tknflorida
Newly Registered
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2015 10:11 pm

Purple Velvet Plant or Purple Passion Plant Wilting please help

I've fallen so in love with the green leaves and beautiful purple fuzzies on this plant ever since the first one I bought last year. I think I'm on my 5th? :'( I've tried super-hard not to overwater, but maybe it's my soil as I've managed to kill all of them I've bought except this last one I got a month ago.

I just repotted it from walmart's little pot and couldn't find a lot of information except for acidic soil slightly and moist soil not wet, and now I see to water only once a week and use peat moss/sand mix?

I think there was some type of critter causing dry spots and little white spots underneath so I got garden dust since I wouldn't hve to get it's leaves wet. I left it on about 1 day and then blew it off / used an extremely soft toothbrush DRY and got as much as I could off. It seemed to be semi-okay/better than before at this point.

Since the dust got into the soil, I decided it would be a good time to move it and I planted it in the normal Miracle Grow feeds for 3-6 months potting soil. Says it's made with peat moss, compost etc. I am soooo scared to overwater that I basically just hand fed the soil until the water drained out into the saucer dumped that off the saucer and worked the other side the same way. (I think my hubby got to it after this), but the next day I noticed the soil was so moist that it was soggy. (Argghhh) So, I removed the plant AGAIN, rinsed off the soil like when I repotted?(didn't know if I shouldve done that or not to begin with?) I went ahead and squeezed the soil and mixed in a bit new dry soil with the soaked/squeezed soil. I didn't know how else to handle it? Not enough soil to give it time to dry.

So as I said I rinsed roots really well, kept leaves dry. kinda just let the water flow into my palm and over the roots then had hubby help me "drain" the squishiness out of soil and repotted the plant. I thought it was looking okay til it got soaked.

Which brings me to now. It got so drenched I didnt want it to die on me so when I added the dry soil, I didn't water it a whole lot. Just til it barely came out of the bottom, but the soil still feels super-moist in some places, but dry in others? When I say a leaf or two is wilting now, I mean it looks like it's turning crispy? Does that mean it's dry or overwatered? (I'd assume dry, but?) I keep it in bright indirect light and I live in Utah, so without the humidity, I try to keep in in bathroom as I heard it like the moisture?

Any advice would surely be appreciated. For this plant, and just in case from step one of bringing one home. Like I said, I didn't know whether to completely rinse off roots or try not to disturb roots at all? Talk to me like a 5 year old. I want to get it right. If it's too late for this one, I want to try again, and am tired of killing the poor plants. :*(

Oh, I've got like two stalks left as the third just wilted and died(smallest) and they each have 2 to 3 leaves on them? No more room to pinch off or anything.
TY in advance

Kaytee -helpsos-

User avatar
ElizabethB
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2105
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 12:53 am
Location: Lafayette, LA

Kaytee - it sound like you are loving your plant to death.

Washing the roots when you transplanted may not have been the best idea. Your current issue is either under or over watering. Your plant may have suffered root damage.

Sorry :(

Good luck



Return to “Container Gardening Forum”