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#1
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peacock plant
I have recently brought a Peacock plant ,which has broad green and silver
stripy leaves about 18" high x 24 " across.I have put the pot into a broad planter 10"with some water in the bottom to give a moist atmosphere under the leaves,the actual pot is above the small amount of water,and the roots do not touch the water level. Is this the right thing to do? it is in a warm room 70C out of the direct sunlight,( when we get some)I have also noticed that the plant tends to close up during the night and the leaves open out during the day .why do plants do this, what is the evolutionary reason for this behaviour..I hope that I haven't asked to many questions.still I don't suppose you can get out in the garden today with all this rain we are having, its blowing a gale down here on the south coast...cas |
#2
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peacock plant
Cas wrote:
I have recently brought a Peacock plant ,which has broad green and silver stripy leaves about 18" high x 24 " across.I have put the pot into a broad planter 10"with some water in the bottom to give a moist atmosphere under the leaves,the actual pot is above the small amount of water,and the roots do not touch the water level. Is this the right thing to do? Due to the arbitrary way in which common names are applied, your 'peacock plant', could be one of several related (and to make things worse) totally unrelated plants. That said it is almost certain to be one of the Maranta family and it's odds-on that you have Calathea makoyana. This is a tropical plant native to South America and most commonly found in Brazil, where it is found in the shade and occasionally dappled light on the forest floor. Humidity is consistently high and temperatures rarely fluctuate so this gives you an inkling of the conditions it prefers. Your plant will greatly appreciate the additional humidity provided by the water, but will quickly deteriorate if the compost remains constantly sodden so you need to ensure that the roots never sit in water. Small rounded tubers develop on the roots and these help sustain the plant during brief periods of drought, but ideally you should aim to keep the compost moist, allowing it dry out only slightly between waterings. It's also a good idea to use boiled water at room temperature rather than straight from the tap since many Calatheas are somewhat sensitive to hard water and may be damaged to long-term exposure to the chlorine/ fluoride additives. Don't forget to feed you plant. It will need applications of dilute liquid fertiliser about every 3 weeks from mid March - mid- October, reducing to 6 - 8 week intervals at other times. Pure chemical based feeds such as Phostrogen, Miracle-Grow etc are a bit too harsh and over a period of time may result in a fatal build up of salts within the compost. It is better to use a seaweed based feed such as Maxicrop at half the recommended strength. ...it is in a warm room 70C out of the direct sunlight,( when we get some)I have also noticed that the plant tends to close up during the night and the leaves open out during the day .why do plants do this, what is the evolutionary reason for this behaviour. The temperature is fine and and keeping it where there is bright, filtered light is also OK. The leaves tend to assume the vertical towards the end of the day because they are native to regions where torrential rainfall later on is the norm. Leaves presenting a broad flat plane to heavy rainfall in the tropics can be easily damaged, so by altering their angle they can shed excess water quickly. It doesn't just happen at night, it can also occur during prolonged heavy rainfall at an time of the day. HTH ... its blowing a gale down here on the south coast Certainly is |
#3
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peacock plant
"Dave Poole" wrote in message ps.com... Cas wrote: I have recently brought a Peacock plant ,which has broad green and silver stripy leaves about 18" high x 24 " across.I have put the pot into a broad planter 10"with some water in the bottom to give a moist atmosphere under the leaves,the actual pot is above the small amount of water,and the roots do not touch the water level. Is this the right thing to do? Due to the arbitrary way in which common names are applied, your 'peacock plant', could be one of several related (and to make things worse) totally unrelated plants. That said it is almost certain to be one of the Maranta family and it's odds-on that you have Calathea makoyana. This is a tropical plant native to South America and most commonly found in Brazil, where it is found in the shade and occasionally dappled light on the forest floor. Humidity is consistently high and temperatures rarely fluctuate so this gives you an inkling of the conditions it prefers. Your plant will greatly appreciate the additional humidity provided by the water, but will quickly deteriorate if the compost remains constantly sodden so you need to ensure that the roots never sit in water. Small rounded tubers develop on the roots and these help sustain the plant during brief periods of drought, but ideally you should aim to keep the compost moist, allowing it dry out only slightly between waterings. It's also a good idea to use boiled water at room temperature rather than straight from the tap since many Calatheas are somewhat sensitive to hard water and may be damaged to long-term exposure to the chlorine/ fluoride additives. Don't forget to feed you plant. It will need applications of dilute liquid fertiliser about every 3 weeks from mid March - mid- October, reducing to 6 - 8 week intervals at other times. Pure chemical based feeds such as Phostrogen, Miracle-Grow etc are a bit too harsh and over a period of time may result in a fatal build up of salts within the compost. It is better to use a seaweed based feed such as Maxicrop at half the recommended strength. ...it is in a warm room 70C out of the direct sunlight,( when we get some)I have also noticed that the plant tends to close up during the night and the leaves open out during the day .why do plants do this, what is the evolutionary reason for this behaviour. The temperature is fine and and keeping it where there is bright, filtered light is also OK. The leaves tend to assume the vertical towards the end of the day because they are native to regions where torrential rainfall later on is the norm. Leaves presenting a broad flat plane to heavy rainfall in the tropics can be easily damaged, so by altering their angle they can shed excess water quickly. It doesn't just happen at night, it can also occur during prolonged heavy rainfall at an time of the day. HTH ... its blowing a gale down here on the south coast Certainly is Thanks David I seem to doing the right thing by the plant .I bought it at BQ for £10 .Will it be ok to feed it on baby bio? .I also have a Dieffenbachia of similar proportions which is doing well. I placed them ether side of the T/V which gives a good view to any tropical rainforest program I may be watching...cas |
#4
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peacock plant
Cas wrote:
Thanks David I seem to doing the right thing by the plant .I bought it at BQ for £10 .Will it be ok to feed it on baby bio? In this instance yes. It is not really good enough for more vigorous plants, but will be fine for the Calathea. Not anywhere near as good as Maxicrop though. I also have a Dieffenbachia of similar proportions which is doing well. I placed them ether side of the T/V which gives a good view to any tropical rainforest program I may be watching. Dieffenbachias have thicker leaves than your Calathea and as a result are rather more tolerant of dry air. Depending upon the type of TV you've got, there will be a fair amount of warm dry air coming out of the back, which will not be to the liking of the Calathea with its thin-textured leaves. Conventional (tube) TVs pump out quite a lot of hot air as do some plasmas and even your precautionary water reservoir below the plant will not be sufficient to counteract this in the long run. LCD sets run coolest, but I would not keep any humidity-loving plants too close to any of them. |
#5
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peacock plant
"Dave Poole" wrote in a message: snip Conventional (tube) TVs pump out quite a lot of hot air as do some plasmas. --- Too true! Especially when tuned to BBC News24 and a few sports channels. MikeCT |
#6
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peacock plant
On Mar 4, 1:52 pm, "MikeCT" wrote:
Conventional (tube) TVs pump out quite a lot of hot air as do some plasmas. Too true! Especially when tuned to BBC News24 and a few sports channels. Notwithstanding Question Time and its motley assemblage of wriggling politicians and pseudo-intellectuals |
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