Can Salvia divinorom survive light?

[Bram_]

Hello,
I have a couple of Salvia divinorom plants.  One saw about an hour of sunlight and appears to have some black looking damage on some of the leaves.  The other has seen zero sunlight and is doing fine.  Does anyone have any expieriences of Salvia D. surviving light?  Also does anyone know what temp that Salvia D. is best at growing?

Thanks,
Jamison Lee Schuetz :mrgreen:

[Glider]

Salvia d. can grow just fine in full, direct sunlight.  IF it is acclimated to it.

1 hour of direct sunlight is unlikely to kill the plant.  It depends on the size and general health of the plant, and what growing conditions it is currently acclimated to.

Generally the plant is quick to drop leaves when its growing environment changes rapidly, but unless the plant is quite small or weak, a single leaf drop session, even if many or most of the leaves are involved, is unlikely to do it lasting harm.

I don't know the exact temperature it prefers the most.  I know that it would bloom for me in December when the nights were long and the night time temperature dropped regularly into the mid 40s (F).  

Best growth seemed to be in moderate temperatures (anything the average human would feel comfortable with) and more humidity than most people would prefer.  I've also had it growing under pretty dry conditions, just grows slower.

-G-

[Veracohr]

In my experience it grows best in full sunlight. If there's not enough light it gets spindly. While Glider may not have had problems with temps in the mid 40's, I'd suggest keeping the temp above 50. It won't survive a freeze.

[Chris W]

I am in NY and I am about to bring mine outside after being inside under an HPS lamp but not too close.  I wanna acclimate it to the sun and get it to grow big because it is small right now.  I am thinking only morning direct sun and evening???   I will let it get like 10 minutes at first and slowly bring up the time over 2 weeks.  Hopefully it works lol.

[Glider]

In my experience it grows best in full sunlight. If there's not enough light it gets spindly. While Glider may not have had problems with temps in the mid 40's, I'd suggest keeping the temp above 50. It won't survive a freeze.

I agree.  Once acclimated, more light is a good thing.  

I'd also second the notion about keeping it above 50.  If it wasn't costing me an arm and a leg just to get the temp to 45, I'd have wanted to put it at 55 minimum.  

The plant WILL tolerate an occasional light freeze, but it will drop its leaves and have to regrow from undamaged stem.   Small plants will probably just disappear into dust after a light frost.

Humidity was as much of a concern as light, if I recall.  And the leaves that grew under the HPS indoors probably will simply not adjust to the outdoors. The plant will drop them and grow new.  If you are shuffling the plant in and out, and it starts to look pretty bad, you may need to choose one place and leave it there.

Just make sure it doesn't get sun or wind burned.  One possibility might be to find a shady tree / wall to put it under while it adjusts to the changing humidity, and then slowly move it from the shade into direct sun.

Salvia divinorum is a trip just to grow.  I'd rank that one right up there with T. pachanoi and Loasa vulcanica as fun to grow plants.

//http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Loasa_vulcanica_-_Andre.jpg

-G-

[Stonehenge]

It's a fussy plant for sure. I saw photos a while back from someone in the baja area who had salvia trees. They were about 8' tall and the trunks were several inches thick. It was nice to see.

[AliceTepes]

someday I am going to move to cali so I can grow huge plants like that.

[Glider]

Start them now, that way they'll have a head start for when you ship out.

-G-