Plant News
Apr 4th, 2007 by Bethany
A friend of mine gave me one of those miniature rose plants (the kind you get at the grocery store that has the pretty plastic wrapper around the pot) a while ago and about a week later it started having issues. I put it in my kitchen window above my sink because it looked so cheerful there.
A few days later all the blossoms started turning black and drying out and getting all crackly. Then a couple days ago I noticed that all the bottom leaves were turning yellow and dying, while the top leaves were nice and green an healthy. I've been watering it regularly, but not drowning it, so I don't think that's the problem.
This morning I called my friend Jalanne, the plant expert, and she said that the flowers were probably having trouble because they wanted more sunshine and to put them in a sunnier spot. She also said that the leaves are probably having trouble because the plant can't "breathe" with the pretty plastic wrapper around the pot. She suggested taking the plastic wrapper off for a few minutes every time I water it, and to let the water run through the pot for a few minutes each time I water instead of just pouring a tiny bit in to dampen the soil.
So, I took the plant outside for a while without it's pretty pot wrapping and later on I'm going to give it a good watering and see if doing that for a day or two will help it.
My broccoli and cauliflower plants' leaves have been turning purple and I was worried that I was killing those, too. But when I asked Jalanne, she said that it's probably because it's been cold the last couple of days and that changes something about the phosphorus in the plant so it turns purple. When it warms back up they'll get green again. Who knew plants turned purple when they're cold just like people!
One of my green bean seeds has sprouted and I'm excited about that. My onions are still alive and I think the little plants in my carrot section are carrots, not weeds. I think one of the biggest challenges of trying gardening for the first time or in a new place is that you can't tell which are the weeds and which are the plants you want. It's a lot easier this year than last, so I think I'm starting to recognize the problem plants faster and it will be easier next year.