I have a trailing plant that produces red flowers. I don't know the name of this plant. It hasn't been doing well. The leaves are warped and falling like crazy, and the edge of the leaves started to fade in colour. At first I thought it was the soil, so I repotted it, but it's not doing any better. I know falling leaves is a sign of overwatering, but I only water it once a week or when it seems dry. It is getting plenty of indirect sunlight. I use the Shultz tropical mix plus some perlite and vermiculite. Any advise is appreciated! I really don't want to see it die in my hands. Thanks. Daisy
Thanks. I will try it. Thanks for the idea of rain water. I hope the minerals and nutrients will help it recover. It reminds me to be environmentally friendly too. I should get a rain barrel since it rains so much in Vancouver.
That's it! I only saw the flowers once. It was a plant at work that nobody cared about. Someone watered it now and then, but it was actually doing better. Ever since I adopted it, it has been going downhill. I guess I just don't have a green thumb. Thanks Eric!
That "Lipstick Plant", as they are often called, is one of my favourite indoor plants. When I had one, I also found it tricky to keep healthy. I think I was also giving it a bit too much attention, with watering and feeding. So I think your comment about it doing well at work, although it didn't get much attention there, is the key here. I would cut back on the watering. Don't worry about stressing it a bit. Stressed plants tend to put out flowers, as a survival strategy. And don't worry about using rainwater or not. Vancouver tapwater IS essentially rainwater, because it's source is "surface water", which comes almost directly from the clouds, via the reservoirs on the Capilano, Seymour, and Coquitlam Rivers. And just to clarify your comment above, rainwater (at least in your area) has almost no minerals and nutrients. It is "soft" water, as compared to the usually highly-mineralized, or "hard", water that many other regions have to pump out of the ground for their tapwater. Vancouver tapwater is among the purest waters in the world.
