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greedygh0st

What have you destroyed lately?

greedygh0st
12 years ago

I was watering my plants the other day and I encountered this mess at the crown of my obscura 'White Form,' a particularly lovely Hoya.

I really push the envelope with the proximity between the tops of my hoops and the shelving above, so of course when they are growing like mad, the Hoyas can easily grow right up into the lighting fixture between one watering and the next. Which is more or less what happened here. I just don't understand. They could keep a safe distance, but they're more like moths to the flame.

So, two questions.

FIRST. What do you guys do when one of your leaves gets screwed up? Do you just leave them there with an appreciation of the wabi-sabi aesthetic of the imperfect but functional natural form? Or do you nip them off to make way for a hopefully more flawless replacement leaf, so you don't have to be reminded of your mistake every time you walk past?

SECOND. What have you done lately to screw up your beloved plants? Hopefully there won't be the sound of crickets chirping as the cheese stands alone.

Comments (23)

  • moonwolf_gw
    12 years ago

    First, I usually pluck off any yellow leaves that I see on my plants. I read this as a tip in one of my old house plant books, plus I remember my home-ec teacher doing this with her carnosa....monkey see, monkey do I guess LOL.

    Second, sadly, my pubicalyx Black Dragon is the latest to bite the dust and I kicked myself for that. However, in it's place, hanging in the bird cage, is a brand new starter plant of some Heartleaf Philodendron :). Plus yesterday, I got a Lipstick Plant, so now I'm a happy camper again.

    Brad AKA Moonwolf

  • greedygh0st
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Aw, that's too bad Brad. Was it a hostile mealy takeover? I guess they can take down even a super aggressive Hoya like the dragon. Fuzzy little jerks.

    In this instance, the yellow leaves pictured will probably actually survive, now that they are pinned back from the light. (The color saturation in that image is bumped up a bit.) But they will never be pretty, or as optimally functional as if they hadn't been damaged.

    So far, I've always just left distorted leaves as they are - I figured if the plant decides to keep them, I'll let it. But I should probably prune more.

  • mitzicos
    12 years ago

    After almost 30 days in the mail, with a very hot weather, I received my 8 cuts, all alive and in a good shape.

    Trying to improve their condition I soak all the 8 cuts with superthrieve, a little more than recommended, of course!

    Next day when I whent to see them, they were all dead! I killed the 8 nice cuts, after surviving a 27 days travel!

  • greedygh0st
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I did this once, too, Mitzi! Not with superthrive, but with some other cocktail I'd mixed up of stuff that was supposed to be good for cuttings. No complicated mixtures for me, anymore!

    I'm not sure I understand exactly what happens when they do this (look fine, then look TERRIBLE after a soak). Sometimes they do this even when I just soak them in water. I suspect that some cuttings get super stressed by the journey and then need to be eased back to life gradually and that even a soak is too much for them. Kind of like how a critically dehydrated person should drink water slowly. That's why a few months ago I started a thread on this subject. I know one person responded (I forget who) and said they initially just put the cuttings in a very humid environment (e.g. rooting aquarium) for a day or so. I have only played around with this so far, but I think the next time I order cuttings from very far away, like Thailand, I will first let the cuttings get some moisture and rest from air and spraying, at least for a day, before I soak them or pot them up.

    Wow, I had a lot to say about that. But I really feel your pain! It is extremely frustrating! Sometimes standard procedure is clearly not what specific plants need. And sometimes I think it's not even our fault; they are just weaker than they initially appear.

  • moonwolf_gw
    12 years ago

    GG, no he needed repotted and it was too late :(. Another reason could have been I wasn't paying attention to my plants too much this winter and some suffered more than others. I take full responsibility for that. I had the same problem with Nikki and she survived. I just took her outside today to spray her down with some alcohol/dishsoap mix since the mealies have found their way to her :(. I think she'll pull through since carnosas are tough cookies :).

    Brad AKA Moonwolf

  • greedygh0st
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I'm sure he wouldn't have died because you didn't repot him in time. My dragon, which I got a little before you, is still in its original 4" pot. Maybe, as you say, it was just being out of touch over the winter. I lost some Hoyas this winter, too /cry.

    Carnosas are tough cookies! And maybe the real Nikki is watching over her namesake.

  • puglvr1
    12 years ago

    1. I definitely "pull" it off or cut it. I'm a little obsessive when it comes to yellow or damaged leaves,lol...except for the ones I grow outside under the trees...they're up a little high and I can't reach some of them w/out a short ladder to groom them :o)...so they are left to do their own thing, maybe once at the end of summer I might take it down and give them a "once over".

    2. I've accidentally left a hoya or two during one of our very cold nights and "froze" some of leaves (Lacunosa) in particular. About 1/4 of the leaves and vines are either dead or yellowed :o(

  • moonwolf_gw
    12 years ago

    That's great, GG! :) I hope he keeps on growing for you! I am glad we haven't lost all of our plants. Maybe it'll pay off and I'll start seeing flowers on my plants this spring and summer.

    Maybe Nikki is watching over her namesake. Thank you for that thought, GG. It brightened my day :).

    Brad AKA Moonwolf

  • mdahms1979
    12 years ago

    I always remove yellow leaves as well although if the leaf is healthy but with a damaged area I will trim instead of removing the whole leaf.
    I have a few Hoyas that insist on trying to grab hold of the grow lights. I really hate finding those charred off tips that were so recently the picture of health.

    Mike

  • alba_gardener
    11 years ago

    Well, here's what I did and how I almost lost five of my hoyas, and all I was trying to do was get rid of those nasty MEALIES! I mixed alchol/soap and sprayed five of my hoyas, especially my Polyneura which was looking quite healthy except for the mealy invasion. Then about a week later I noticed that the Polyneura's leaves were yellowing. But didn't really pay too much attention to it as this plant seems to look great on week and then not so great the next. Well, then I noticed that the other four plants that I sprayed for mealies had yellow leaves too.
    So I did an inspection on all of them and noticed the leaves looked really glossy in a weird sort of way so I decided that maybe they needed a sprintz. OMG, the leaves just bubbled up with suds.....I believe in my zeal to Kill mealies I must have put too much soap in my alchol solution!!!!!
    I immediatly put all four of the hoyas outside and sprayed them with the water hose, there were bubbles all over the place.... The Polyneura was in the worst condition...she's lost so many leaves, but she's really trying to recover from her soap bath.... Gee, all I wanted to do was help her get rid of the pesty mealies not kill her!
    alba in Hawthorne

  • Laura_Carnosa
    11 years ago

    Huh. I wonder if the soap wasn't suffocating the leaves?
    Coated in soap & couldn't breathe?

  • mitzicos
    11 years ago

    Hi Alba,

    I feel very sorry for your hoyas! I've seen your polyneura and I remember it was really pretty and healthy! But I'm sure they will recover.... I killed some of my recent cuts, trying to do the best for them! Learned lesson!

    Mitzi

  • alba_gardener
    11 years ago

    Mitzi, all I was trying to do was help my poor hoya and instead I almost killed her. She looks terrible because she's lost so many leaves, all that's left are long bare stems,but I'm hoping she'll recover.
    @ Laura, I believe that's what happened,the soap sufficated the leaves,so the poor plant couldn't breathe. I've learned my lesson "just a few drops of soap" in the alchol solution...LOL
    alba in Hawthorne

  • patrick51
    11 years ago

    Alba, so sorry to hear of your misfortune...it seems all too common that we cause harm when all we meant was to preserve our plants. I would suggest to you to take cuttings of your H. polyneura...the cuttings will root, and the "mother" plant will "bush" out, making for a nice, dense polyneura. Best wishes, Patrick

  • alba_gardener
    11 years ago

    Patrick, thank you for your kind words and wonderful suggestion....
    alba in Hawthorne

  • tammypie
    11 years ago

    My status on this board.

  • patrick51
    11 years ago

    Tammiepie...your status on this forum is just fine...please know that we all enjoy your presence. I do hope that LauraCarnosa returns...this forum is meant for everyone who loves hoyas. Fondly, Patrick

  • Laura_Carnosa
    11 years ago

    Don't feel too bad, Tammy-Pie.
    You have friends here, and friends are good to have.

    I am still around, as I have been for years...lurking.

    DESTROYED my bordenii.
    It's in hydroton, and the tray of water it sits in, went dry.
    And I didn't notice. It was a cut from Liddles last summer.
    It had 4 leaves when it came. Slowly grew 4 more.
    And now has dropped 3, and killed off the new vine that was emerging from between the hydroton balls.

    Pissed off so bad, that I'm MAD at all the plants...
    Unfair, but that's how upset I am...

  • cpawl
    11 years ago

    I can relate to being pissed off with all my hoyas and myself this winter for killing over 12 of my hard earned hoyas by miss reading the fert package and causing fert burn.The ones I killed are hard to come by so I am so sad.Maybe this summer if I am lucky I will be able to replace a couple when I visit JJ plant market in Bangkok.But I won't count on it.

    Tammie you are very welcome on this forum,the more the merrier.

    Cindy

  • mitzicos
    11 years ago

    It seems that fertilize, too much water or lack of water is the main problem, not us! LOL.......

    Fertilize was a big problem to me too! Lesson learned!

  • greedygh0st
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Sometimes I look at a plant and I can see clearly that it needed help for a couple weeks and it went unnoticed. That's the most frustrating, to me. I just wish it could have spoken up and gotten my attention. It's like my mom says, "no one ever forgot to feed a cat."

    But I think their silence is probably what helps me not get mad at them. They're just so piteous. Silently suffering from x y or z. Even our skilled eyes can miss their emergency flares, sometimes.

    I've been dealing with some underwatering issues myself the last few months, LC, so I hear your pain. There's nothing like seeing a plant go from robust to desiccated over something so ... SIMPLE! AHHH!

    The fertilizer burn freaks me out! It's only a matter of time till I do something like this. Tis the law of human error.

    Bygones, Tammy. ^_^/

  • mdahms1979
    11 years ago

    Other than loosing my Hoya sp Kunming Kina I have been lucky. Still when it takes you years to finally get a cutting only to loose it you don't let yourself off the hook for a while.
    Cindy send me a message about the ones you lost. I am sure we can find some of them in Canada. I'm still waiting on the list I mentioned to you and a few others but there is a good chance I know someone growing the plants you lost.

    Mike

  • puglvr1
    11 years ago

    Very well put Patrick.

    Just like GG said..."Bygones, Tammy. ^_^/" color>

    This is a great forum and everyone here is welcome...the diversity is what makes the hoya forums SO interesting. I've met so many wonderful people here and looking forward to everyones post.

    Laura and Cindy...I'm SO sorry about your losses. I sure can totally relate. I too have lost a few rooted cuttings that are not easy to replace...it happens to all of us unfortunately. We all feel your pain.

    Cindy, hopefully you'll find some in Bangkok.

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