Thursday, January 7, 2010

Plant problems











A neighbor gave me a tiny plant when she moved away a year ago. I put it out on the patio to fend for itself over the summer and when I brought it in, it happily began producing buds. In December, it finally bloomed with lovely salmon-tinged yellow petals. It looks good and healthy in this picture.

Since then, the plant has become covered with a white fungus and is dying back. It's still producing a few blossoms but it looks awful. I don't know what kind of plant it is or if this is typical behavior. Does anybody know what's going on with it?

I don't have much of a green thumb but I'm nowhere near as bad as my mother was. It was always a family joke that if we gave her a plant for Easter it would be dead by Mother's Day.

Mom just loved Gloxinias. They had big showy pink or purple blossoms and sometimes she'd buy one for herself at the grocery store. Now the thing she loved about Gloxinias is that after they blossom, the plant dies back. But, if you put it away to "rest", you can restart it to grow and bloom again. As a result, she would store them in her basement but then, forget all about them. There were dried up husks of old Gloxinias in colorful foil-wrapped pots scattered everywhere. She always meant well...

I once gave her a paperback book called, "The Power of Prayer over Plants". She was not amused. We still chuckle over those loving memories of her.

7 comments:

Sparrow chic said...

Could it be a yellow begonia ?

Kathy said...

Oh I don't know what's wrong the little guy. I'm not great with plants either. :(

gayle said...

That's so cute about your mom!! I am terrible with plants!

Olde Dame Penniwig said...

It is a begonia. Overwatered, is my guess, my dear Ms. Sparrow. I would cut it to the soil level, repot, let rest (NOT in basement), keep warmish but not cold, then bring into a very warm place to grow. It may be a moot point, though...these can be grown from just a leaf...

Anonymous said...

I don't know if this will work but the chances are the plant will die if nothing is done so in the end there might be good news. If it is white it might be a sucking insect so tiny. I would dip the top in warm soapy water and let it dry.

Sparrow chic said...

Penniwig's right Mom. Cut it to the soil and let it sit in your cool den until this spring, then put it out on the patio. They like indirect sunlight.

Ms Sparrow said...

Thanks for the helpful advice, folks!