I bought what I was lead to believe was good quality potting mix...meanwhile
my happy plant is miserable and my japonica is dead.
What happened I thought I was doing them a treat (they've thrived in sand)
It was a Christmas present for my plants.
Any ideas what I've done wrong?
ta
Linda

odonata28 (Linda) wrote:
I bought what I was lead to believe was good quality potting mix...meanwhile
my happy plant is miserable and my japonica is dead.
What happened I thought I was doing them a treat (they've thrived in sand)
It was a Christmas present for my plants.
Any ideas what I've done wrong?
ta
Linda


Happy news, happy plants, they are almost impossible to kill!
But as you made it unhappy, we will have to work out some sort of
punishment. I know
Go and click on the links.
Find out the answers yourself...
and dont come back till youve found the answer.
The Dracaena species is increasingly popular because they are decorative
and possess amazing powers of resistance. They are almost impossible to
kill. The only danger is of drowning when the plant is set in a plastic
pot. Use in offices and living rooms to purify air. They may be left
undisturbed for years on end. Mind you, the Term "happy plant" is used
for a few plants. Make sure you have the right one.
It is probably drainage in this case.
http://heartgarden.com.au/description.asp?id=18
Some info on
Potting mixes.
http://www.canadiangardening.com/how...ilmixing.shtml

"odonata28 (Linda)" wrote in message

I bought what I was lead to believe was good quality potting
mix...meanwhile
my happy plant is miserable and my japonica is dead.
What happened I thought I was doing them a treat (they've thrived in
sand)
It was a Christmas present for my plants.
Any ideas what I've done wrong?

Did you do anything different other than put them in the potting mix?
Pots? Watering regime? Weather?

In article ,
"odonata28 \(Linda\)" wrote:

I bought what I was lead to believe was good quality potting mix...meanwhile
my happy plant is miserable and my japonica is dead.
What happened I thought I was doing them a treat (they've thrived in sand)
It was a Christmas present for my plants.
Any ideas what I've done wrong?

Probably repotting them in hot weather did them in. Whenever you disturb (ie,
damage) the plant's roots, you reduce their ability to take in water and
nutrients -- you might hear it described as 'transplant shock'. That's why
you always water plants when transplanting/repotting.

Often, you will see recommendations to prune shrubs when repotting. This
lowers the amount of water the plant needs in the short term.

If the roots are disturbed and the weather is hot, you get a lower amount of
water going into the plant and a higher amount going out. Sometimes, even
keeping the plant well-watered and cool will not save it.

Suggestions: make sure your happy plant is well-watered and keep it in
dappled shade for a while. You could try a bit of pruning (dunno what a happy
plant is, so this might not be possible -- some plants shouldn't be pruned).

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may
start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled."
Kerry Cue

"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote in message
...
"odonata28 (Linda)" wrote in message

I bought what I was lead to believe was good quality potting
mix...meanwhile
my happy plant is miserable and my japonica is dead.
What happened I thought I was doing them a treat (they've thrived in
sand)
It was a Christmas present for my plants.
Any ideas what I've done wrong?

Did you do anything different other than put them in the potting mix?
Pots? Watering regime? Weather?

No I put it in a larger pot(?).
Thanx for all the help btw.
Linda

Chookie wrote:
In article ,
"odonata28 \(Linda\)" wrote:


I bought what I was lead to believe was good quality potting mix...meanwhile
my happy plant is miserable and my japonica is dead.
What happened I thought I was doing them a treat (they've thrived in sand)
It was a Christmas present for my plants.
Any ideas what I've done wrong?


Probably repotting them in hot weather did them in. Whenever you disturb (ie,
damage) the plant's roots, you reduce their ability to take in water and
nutrients -- you might hear it described as 'transplant shock'. That's why
you always water plants when transplanting/repotting.

Often, you will see recommendations to prune shrubs when repotting. This
lowers the amount of water the plant needs in the short term.

If the roots are disturbed and the weather is hot, you get a lower amount of
water going into the plant and a higher amount going out. Sometimes, even
keeping the plant well-watered and cool will not save it.

Suggestions: make sure your happy plant is well-watered and keep it in
dappled shade for a while. You could try a bit of pruning (dunno what a happy
plant is, so this might not be possible -- some plants shouldn't be pruned).

Sometimes, dunking the plant into a large container when problems occur,
will help save it. I always put seaweed extract with that. I completely
submerge the plant for a few minutes, then pull it out completely and do
this when it dries out again. This pushes nutrients through a damaged
root system and leaves. You can molly coddle a plant which is supposed
to be low maintenance.