A few of the usual questions about my first plant

[Old_Zircon]

It's doing pretty well overall, I think (hard to tell after only a few days) but there is quite a bit of blackening around the leaf edges.  It hasn't really gotten worse since it arrived - if anything, it is a bit less wilted - but I'm not sure if the topmost leaves (see photo) should be left on or not.  I'm pretty new to growing plants other than easy stuff like cacti, snakeplants and spiderplants, so it's hard for me to judge that kind of thing.

Also, I'm afraid that the soil is not porous enough.  I have a bag of cactus potting soil and pearlite (couldn't find vermiculite), but I'm not sure if I should redo the soil so soon after potting it.  I have a second plant on the way from a different seller, which will be given better soil from the start - hsould I worry about repotting this one, or give it some time?



The pot is 10" in diameter.

[Old_Zircon]

Also, as far as watering, I gave it maybe 1 1/2 cups of water after repotting in and misted it 3-5 times a day during the heat wave.  The soil is still very slightly moist when I feel it through the drainage hole at the bottom.  I've read a lot about how often to water, but I don't recall ever hearing anything about how much water to use.  Until it runs out of the bottom (with good draingage)?

Can anyone can think of anything I should know/be doing that hasn't already been posted here?

[Jupe]

Overwatering in hot ,muggy weather is the danger that peat based soil users face.  Just let them rest for awhile. Water right before they begin to wilt.

Some swear that peat is Ok, and have  grown monster plants in commercial soils with peat.  Over time, it tends to compress and denstiy levels at the bottom of the pot get tight, then rot occurs.  Lava. pebbles, ceramic chips, orchid bark of various sizes really helps avoid this.   Its mainly used in mixes cause its cheap and light,...check your pms.

[TroutMask]

I wouldn't mist it, personally. We here in the temperate desert (humidity usually around 20% or less) have no problems without misting. Do you have any other house plants? Pothos, spider plants, etc.? Salvia doesn't need any more care than those plants. Overwatering is much worse than underwatering. The easiest thing to do is kill her with love.

-TM

[Old_Zircon]

Yeah, we have a lot of spider plants (can't keep them under control if anything, although the new cats have been eating the runners when they get low enough, which has created a kind of self-limiting system) and quite a few cacti that do OK.  Succulents tent to be pretty frail becasue, even though we have a lot of windows, they are mostly on one side of the house, and actually only get a few hours sunlight.  Flourescents have helped with the cacti.  

When the second plant shows up I'm planning on using some premixed cactus potting soil with maybe 25%-30% perlite, but I can't really tell if I should repot the current plant in a few weeks and give it some looser soil.

I'm actually not fussing over the plant all that much despite how it probably sounds, and I've quit misting it as of this morning (it was a lot more wilted when it arrived than it is in the photo, and the misting did seem tohelp at first).

I'm actually not sure what kind of soil I used for this one.  My girlfriend and I have had to continually repot one cactus that the cats like overturning (the SD plant is in a very safe spot), and used up all of the cactus soil before the SD arrived, so I made do with what was left in a large pot that already had soil in it - bad planning, but at that point it looked like the most important thing was getting the SD into a pot.  I'm pretty sure it's a standard, peat-based soil but there could be some cactus mix in it too.

Anyhow, if SD does well when you treat it like a spider plant, then I could be overrun with it by next summer.

[TroutMask]

Anyhow, if SD does well when you treat it like a spider plant, then I could be overrun with it by next summer.

Exactly! Though SD will let you know if she's dry, more than a spider plant will.

-TM

[Old_Zircon]

Well that's really good news then, because we can hardly handle the spider plants here.  They're all over the place.

[TooStonedToType]

I wouldn't repot the plant again so soon.  Wait a month or so.  I've had good luck with standard peat potting soil (miracle grow) and added perilite.  But the other suggestions for soil are equally valid. Don't overwater and I would stop misting.  Let soil dry up some between waterings - Like TM said.  I like to have a well draining pot and saucer underneath.  When almost dry, water from top well so water collects in the saucer.  The plant should suck the excess water from the saucer in the next day or so and the plant would be ready to water again in another 3-4 days or so (depending upon conditions of course).

PS Welcome to the Salvia Plane.

[jokergrin]

When I had my plants, I used a misture of black potting soil, sand, perlite, and only about 1/5 of the mix was peat.  Just enough so you could see it was in there and feel the difference (fluffiness).  I would say that as long as she's growing, you're ok.  But I would also suggest that, once large enough and way more established, go ahead and take a cutting and play with a few different types of soil.  My plant was amazingly gorgeous and lucious, so I never really messed with soil. And thanks to a certain member on this board, I will be getting another shot at growing ol' sally.  (my plant died as i was moving up to a different state)

-jg

P.S. I know this is hard to believe, but I never misted my plants...I actually had them out on my deck in FULL SUN in St. Louis, Missouri.   They baked, and they loved it (though I watered them a lot).  And some of the leaves actually turned purple from the exposure!  (I still have those leaves).
ok that's all.

[Old_Zircon]

Well, mixed news.  On the bad side, I was away for a night and when I came back the plant was mostly wilted, and the soil was completely dry from top to bottom.  I watered it and it has perked up a bit, but the leaves that were browning have gotten a lot worse, and I'm now giving it about a 50/50 chance of making it (not that I really know enough yet to make that call, of course).  The good news is, the other plant I ordered at the same time jsut showed up and it is a beast!  about 10" with four shooters, maybe 15 leaves and TONS of new growth at multiple nodes.  I gave it a better-planned soil mix and put it in a slightly sunnier spot.  It showed up yesterday evening, and since then it hasn't showed any signs of drooping or leaves dying or anything.  I did see couple of tiny, fruit fly looking things near it this morning, which is a little worrisome (I've never had a pest problem with plants before, so I'm not sure what to watch out for).  Anyhow, I'm confident that one will do well, and the first one is still not a total loss.  I'll put up a couple of shots of both plants in a little while.

[Old_Zircon]

Arrgh, it's looking like the new, healthier plant definitely brought something with it.  On the bright side, it looks like it is fungus gnats (tiny, black flies about 2/3 the size of fruit flies, that seem to be coming up out of the soil), so it won't kill the plants or anything.  I'v e quarantined the new plant in a different room, hopefully I can get them under control (have some neem oil on the way).

[Jupe]

..as far as your older one goes, don't worry about leaves as much as keeping care of the stem, if its green and firm, it will live, either below soil, or you could take a new cutting.....Brown rot from below from too wet soil is really the worst thing...I give it a 90% chance.  

[Old_Zircon]

yeah, the leaves are going but the stem is looking better than ever - it has straightened out, and the stems of the remaining leaves - even the ones that are almost completely dead - are firmer than ever.  I'm pretty confident that it will be OK in a week or two.  The other one will almost certainly make it, but the gnats are annoying.

[Old_Zircon]

The current state of things:

Old plant - the stem is still improving, even as the leaves dry up.  Im pretty confident it will make it still, but it had (is having) a rough time with the shipping and acclimation.



New plant - despite losing about an inch off the top of the biggest chooter in shipping, it is doing really well, and hasn't had any decline whatsoever since I unpacked it on Saturday.  The leaves are kind of crumpled up from shipping, but they look healthy as far as I can tell (maybe slightly light and wrinkly compared to the other one).  The gnats are still around, but already thinning out; hopefully drying the pot will kill the larvae and whatever they feed on.  This oen doesn't photograph that well because of being crumpled up, and actually looks hea;thier in person - the opposite of the older one.

[Veracohr]

They don't like shipping. Just give them some time and follow the advice here, especially the advice about not overwatering. Salvia stems and roots rot easily if you overwater them and don't have adequately drained soil. As far as soil, I had good luck with about equal parts soil, sand and peat; perhaps I had a little perlite in there, I don't remember.