I have a gloxinia which I bought at a nursery several weeks ago. The
plant droops when it wants water and then slowly perks itself back up
during the day after it's been watered.

In the past few days, however, it has been turning brown. I took it
back to the nursery and they suggested submerging the pot in water for
a few moments and letting that soil get really wet (since the soil was
dry despite having been watered right before bringing the plant over).
They also gave me some plant food drops, which I mixed into the
water, and I let the water drain out at the end of this process.

Well, it's been two days and while the leaves are still green and
velvety and half of the buds seem to be okay, the other half are brown
and I've had to cut them off. Moreover, the flowers that had bloomed
keep drooping to one side and I've had to cut those as well. I am
afraid that this will "spread" to other parts of the plant, if that
makes any sense.

Is my plant headed for death, or should I just give it some time? Is
there anything else I should be doing? I'm finding that it's quite a
tempermental little plant but I am determined to keep it alive!
Thanks in advance for any advice!

Joy

Hello! Not too hard, but "Goxinias" (actually, it is probably a Sinningia)
are Gesneriads, and Gesneriads need some understanding.

Submerging it in water was bad advice. Gesneriads have relatively fine roots
that MUST have oxygen. They suffocate easily. Poor drainage is fatal to
them. It is true that they like moisture, but they must have a light,
fast-draining soil. If you keep a saucer of standing water under the pot,
that is fairly sure to kill them (or most of their relatives for that
matter).

Something else you should know: this plant was bred from wild ancestors that
are from alternatingly wet-dry forest. It is normal and natural for them to
go quite dormant after blooming. The tops die off, and nothing is left but
the tuber. Letting it dry out perhaps a bit too much may have shocked it
into trying to go dormant. Soaking it after it tries to go dormant would be
really bad because its tolerance for wet feet while it is trying to go
dormant is low.

I can't tell from your description whether the plant is just trying to go
dormant, or if it has gotten sick from cultural issues (like, say, root
rot). If you see any soft, dark, wilty tissue, that's really bad. You're
right, if its disease it could spread. If it just seems to be drying up
without any signs of diseases, that's not bad.

I suggest limiting water to just enough to keep it from shrivelling, and if
it looks like it wants to go dormant, decrease the water even more, just to
keep the tuber from shrivelling. Keep it a bit cooler while dormant.

The light exposure while it is still awake should be bright but not hot and
not too much direct sun, which can burn it. It's naturally a shade-tolerant
plant. A few hours of direct sun and bright open shade the rest of the day
(actually, it could probably live on bright open shade) is enough.

The Sinningia called "Gloxinia" is a beautiful plant, but its dormancy makes
it tricky. If you like it but wanted something a little easier, there are
plenty of other Gesneriads that are a little easier to grow. One year I
grew some--Streptocarpellas--that are tolerant enough of cool temperatures
to grow outdoors in hanging baskets for the summer (they have to come in
during the winter unless one happens to live in the subtropics).
Streptocarpus are easy (not particularly long-lived, but easy). African
violets aren't hard either, just make sure that they have the same good
drainage they all need.

If you need to catch runoff water, you can place them on a tray filled with
pebbles. The pebbles keep them above the standing water, so their roots can
breath.

I hope it recovers.

Atar

Joy Brunetti wrote:

I have a gloxinia which I bought at a nursery several weeks ago. The
plant droops when it wants water and then slowly perks itself back up
during the day after it's been watered.

In the past few days, however, it has been turning brown. I took it
back to the nursery and they suggested submerging the pot in water for
a few moments and letting that soil get really wet (since the soil was
dry despite having been watered right before bringing the plant over).
They also gave me some plant food drops, which I mixed into the
water, and I let the water drain out at the end of this process.

Well, it's been two days and while the leaves are still green and
velvety and half of the buds seem to be okay, the other half are brown
and I've had to cut them off. Moreover, the flowers that had bloomed
keep drooping to one side and I've had to cut those as well. I am
afraid that this will "spread" to other parts of the plant, if that
makes any sense.

Is my plant headed for death, or should I just give it some time? Is
there anything else I should be doing? I'm finding that it's quite a
tempermental little plant but I am determined to keep it alive!
Thanks in advance for any advice!

Joy

--
Enjoy reading about special plants from interesting parts of the world on my
blog at wildestdreamsofkew.blogspot.com

Hi Atar!

Hello! Not too hard, but "Goxinias" (actually, it is probably a Sinningia)
are Gesneriads, and Gesneriads need some understanding.

Submerging it in water was bad advice. Gesneriads have relatively fine roots
that MUST have oxygen. They suffocate easily. Poor drainage is fatal to
them. It is true that they like moisture, but they must have a light,
fast-draining soil. If you keep a saucer of standing water under the pot,
that is fairly sure to kill them (or most of their relatives for that
matter).

Something else you should know: this plant was bred from wild ancestors that
are from alternatingly wet-dry forest. It is normal and natural for them to
go quite dormant after blooming. The tops die off, and nothing is left but
the tuber. Letting it dry out perhaps a bit too much may have shocked it
into trying to go dormant. Soaking it after it tries to go dormant would be
really bad because its tolerance for wet feet while it is trying to go
dormant is low.

Well it was doing really well for about three weeks and then suddenly
the flowers started to droop and then not pick themselves back up even
after watering. The nursery told me that was due to the plant not
getting enough water--in their words, "Look at how the soil's still so
dry even though you just watered it." So I submerged it and gave it
plant food that night (a week ago) and then haven't done it again
since because the soil still seems to be maintaining its moisture and
not drying out.

Now I wasn't aware that the plant actually has a dormant state. I
don't know much about plants (obviously) but I'm determined to keep
this one alive. The leaves are still looking wonderfully, but the
last of the flowers have been cut off and all that is left are the
leaves. I didn't know what a tuber was but I'm guessing that's just
the main root. That seems to be fine (and again, so are the leaves)
but the browning is what was worrying me. Can I expect the leaves to
also brown and die off and just be left with the root?

I can't tell from your description whether the plant is just trying to go
dormant, or if it has gotten sick from cultural issues (like, say, root
rot). If you see any soft, dark, wilty tissue, that's really bad. You're
right, if its disease it could spread. If it just seems to be drying up
without any signs of diseases, that's not bad.

No I don't think it's root rot--I killed another plant like that once
so I know what that looks like. It just seems to be drying up.
Now how long can I expect it to dry like this?

I suggest limiting water to just enough to keep it from shrivelling, and if
it looks like it wants to go dormant, decrease the water even more, just to
keep the tuber from shrivelling. Keep it a bit cooler while dormant.

Yep it's on my kitchen counter and gets mild sun during the day with a
bit of a breeze. It had been in my office but the semblance that I
was killing yet another plant encouraged me to take it home and care
for it there.

The light exposure while it is still awake should be bright but not hot and
not too much direct sun, which can burn it. It's naturally a shade-tolerant
plant. A few hours of direct sun and bright open shade the rest of the day
(actually, it could probably live on bright open shade) is enough.

The Sinningia called "Gloxinia" is a beautiful plant, but its dormancy makes
it tricky. If you like it but wanted something a little easier, there are
plenty of other Gesneriads that are a little easier to grow. One year I
grew some--Streptocarpellas--that are tolerant enough of cool temperatures
to grow outdoors in hanging baskets for the summer (they have to come in
during the winter unless one happens to live in the subtropics).
Streptocarpus are easy (not particularly long-lived, but easy). African
violets aren't hard either, just make sure that they have the same good
drainage they all need.

If you need to catch runoff water, you can place them on a tray filled with
pebbles. The pebbles keep them above the standing water, so their roots can
breath.

I hope it recovers.

Thanks so much for your help and advice! I bought the plant because
it was so beautiful without really knowing much about the care.
Unfortunately it's one of the tougher ones to care for but I think the
outcome is really worth the effort so I will keep trying.

I have a gloxinia which I bought at a nursery several weeks ago. The
plant droops when it wants water and then slowly perks itself back up
during the day after it's been watered.

In the past few days, however, it has been turning brown. I took it
back to the nursery and they suggested submerging the pot in water for
a few moments and letting that soil get really wet (since the soil was
dry despite having been watered right before bringing the plant over).
They also gave me some plant food drops, which I mixed into the
water, and I let the water drain out at the end of this process.

Well, it's been two days and while the leaves are still green and
velvety and half of the buds seem to be okay, the other half are brown
and I've had to cut them off. Moreover, the flowers that had bloomed
keep drooping to one side and I've had to cut those as well. I am
afraid that this will "spread" to other parts of the plant, if that
makes any sense.

Is my plant headed for death, or should I just give it some time? Is
there anything else I should be doing? I'm finding that it's quite a
tempermental little plant but I am determined to keep it alive!
Thanks in advance for any advice!

Joy