help, incense sending mixed messages

16 years ago

I bought a P. "Incense" last year, and it flowered profusely outdoors and in. I overwintered it and it lost much of its foliage through neglect (it was in a completely unreachable spot in the storage room while the house was renovated). It perked up when I was able to get to it again, and took over the large west-facing window in the springtime, and I was consequently unable to bring it outside. Come summer, only one single anemic-looking bloom opened. I spotted another large bud a day or so away from opening, but it wilted away and fell off. I keep two full-spectrum CFLs on them to supplement the western exposure, so it's less likely a light issue, though it's entirely possible.

Now here are my mixed messages:

Occasionally some of the growing vines will have tiny buds on them, but they turn brown and crispy before growing larger. I hear this is a sign of underwatering?

-but-

The older leaves will turn yellow from the veins and fall off if I give the vine any extra water. I hear this is a sign of overwatering. Very old leaves have brown crispy patches around the edges.

Sometimes the new growing tip yellows and falls off, and the leaves start falling off toward the older growth too, leaving a spindly yellow leafless dead vine behind.

Meanwhile, a few offshoots have been growing extremely well across the room. I lightly prune unwanted offshoots.

I fertilize occasionally with Electra, and bring the soil to visual dryness before watering.

It's extremely frustrating. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I would greatly appreciate a response from the gurus :)

Thanks,

Ria

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Comments (2)

jblaschke
16 years ago
Hmm. Sounds like you're doing everything properly. I have no experience with incense indoors, but you're avoiding the two biggest mistakes by not over-watering or over-fertilizing. Incense is a greedly light hog, so you may try increasing its light exposure, but from you description it sounds like you're already treating it nicely in that area.

The one thing I don't think it is, is the infamous Incense virus. That appears as yellow splotches on the leaves when the plant is stressed, making it look chlorotic. Your descriptions don't match this, so I don't think stress is what's hurting your plant.

You might--might--try increasing the amount of water you give it slightly. You don't mention wilting leaves, which can come from over-watering, but the crisping effect may be from slightly under-watering it. If your main plant is large, it will use more water even as it's able to tolerate more extreme conditions. Also, do you have any clay in the potting soil? Broken pieces of clay mixed in with the soil make it easier for passis to take up certain nutrients, so that may help as well (no need to fully re-pot, just press some deep into the soil or maybe lift up the root ball and place the pieces underneath if that's possible).

Good luck! Incense is a tough plant, and will tolerate a lot of trial and error on your part.
rialira
Original Author
16 years ago
I'd like to know more about the Incense virus. The yellowing of the older leaves is quite splotchy all over the leaf and ends up as brown crispy spots on the outer part, but the death of the newer growth is just one completely yellow tiny leaf at a time, and they slowly die back up the vine. Some of the leaves turn yellow at the veins and fall off.

How would I know if I'm over-fertilizing?

As far as lighting goes, it's in a big western facing window (literally plastered itself all over it). Some of the vines are so long I hung them from the opposite wall (creates a lovely jungle effect) but it seems like there's no way I can effectively light the whole plant. I've got three full spectrum CFLs, a 13 and a 23 less than a foot away from the main leafy mass, and a 23 on the ceiling maybe eight to ten feet away.

I've also noticed my caerulea and lavender lady losing buds for no readily apparent reason. tiny buds do form, but keep turning brown and crispy instead of maturing.

also, slightly unrelated question: what's the difference between an intermittent bloomer and an everbloomer? I'm guessing alternate growth period then flowering, etc. couldn't a seasonal bloomer be tricked into everblooming with a little extra artificial light in the fall and winter?

thanks,

ria
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help, incense sending mixed messages

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jblaschke

rialira
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help, incense sending mixed messages

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jblaschke

rialiraOriginal Author

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rialira
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