Passionate about Passiflora

[rocketfiredash]

Hey everyone!

I'm not sure that there is any flower that intrigues me more than the blooms on a passion flower plant.

I recently bought 2 new ones, one red, one purple, and was estatic to find them! (They used to be fairly tough to find around here!)
I have repotted both of them, and set them both up on new oblisques.
They will both be indoor plants, as I don't have an out door garden to grow them in yet!

So..... the issue..... they are NOT happy with me.... after putting them up on their new oblisques, they have started dropping leaves
Some of the leaves turned yellow, but most of them that are dropping are green! My red plant is currently leafless...and the purple one is well on its way to the same!
I figured that since I disturbed them, it was probably fairly normal for them to drop some leaves....but that was probably about a month and a half ago...and its not getting better! I'm begining to worry!!

Other info: They were repotted in new miracle grow soil, there is a ceiling fan in the room that they live in, they have an east window, but are not right at the window...

I've tried to look info up online as well as searching this forum....to no avail...

please help me save my oh so adored plants!

[Kisal]

They like bright light, but shouldn't be in direct sun. The container must have plenty of drainage holes. A regular potting mix that drains well should work fine for them. Keep it evenly moist, not soggy.

Did you move them to a container no more than one size larger than the one they were in? Too large of a container can contribute to root problems, because the soil stays wet too long.

The ceiling fan shouldn't be a problem for the plants, since they appreciate good ventilation. The east window sounds like a good location.

Have you examined the plants to make sure there are no insect pests?

A picture of your plants might provide some clues.

[rocketfiredash]

Thanks Kisal,
Here are some pictures (hopefully, I'm new at posting on forums), they're evenly moist.... I know you cant see the gauge really well in the picture below, but its right around the middle mark!

Pictures of the purple plant:

https://img138.imageshack.us/I/img00031qq.jpg/

https://img171.imageshack.us/I/img00032y.jpg/

https://img822.imageshack.us/I/img00033.jpg/

https://img63.imageshack.us/I/img00034c.jpg/

https://img571.imageshack.us/I/img00040s.jpg/


Pictures of the red plant:

https://img404.imageshack.us/I/img00036h.jpg/

https://img716.imageshack.us/I/img00037l.jpg/

https://img16.imageshack.us/I/img00038hc.jpg/

https://img249.imageshack.us/I/img00039p.jpg/


The baby cuttings...recently started wilting...probably due to relocation, as I just moved them to a new house!

https://img205.imageshack.us/I/img00027p.jpg/

https://img683.imageshack.us/I/img00028s.jpg/

https://img8.imageshack.us/I/img00030s.jpg/

[rainbowgardener]

they definitely are not doing well; looks like more than just transplant shock, which they should have recovered from by now any way.

I don't know if you were just taking your pictures at night or what, but the pictures look really dark. Are they getting plenty of light?

[Kisal]

I have to second what RG said. They don't look like they're getting nearly enough light. How far are they from that east window? Is the window obstructed by a wall or tree?

If the plants are across the room, that won't work. They should at least be close beside the window. They could even be placed directly in front of it as long as they were a couple of feet away from the glass.

As an example, I have a Calathea that lives on my kitchen counter in front of a west-facing window. The strong west light is far too intense for the plant, but it's okay there, because it is protected by the curtain. It gets excellent bright light, but no direct sun. That's what your passion flowers need. Not necessarily a west-facing window, but bright light without direct sun. Put it close to that east window.

[rocketfiredash]

Thank you both for helping me through this....
my pics were taken at night, so, this is just with the room lighting on....

The baby plants are sitting right infront of the window on a stand.... the red one with no leaves is just to the side of the window, and the purple one is the furthest from the window.... outside the window is open...so the sun shines straight in...I leave these blinds open at night so that my plants will get the sun right away in the morning and they don't have to wait until I wake up!
I will try moving the two big plants right infront of the window to see if that helps.... any specific fertilizer I should try? should I cut them back? how do I assess recovery (timewise)?

[Kisal]

Never fertilize a plant that's showing signs of stress or disease. It can damage the roots!

I have a feeling that this is not a problem with light. Light coming through an east window is equivalent to filtered shade outdoors, and passion flowers can take up to 4 hours a day of direct morning sunlight.

My sense is that your plants have something going on with their roots. I don't know what the problem might be, though. I have never used Miracle Gro soil, but from what other members have written, it seems to me that it doesn't always drain well. I would gently slip the worst looking plant out of its pot and take a look at the roots and soil. The soil in the bottom of the pot should be moist, not soggy. If it's really wet, then you're going to have to repot all of the plants. Otherwise, the roots will rot and the plant will die.

Passion flowers are considered quite easy to grow, and have escaped gardens to grow wild along the roads in some areas. I wonder if you might be killing them with kindness.

Let's look first at overwatering problems, which are very common. While the soil does need to be kept moist, since these plants don't do at all well with drought, they do need to be watered regularly. Still, they aren't bog plants, either, so they don't want to sit in mud. The soil has to be kept somewhere between those extremes. As I suggested earlier, slip one out of its pot and look at the soil. It should have a nice, clean earthy smell, and not a "sour" smell. If the soil in the bottom of the pot is waterlogged, repot the plants and use a bit more restraint when watering them.

There is one other problem that might be going on with the roots. Check for wet soil first, and if that isn't the problem, post again and I'll address the opposite problem, I.e. insufficient water getting to the core of the root ball. Okay?

[rocketfiredash]

Kisal,

thank you so much!
I'll check on the soil....
Do you have any suggestions for a well draining soil type that I should use?

I am guilty of having a killing with kindness history, which is why I bought the gauge to tell me how wet/dry the plants are! I was hoping that would help my tendancy to overwater!

I'll keep you posted on my findings!

[rocketfiredash]

UPDATE:
I have repotted all of these plants and mixed vermiculite in with the soil.
We've drilled holes in the bottom to increase drainage and prevent soggy soil in the bottom of the pots.
I've also put them out in the sun, hoping this promotes them to sprout....
The root systems all seem to look healthy!


The parent plants:

[img]https://img375.imageshack.us/img375/6020/img00058m.jpg[/img]

[img]https://img340.imageshack.us/img340/2513/img00059w.jpg[/img]

The Babies

[img]https://img823.imageshack.us/img823/2476/img00060.jpg[/img]

This one still has a nice root system, I'll wait patiently to see if anything happens

[img]https://img708.imageshack.us/img708/9467/img00064u.jpg[/img]



The Newest Addition

[img]https://img268.imageshack.us/img268/1903/img00062i.jpg[/img]

[img]https://img685.imageshack.us/img685/5593/img00063j.jpg[/img]


[img]https://img189.imageshack.us/img189/3503/img00053j.jpg[/img]

[Kisal]

Looks good!