On 9/4/08 22:00, in article , "Mister B"
wrote:


'Sacha[_3_ Wrote:
;783531']On 9/4/08 10:44, in article
, "Mister B"
wrote:
-

Hello Forum,

My Strelitzia regina must be about 10 yrs old now. I have been
having
the same problem now for about 4 yrs. In the winter flower shoots
appear, this year there were 9 (!). The shoots grow very slowly for
about a month or two and then stop growing. After a further couple
of
months new leaves start to appear, some of the leaves appear normal
with the red vein, others are misshapen, too small and have no red
vein. At this point the flower shoots, which still looked healthy,
start withering from within until they have rotted away. This has
happened for the last 4 years. The plant is in front of a big window
facing the west. Does anybody have an idea why this is happening?

-
I'm going to forward this to someone who pops in here occasionally and
is
very knowledgeable about exotic plants. But I'm wondering what your
watering regime is and if you feed the plant, pot it on each year -
that
sort of thing?

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'


The plant is quite large now and is in a large container. I have read
so many conflicting articles regarding watering Strelitzias in the
winter. I water about once a fortnight and feed once a month. In the
summer months the plant is on the patio and I water it thoroughly when
the soil is dry. I repot the plant last summer - the roots looked ok
white and fleshy. I have tried out many winter watering habits over
the past few years. Much water, little water, no feeding, feeding but
the results are still the same. At the moment I water thoroughly when
the soil is dry which is about every 3 weeks.

Btw I also have a Strelitzia Nicolai which I grew from seed about 6
years ago but it hasn't flowered yet.


I received this from David Poole this morning:
"Ah well, there are several possible reasons for this although I*bet the
plant is being treated too well.* Strelitzias can be induced to flower when
treated as a house plant, but all too frequently they remain as lush foliage
plants due to insufficient light (even when kept in a large window),
relatively higher than necessary winter temperatures and overwatering.* It
needs to be kept cooler and drier in winter to enforce semi-dormancy during
the period when light levels are too low for healthy growth.* This plant
would be more productive in a frost free greenhouse and kept almost dry.*
Failing that a porch or sun lounge etc.* Currently it has just one light
source which is not enough.* The fact that it produces leaves indicates it
is trying to grow at the wrong time of year and with light levels being as
they are, abnormalities occur and flower buds aborted.*
*
Once past the seedling stage, Strelitzias benefit from being placed out of
doors in light/dappled shade (they burn in direct sun) from early summer to
late autumn before the arrival of the first frosts.* They can be fed every
2-3 weeks using a general fertiliser such as Miracle Grow (Baby Bio is less
than useless for these), switching to a tomato fertiliser from August
onwards.* Once they are returned to their winter quarters, they should be
allowed to become quite dry between waterings and all*feeding stopped. The
ideal night temperature is between 5C - 10C.* I grow and flower*Strelitzia
reginae*outside in the border here so you get an idea of its tolerance
levels.* Problem is that snails love the petals and wreck the flowers as
they open.* *
*
HTH.*"


--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'