think you're wrong but because I've never tried it. But your instructions are really good, so I'm going to give it a shot. Just to make sure I've got this right, to replant I don't need any roots at all? Just about 4" of healthy stem, with the leaves cut off the bottom 1 1/2"?

Assuming things work out, maybe you can give me a few tips on how I should be watering it, and the amount of sunlight. How does root rot happen actually? I feel like the plant was fine until shortly after the first time I watered it. I wonder if I did something wrong there, maybe didn't let it drain well enough?

Thanks so much for the help!

Hi Frank,

Don't feel bad about not wanting to repot your plant. No novice wants to repot their plants. I'm assuming that you are a novice. It's a little bit like skydiving. You just have to go for it and know that the parachute will open.

Yes you are correct in that you can start a new plant from just stem cuttings. They don't need to have any roots on them to begin with. With this plant stem cuttings root very easily if put into moist soil and then put into a clear plastic bag (not in direct sun light). It's even possible they may root without the plastic bag but why put these plants under that kind of stress. My feeling is do what is going to maximize one's success.

Along with starting a new plant you can also try to save the mother plant. Again I gave you those instructions. If anything about saving the mother plant doesn't make sense to you then ask away. I am perfectly happy to explain things in more detail if need be.

With a porous soil, goldfish plants should do very well without having to work very hard. Giving the plant a good watering until water comes out the bottom of the pot is the way to do it. This is pretty much true of any plant for that matter. Then let the soil are you heard so you've already too are OK every 5 minutes to do this dry out and stay dry for about a day and then repeat the cycle. I don't think you did anything wrong. I think that problem is with the soil. Many greenhouses plant their plants in very dense soil. I'm not sure why. It may be that they don't have to water the plants as often. But I really don't know. All I know is that it happens and it is a real problem for people when they bring their plants home. The reason I don't think you did anything wrong is because you only watered the plant two times in six weeks. That should've been plenty of time for the plant to have dried out in between waterings. The fact that the soil did not dry out is probably because of two factors. First the plant is not absorbing any water from the soil because of root damage and the soil is so dense that it is holding a tremendous amount of water that will not evaporate very quickly.

Goldfish plants are not bog of plants. They need to have some air in the soil for the roots to be healthy. If the soil is too dense then there is no place for air pockets to exist. When this happens the roots basically drown. Goldfish plants are epiphytes or tree dwellers. These epiphytes grow in trees in the rain forests of the Americans and the Caribbean. They basically grow in the area where branches meet the trunks of trees. There's usually a little cavity where decayed leaves and such collect. The goldfish plant seeds germinate there and that is their native habitat. The medium is very airy and not saturated with water.

You ask about light. Goldfish plants like to have strong indirect light or direct light that is before 10:00 AM and after 4:00 PM. They can get a little sun burnt if they get direct sunlight in the middle of the day.

That's about all I can think of at the moment. Again if you have any other questions don't be afraid to ask.

Good luck on your plant propagating.

Larry

Ooops! No I wasn't drinking. My voice activated software put some extra words in. I hate it when it does that! It should have said, "let the soil dry out and stay dry for about a day and then repeat the cycle."

Recently went on a trip to Montreal. I was gone for six days. When I came back, the plant was loosing leafs. There is some new growth, but the original stems are loosing leaves at a very rapid pace. The plant sits on a shelf out of direct light. The apartment faces west. I am wondering if my plant is going through what folks call a 'resting period'. If this is the case, what should I do? If not, what can I do to keep the plant alive and well?

I know that this is a really old thread, but because I still find super-old threads useful I will continue with a response. I live in NE Ohio and keep my 3 1/2 year old gf plant in an east facing window that still gets some shade from a big Rose of Sharon. I only water after it's almost totally dry and this thing has never been without a bloom in all the time I've had it. I don't think I've ever even pinched it back, but I might do so this summer when it starts growing. I love it because it's so low-maintenance.

I bought my goldfish plant about 5 yrs ago...just found out this year what it is--had an incorrect label at the store but the flowers gave it away finally! Live at 3500 ft elevation in Arizona and have it in a south window that gets no sun in summer and sun in winter morning and early afternoon. I must admit I haven't done anything special with it but have had problems...finally flowered last winter and what a surprise! I water about weekly and turn and every couple weeks give it liquid miracle gro. I've never repotted so it's past due. Would like to start a couple new cuttings and try it in a terrarium, covered with a tiny hole since I've heard it likes to be spritzed but am worried about root rot. It is dry in my home so after reading all the comments am surprised it does so well.

Is there anyone that can help me? I had a beautiful goldfish plant I purchased in memorial of my mother 2 years ago. The plant was beautiful and easy to care. Recently, this plant and my ivy plant had a web and white spots and the leaves became sticky. I was told to spray with alcohol, dish soap, water mixture. The leaves are not sticky anymore but there is white fuzz in the soil. The plant is rapidly losing leaves and looks barren. The stems are mostly brown and dead. My goal was to buy a pesticide or just use dish soap mixture and replant the whole plant and cut off dead tomorrow. I am hoping I find life in the roots and can save the plant.

I need some of advice for my goldfish plant. It appears super health. It’s growing. it has recently started to bloom. The leaves are all shiny and healthy not dry

BUT yesterday I noticed some of the leaves look Veragated with orange and green. It wasn’t like this before. Do you have any idea what it could be?

HU-917, the exact same thing is happening to my healthy goldfish plant. And, in searching for an answer as to why, that is how I got to this very informative and very awesome feed... Too bad the answer to both our questions hasn't come yet. Hopefully it will...

Thanks to everyone for all the other knowledge you have shared!

Josie

I'm having the same issue with those spots on my goldfish plant, and was wondering what it is.