Help! My Salvia is dying.

[Trickster]

I grow 3 SD plants from cuttings. They are around 4 month old and have been doing very well. Big pots, spraying twice a day, no parasites.

A week ago leaves on all 3 plants started to droop and curl. Ther were some black edges on a few leaves but they remain the same. I tried a few things but to no avail:

- Moved them from direct sunlight although it was only 2 hours in the morning.
- Started watering more often. Once in 2 days instead of once in a week.
- Applied some standard pertilizer for room plants.

It does not help. The plants are getting worse.It is pretty hot where I live (around 33C -35C during the day). Could it be the reason? What can I do?

 

[gibran2]

Do you have any photos? Hard to say without seeing them.

Does the soil drain well? The symptoms you describe sound like root rot - is the soil always very wet?

 

[geeg30]

Could be a few things - root rot (as gibran said), or too high a temperature with low humidity, climate shock (the temperature/humidity has changed too quick), over feeding or under feeding etc etc. Please do not over water, if you must water frequently (due to heat) then use less water but more frequent.

Salvia also takes a wee while to re-adjust to change so a week is not really enough time to see any change.

Get some photos and maybe we could help a bit better.

 

[Trickster]

Does the soil drain well?

I am a noob, so I do not know what is "well".

I do not think the plant was overwatered before the problem began.

Actually after I started to water it more, it seemed as if the plant started to get better, only to get worse in a few more days.

There is a hole in the pot bottom and the pot is made from a natural porous material.

The symptoms you describe sound like root rot - is the soil always very wet?

No, definitely not always. Although right now, approx 1 hour since the last watering, there is some water in the plate undeneath the pot.

Here is the photo.

 

[Trickster]

Could be a few things - root rot (as gibran said), or too high a temperature with low humidity, climate shock (the temperature/humidity has changed too quick),

Indeed the temp jumped from 23C to 33C over a few days.

Should I put it under an aircon?

 

[Ginkgo]

They look like they have been exposed to direct sunlight. Even if for only two hours, direct sunlight will easily kill all the leaves. The process of the leaves dying can take days or even weeks, even if only exposed to sunlight one single time. If the temperature jumped 10 degrees over a few days this might also contribute. Salvia can easily tolerate over 30 C, but not necessarily without being slowly adopted to it.

Put the plants a spot with no direct sunlight and preferably a lower temperature. Note that most or all of the leaves probably will fall off, but the plant might very well shoot again if you just allow it some time. Also note that it is no real reason to spray your plants with water, they will not grow considerably better and they will probably die the day you forget to spray them.

If changing the environment, remember to allow the plants to slowly adopt to the new environment. Good luck!

 

[benzyme]

move it to a terrarium-like atmosphere or maybe cover it with something to maintain humidity, and mist spray the leaves (and soil, from now on). this plant loves humidity
wilted leaves can mean it's too hot, or the plant cells are isotonic (they should be hypertonic).
give it indirect sunlight. it can handle some degree of heat, but not in direct sun.

 

[Trickster]

They look like they have been exposed to direct sunlight. Even if for only two hours, direct sunlight will easily kill all the leaves. The process of the leaves dying can take days or even weeks, even if only exposed to sunlight one single time.

They were sitting on the same windowsill for more than 3 month, direct sunlight and all. The only change I can think of is this sudden temp rise.

Well. Not exactly. Actually a week earlier I added some fertilizer to the water. But could the fertilizer act so slowly?

If the temperature jumped 10 degrees over a few days this might also contribute. Salvia can easily tolerate over 30 C, but not necessarily without being slowly adopted to it.

Hopefully this is the case.

Put the plants a spot with no direct sunlight and preferably a lower temperature.

Already did.

Note that most or all of the leaves probably will fall off,

A couple already did.

Also note that it is no real reason to spray your plants with water, they will not grow considerably better and they will probably die the day you forget to spray them.

If changing the environment, remember to allow the plants to slowly adopt to the new environment. Good luck!

Interesting. Thanks a lot!

 

[eagleeyes]

if you have a good soil and it looks like you do ........you don't need to fertilize them!! that is what may have caused them to wilt........also don't over water them either keep moist and let almost dry but don't flood them it destroys their roots....best wishes

 

[geeg30]

All of the above is good advise - you may think your plants are getting worse at first but don't despair it is their way of healing (depends on the amount of damage). For me a humidity tent is a last resort fix as it can take ages to re-adjust from a humidity tent (although I live in Scotland which is not really an ideal climate in the first place, it might be different for yourself) but once in the tent the plants will grow like fuck.

Good luck and keep us posted

 

[ocelot]

Hi Trickster!

I can't post outside the nursery, but wanted to add a couple of things to your thread which may be helpful...

From the behaviour of my Salvias during a recent heatwave, I came to the conclusion that Salvias are very sensitive to sudden changes in temperature. One of my Salvias took to wilting severely, although it seemed to perk up ok in the evening after a drink...however I realised that the soil was actually still moist when it was being watered (not really good to keep watering damp pots!) and I think that what was happening was that the plant was suffering heatstroke which also affected the roots, and hence was helped with some cool water.

I noticed when I repotted the Salvias in the spring that their rootballs were surprisingly warm in my hands, and perhaps in the high summer it's easy for the roots to get too hot (and difficult for the roots to dissipate the heat).

Also (for what it's worth) last year (which wasn't as hot), both my Salvias took to wilting at around 5pm every day and would then spontaneously revive (whether I watered them or not)...eventually I decided that they must be having an afternoon nap

Salvias seem to be very sensitive plants and yet very vigourous and tough at the same time - I think yours will be fine since you're giving it some time to recover now that it's out of the heat.

My Salvias have forgiven me a lot! :d

Good luck with your gardening!

 

[Trickster]

Hi Trickster!

I can't post outside the nursery, but wanted to add a couple of things to your thread which may be helpful...

From the behaviour of my Salvias during a recent heatwave, I came to the conclusion that Salvias are very sensitive to sudden changes in temperature. One of my Salvias took to wilting severely, although it seemed to perk up ok in the evening after a drink...however I realised that the soil was actually still moist when it was being watered (not really good to keep watering damp pots!) and I think that what was happening was that the plant was suffering heatstroke which also affected the roots, and hence was helped with some cool water.

I noticed when I repotted the Salvias in the spring that their rootballs were surprisingly warm in my hands, and perhaps in the high summer it's easy for the roots to get too hot (and difficult for the roots to dissipate the heat).

Also (for what it's worth) last year (which wasn't as hot), both my Salvias took to wilting at around 5pm every day and would then spontaneously revive (whether I watered them or not)...eventually I decided that they must be having an afternoon nap

Salvias seem to be very sensitive plants and yet very vigourous and tough at the same time - I think yours will be fine since you're giving it some time to recover now that it's out of the heat.

My Salvias have forgiven me a lot! :d

Good luck with your gardening!

Hi Ocelot,

Thanks for your support and good advice.

Indeed there are some intra-day fluctuations of plants condition.

I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Regards,

T.

 

[Trickster]

I moved my 3 plants to an airconditioned room with a humidified. The temp now ~26C and the humidity is ~60%.

Still after one day the plants' condition did not improve. One has wilted even more.

I stopped watering them once in 2 days. Would it be enough to water them twice a week? Once a week? There is good draingage in the pots, so I hope overwatering is not a problem. I keep misting them 2-3 times a day. I can do it more often if that can help.

 

[ThirdEyeVision]

Trickster, from my experience salvia is a very very forgiving and resilient plant. She acclimates to most climates very nicely. My girls right now are in 105 degree temp, humidity below 20 and get about two hours of direct sunlight a day and they are thriving as always. They are all in their own 10 gallon pot with a rich soil of manure, a little vermiculite, a little pearlite and potting soil. I water every other day by completely soaking the pots until water nears the top. I fertilize once a week with a half strength acid loving miracle grow ( used to use organic until recently). I do use organics about once a month still.

Your soil looks like it is mostly peat, is that correct? If so you will definitely need ferts. Peat in my experience is a death trap that quickly turns to barren water bogged soil. If it is peat I would re-pot with some healthy soil and inoculate with mycorrhizae. Then water every other day, she likes moist soil. DO FERTILIZE, she grows fast this time of year and in a pot she needs all the food she can get. Start her off in the shade until she is standing tall and proud.

All in all from the pic it looks like poor soil and she looks like she is actually wilting from LACK of water. From a pic it is hard to tell though. With good drainage every other day is perfect.There is a lot of contradictory advice in this thread but from the pics that is my advice and I have grown salvia very successfully for a long time.

PS: Moving her inside to the AC is sending her into shock big time. Keep her in the climate you want her in. Also a good way to see if you have good drainage is to water and in two days stick a stick or chopstick in your soil all the way to the bottom. When you pull it out it should be moist but not soaked.

 

[gibran2]

So I looked at the photo you posted, and I’m wondering what the concern is? That plant looks reasonably healthy. The leaves may be a bit curved, but some leaves just look that way. It seems that sometimes the center vein grows faster than the rest of the leaf, and so the leaf gets that curved “cup” shape. Nothing to be concerned about.

Salvia will adjust to just about any reasonable growing environment, but it reacts strongly to change. The less you change it’s environment, the better. Every change will require it to readjust and consequently slow it’s growth. Before considering transplanting or any other significant changes, I’d give it at least a week or two to adjust to it’s new indoor environment.

Don’t worry – it doesn’t look bad at all.

 

[Trickster]

Your soil looks like it is mostly peat, is that correct?

Yes.

If so you will definitely need ferts. Peat in my experience is a death trap that quickly turns to barren water bogged soil. If it is peat I would re-pot with some healthy soil and inoculate with mycorrhizae. Then water every other day, she likes moist soil. DO FERTILIZE, she grows fast this time of year and in a pot she needs all the food she can get. Start her off in the shade until she is standing tall and proud.

The matter is, that with my limited experience in gardening I do not see a clear coonection between the plants' conditions and my actions. So I do not know what is going on. Are they dying because of ferts, excessive watering, too much direct sun, heat shock, poor soil or anything else. Everything I did was according from info collected from various Internet sources.

So, it is time to do some experiments. I will try to do different things to each of the 3 plants I have.

All in all from the pic it looks like poor soil

One plant will be re-potted ASAP.

and she looks like she is actually wilting from LACK of water. From a pic it is hard to tell though. With good drainage every other day is perfect.There is a lot of contradictory advice in this thread but from the pics that is my advice and I have grown salvia very successfully for a long time.

Another one will be watered every other day.

PS: Moving her inside to the AC is sending her into shock big time. Keep her in the climate you want her in. Also a good way to see if you have good drainage is to water and in two days stick a stick or chopstick in your soil all the way to the bottom. When you pull it out it should be moist but not soaked.

Two of the plants were already moved from the aircon.

Thank you, 3rd eye.

 

[ThirdEyeVision]

Let us know how it goes. One thing to remember is to not over think it either. She grows like a weed if given what she needs.

1. Soil.
a. A good healthy mix of manure, parlite, and potting soil is perfect. Peat will turn back to the bog it came from too quickly.

2. Water.
a. With a well drained soil.
1. In a pot: Every other day.
2. In the ground: about every 4 days.

3. Conditions.
a. Consistency is key. She is VERY VERY resilient but can be temperamental if conditions change too often. She will adjust if given the time she needs.
b. Not too much direct sunlight. She DOES like some morning sun though.
c. Temp. Never been a problem for me. She is much more forgiving of temps on the high end than the low end. I regularly have my girls at 105+ and shes fine but she WILL die back to the ground in freezing temps. I lost a crop of 10 8 foot flowering girls last year to freezing temps over night. (they looked dead as a doornail but.... they live again!)
d. Humidity. Not really that important once acclimated. My girls now flourish in a very low humidity environment. She will droop until she gets used to it though.

4. Food.
a. She grows VERY FAST during her growing season, therefore she needs to be feed. This is even more important in pots. If you aren't going organic, once a week with a half dose of Miracle Grow for Acid loving plants works wonders.


Like any female she can be moody so let her have her space and she will come back to you. I would definitely get her out of the peat though. Good luck to you.

 

[gibran2]

If your salvia is in a pot and gets very large, more frequent watering will be necessary. One of my plants is about 4 feet tall, and needs watering about 3 times a day.

(I’ll be harvesting this plant and taking a few cuttings later this afternoon.)

 

[Trickster]

Let us know how it goes. One thing to remember is to not over think it either.

I've been experimenting with the plants for a while. The results are not very encouraging.

Tried a number of different things:

1. One plant was moved to an airconditioned room with controlled humidity (~55%). Two remained in the same conditions (+27-+35C) and 35% humidity. There has been no difference.
2. Two plants were watered excessively (2 times a day). One was only misted twice a day. No difference.
3. One plant was completely removed from direct sunlight. Two other were subjected to ~2hrs of morning sunlight. No difference.
4. Two plants were fertilized. The 3rd one was not. No noticeable difference.

1. Soil.
a. A good healthy mix of manure, parlite, and potting soil is perfect. Peat will turn back to the bog it came from too quickly.

It seems to be the only untested factor. Seeing the plants sorry state I am afraid that if I re-pot them they may die.

Description of the soil I used:

Upper level Peat, low level peat, river sand, perlite, organic substances - 60%-80%, Nitrogen - 100 - 200 mg / liter, Phosphorus - 120 - 220 mg / liter, potassium - 140 - 280 mg / liter, + microelements.

2. Water.
a. With a well drained soil.
1. In a pot: Every other day.

I tried from once a day to once in 3 days. No noticeable difference.

3. Conditions.
a. Consistency is key. She is VERY VERY resilient but can be temperamental if conditions change too often. She will adjust if given the time she needs.

This could be the problem. Indeed I changed them often trying to find the best.

b. Not too much direct sunlight. She DOES like some morning sun though.

This has been provided for 2 of 3 plants. No visible result.

d. Humidity. Not really that important once acclimated. My girls now flourish in a very low humidity environment. She will droop until she gets used to it though.

Mine's got plenty of humidity. They are misted 3-4 times a day.

4. Food.
a. She grows VERY FAST during her growing season, therefore she needs to be feed. This is even more important in pots. If you aren't going organic, once a week with a half dose of Miracle Grow for Acid loving plants works wonders.

Can you be more specific? We do not have Miracle Grow here.

I would definitely get her out of the peat though. Good luck to you.

Will be done in a day. I will do it for 1 or 2 plants. The 3rd will be left as is.

Thanks.

 

[geeg30]

Just noticed from your pictures ^^^, that in pics 1&2 that your plants are being grown as side shoots and not as a main plant. You would be better to either take the side shoot as a new cutting (maybe not advisable if they are poorly) or you could try and make the side shoots root and fill the pots higher with soil which needs to be done with minimal water so to not cause the stem to rot.