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scandi_gw

leggy gessnariad

scandi
16 years ago

I brought home from up north a cutting of a beautiful lipstick red hairy tubular blooming plant of a friends. I've had it two years, and it has grown, but very strangely. It is very leggy, and the stems are so weak they don't hold up the plant.

My question is, can I put the very long stem, which all the leaves have fallen off, down into a new pot with fresh soil and leave the stem attached like an ambilical cord so the new healthier end will be kept and not die. I don't understand why it is not doing well, and has also never bloomed. Any info would be most appreciated, as I'm stumped. thanks in advance

Comments (4)

  • greenelbows1
    16 years ago

    Don't know if putting down a stem in a nearby pot would work, but I wouldn't be surprised. I regularly de-capitate leggy plants and root the cuttings. If it's leggy and not blooming i would guess it wants more light. Sounds like it might be a sinningia, and while some of them like considerable shade, others need full sun. Very interesting group of plants.

  • irina_co
    16 years ago

    Scandy -

    Your idea will work if the stem is still alive.

    If you look at the different species of aeschynantus - lipstick plant - most of them are trailing plants,not upright bushy plants. Most common is A. lobbianus - and it is definitely not an upright grower, but a gracious trailing basket plant - so it will not support itself.

    To make it bloom you need to provide the conditions close to where it came from. It likes good light - east window will be perfect, south-and south west may be too hot if you do not put the sheer curtan between the plant and the window - or put it 3-4 feet from the window. It likes loose soil - you can get the special African Violet soil from the store and cut it with 1/2 of perlite. It likes to be watered so the soil stays moderately moist - but not drowned in water and it likes to be fertilized - african violet fertilizer 1/4 spoon per gallon with every watering works well.

    Try to check what is missing in your case and adjust. Most possibly it is not enough light. I had one like that hanging in the east window - and the main problem was to vacuum the spent flowers from the floor. Yes - and it sometimes takes time to mature before it really gets into blooming.

    You can trim your weak stems, repot the old bush into the fresh soil - and it will start sending new shoots.

    Good luck

    Irina

    Here is a link that might be useful: all kinds of aeschynanthus

  • phalnellie
    16 years ago

    I have a leggy gloxina. At first, I worried about it but after it bloomed...I said so what if its leggy. It died back and leaves have grown back out - leggy, of course. Just waiting for the blooms.

  • greenelbows1
    16 years ago

    I would guess what you have is really a sinningia--they used to be known as gloxinia, and still are often listed that way. As above--it probably needs more light. The 'florist gloxinia', or S. speciosa var., needs lots more light than most of our houseplants.

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