Sunset for Bolivian Sunset?

November 14, 2011 3:38 PM

Help with Bolivian Sunset... leaves turning brown...

Hi again,

I posted this question recently about a Bolivian Sunset plant.

The plant isn't doing very well, sadly; the leaves are turning brown at the tips. The budding flowers have pretty much stayed static since I bought the plant. Every other day the plant looks like it's drooping, so I water it (saw on a few gardening forums that it should be watered frequently).

It's in a south-facing window (I'm in New England) and I'm watering generously. I repotted the plant when I bought it just by adding some potting soil - did not mix in any more Perlite. The light I get through that window is rarely direct.

I tried GardenWeb, Dave's Garden, etc. etc. Website bugs and weird, unexplained forum rules abound: apparently a question about how to care for a Bolivian Sunset isn't welcome on a gesneriad forum in some places! So here I am again.

Maybe this plant just won't work in my house but I'd like to save it if I can. Thanks for reading.

posted by Currer Belfry to Home & Garden (2 answers total)

Best answer: Even plants that need to be watered frequently do not need to be sitting in constantly wet soil; just keep it damp and don't let it get too dry. Plants can wilt and brown at the tips with overwatering as well as underwatering, or with root fungi that are killing roots. If the soil has any dampness at all and the plant is wilting, it is most likely root death that is causing the wilting. The root death could be either from anaerobic conditions of inadequately draining soil, too much water, or a root pathogen (or all three).
posted by Red Loop at 5:19 PM on November 14, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks Red Loop; I think I've been overwatering.
posted by Currer Belfry at 9:45 AM on November 16, 2011