Kohleria anyone??

11 years ago

My daughter gave me one of these in Oct for my birthday. She said to grow like I would African violets. Not working. I put it with my violets on a east facing window. Immediately the leaves started to dry up on the ends and die. It was bloomimg at the time.I noticed new growth coming from the bottom, so cut it way back when it quit blooming. The little new leaves kept dying. I then took it to the basement and put it under the grow light, and covered it with a plastic bag. It started to grow new leaves and looked great, so I took the bag off. Leaves immediately started to roll up again. It must be too dry for it I guess, dry being not humid enough. What can I do?

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Comments (6)

ima_digger
11 years ago
I can't help you here. Maybe someone else will chime in with some ideas. I don't have any luck with them. I have a few under lights with my violets and they just keep growing taller and taller and falling over. I will not try again after they go dormant or die.
irina_co
11 years ago
Flowergirl - I think you got the variety that is very sensitive to humidity level. I am thinking that if you repot it in Oyama pot to keep the soil evenly wet = and cover the surface of the soil with wet long stemmed sphagnum moss - to increase the ambient humidity - it can work. Can you tall me what is the name of your Kohleria?

Ima-digger- your problem is low light. Kohlerias to grow upright and bloom like there is no tomorrow need at least twice more light - 4 tubes. My friend Jay in Tampa FL grows best-in-show Kohlerias under 2 T5s. There are Kohlerias that will do good under AV conditions - Florida Freckles, Strawberry Fields are 2 that come to mind.
Check the Gesneriad Chapters in your area - and find which is the nearest. Florida is such a gesneriad paradise - you need to look into it - because there are plenty of gesneriads that love FL climate better than AVs do.

irina

Here is a link that might be useful: Gesneriad Society Chapters
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flowergirl70ks
Original Author
11 years ago
It's name is Peridot Sitka.I think I will try to get a little humidity under it. It's really a pain in the neck.
irina_co
11 years ago
Aha - you got the brand new Hybrid of a great Canadian hybridizer Iain James. Looks like that I cannot even find the pic. I grow several Peridots and I grow them under lights on the mats. Peridots Kitlope is a good one to grow under AV lights - it is short and floriferous.

I add sphagnum moss and perlite to a usual AV mix for Kohlerias to make the soil more breathable. I am thinking that if you have new growth coming from the bottom - it means you have plenty of rhizomes in the pot. I would shake the pot out, harvest the rhizomes - and plant the ones that already have shoots. The ones that are asleep - I would put in a baggie with a bot of barely mist vermiculite. They will be ready to plant in a month when they will start thir shoots.

I am thinking- may be if you restart the pot - you will have better success. Who knows how long the plant was growingh in this soil. The Kohleras do much better if you start them in new soil from rhizomes. They get revitalized.

Kohlerias are very easy, anything that you start doing - has some learning curve. But you will enjoy them afterwards. Post pics about your progress - I love Kohlerias and want you to succeed!

irina
flowergirl70ks
Original Author
11 years ago
I had another good look at it today. I can see another small plant coming up near the edge of the pot. I'm leary about dumping them out-however I will soon see the lady my daughter bought it from, and look over where she has them growing.I need to learn how to post pics.
irina_co
11 years ago
You got the new hybrid - do not dump it even it doesn't work for you. Find it a new home.

You can email your pic to me - and I will post it. To email - click on my nik - garden web will send it.

Kohleria anyone??

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Kohleria anyone??

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