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sad or dying cane angelwing. Help!
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Posted by loni_in_eek 6 (My Page) on Mon, Mar 26, 07 at 13:40
| I am new to plants, please keep lingo at idiot level. I love my plant, angelwings, either bubbles or snowcapped. It is dying. The leaves are droopy and cane is soft, I can bend cane around. Should I cut off end and root in water? I repotted it 3 times, once from my friends's house for trip home, then into larger pot where it lived for 3 weeks and then last week into a smaller pot. It is beginning to tilt as well. Is my angelwings sick or dying> I need advice. I keep it in morning sun over pebbeled bowl of water. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: sad or dying cane angelwing. Help!
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| If the canes are shriveled or rotted, then it may be too late. If they still have some green in them and are firm, then you may still have some life in them. I don't know what kind of watering regimen you have been giving them but you don't want it soaking wet or bone dry. The best rule of thumb is to water well when the pot is dry to an inch deep. That leaves a lot of room for judgment since we all gauge things differently but it should be adequate. The other thing to do is place a baggie over it (if you haven't already) and make sure it gets plenty of light but no hot sun (the baggie and sun would cook it to death). As for rooting in water that would be a good idea as well provided you have canes long enough (3 nodes would be good). Again use a baggie over the cuttings and watch for rot. I start a lot of canes this way and they are so easy to root. When you pot them up, amend your soil with lots of Perlite for fast drainage. |
RE: sad or dying cane angelwing. Help!
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Thank you Dr! I might have overwatered it at some point. I actually called my mother in law over to diagnose, and she assures me it is in stress but to leave it be for now, it is in better environ now. It is still green, and the cane is slightly wrinkled in places. I did put cactus soil and small rocks at the bottom of the 4" planter and regular soil to the top.
I have another question, that is when my plant is well on the mend, how do I get another cane to sprout up?
I do use the method of sticking my finger in the soil to check for moisture. I best pay better attention I guess. |
RE: sad or dying cane angelwing. Help!
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| If the plant is happy, it will send up new shoots. For now, just try to make it happy. When the weather is warm enough, move it outdoors for summer under some shade from the hot afternoon sun. Feed it with half strength water soluble fertilizer once a week. Do let it dry slightly between waterings though. It should flourish. |
RE: sad or dying cane angelwing. Help!
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| You've been a source of information and I am grateful for your time. I will follow your advice to the letter (as much as an idiot can). My finger is blue, well onto being green I hope. |
RE: sad or dying cane angelwing. Help!
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| You will do fine. You will find over time what works and what doesn't. I'm still learning. Each has their own likes and dislikes. You can generalize but there are always exceptions. 'Medora' for example can be quite vigorous given the right conditions and then suddenly collapse and kick the bucket. I have had this begonia many times over the decades - not that spectacular but something that I want to be able to grow to a nice full plant. 'Lucerna' (over 30 years), 'Sophie Cecile' (over 20 years), and 'Irene Nuss' (probably close to 20 years) are ones that are hard to kill. I just posted some of my canes over the last 3 years here: My Canes |
RE: sad or dying cane angelwing. Help!
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| Pics are fascinating. I wish I lived in warmer climate so I may do a garden, but an happy to keep my friends indoors as well. I will look for either of the 3 plants you listed. I will have to do some research. I fear my plant is not going to make it. Oh well, I'll have to buy 4 more to comfort myself. |
RE: sad or dying cane angelwing. Help!
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| Well, I am happy to report that this particular angelwing is thriving! So much that another shoot is coming out of the soil! I must be doing something right. It has curved so much that the mother plant looks like its making a 90 degree turn. But the leaves are so much bigger! Thanks for the great advice! |
RE: sad or dying cane angelwing. Help!
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| I'm so glad to hear your begonia has started to thrive. Later on you may want to propagate it so you have a little insurance. Mine are looking sad right now due to neglect - too many outdoor projects going on the last few weeks that I don't have time to devote to indoors. Maybe I will get the majority of them outdoors this weekend. |
RE: sad or dying cane angelwing. Help!
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| For my birthday my husband gave me a plant light with prongs that you stick in the soil, tells you when it needs watering. It helped a great deal. I have small starts I got from ebay and am taking care of them under that light. We are still getting frost here in AK. |
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