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This plant is really starting to irk me I've spent hours looking at photos on google trying to match my plant to those photos. I've shown the photos around on forums, lists, to friends, family.. anyone who will read my e-mail nearly haha! I'll gladly take more if that'd help to identify it, but so far no one is able to give it a breed name.
The most common answers are gardenia, miniature ficus, or coffee plant. Some thought it was maybe citrus related, a couple thought it was fake. It's not fake, but past that I have no idea hehe *laughs*
I've taken it to a florist and several garden centers today. The answers varied there too, mostly they had no idea but just laughed at my poor plant.
My plant has feelings too ya know!
Here's her story, I've had this plant about two years. It's always looked like this. Actually it looks better now than it had been. Full sun was bad, so now she sits in partial sun. The sun comes through the blinds in the morning and sometime in the afternoon, but it's not frying hot sun rays. That seems to have helped, at least slowed the dying process down a lot haha. The leaves underneath that little clump of leaves there tend to flake off and new ones grow in the center part.
She hasn't shed leaves in maybe two months now. So I figure it's about time to start picking leaves out of the pot. The pot in the photo isn't in use as of today, I replanted the two sticks into two seperate, much smaller pots. Several had suggested to me on lists and in person today that the pot was far too large and might be the reason for poor growth. I just figured it'd grow into it.
I had been using some of that liquid house plant fertilizer, but haven't used any on this plant for about a month I guess. It didn't seem to be doing any good anyway. Two years of using it and this thing still looks half dead.
This (and most of my othe rplants) came in pots mixed together from a funeral. I ended up with four pots of various plants. The rest are doing great, this one won't grow but it won't die either.
Here's a side shot, yeah.. pathetic.
Then here's a top shot, the leaves grow out of the middle there sorta. Rather than coming out of the side of the stick there.
So.. any chance you guys might know what she is? Posts: 2 | From: VA | Registered: Sep 2004
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All I can say is that the leaves look like a Gardenia. Their leaves are shiny and pointy. Have you thought about cutting the tops off, putting them in some rootone and potting them up? Leave the "main" plant in the original pot and maybe it will regrow. Sometimes you have to shock a plant into doing its' job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good Luck. Maybe someone will come up with a less drastic measure.
bbbbbbbbb Posts: 215 | From: ridgeland,SC USA | Registered: Aug 2002
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Jiffymouse
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i second mom54's opinion...
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Thank you I'll try to get some root stuff on Friday. Looked at a couple stores today but they weren't real garden shops or even hardware stores, but I figured it was worth a shot on the way home hehe.
My plant hasn't died yet after repotting! So far so good. Hopefully the root stuff will do the trick and convince this poor thing to grow finally.
Posts: 2 | From: VA | Registered: Sep 2004
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I don't know this plant, but I notice there are bumps on the stem - is that perhaps where growth will come from?
I once heard of a trick - you take a cut in that bump - wrap it with peat moss and then wrap some jute string around it. That is supposed to encourage the growth to come out.
OK - OK - don't shoot me, folks. I know that sounds nutty.
But it's an idea if you get desperate - a last stand kinda' thing.
bbbbbbbbb When sorting seeds, do not whistle. Posts: 2784 | From: Toronto, Canada | Registered: Jul 2004
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That's a technique that is used to grow new roots. (Once the roots are established, you cut off the roots and growth above it and have a 'new' plant.) It's a technique called air layering, but I would not recommed that with this plant as air layering is usually done on well established plants with a much larger stem diameter, and it can take several months.
Reu, who's hoping to try air layering on fiddle leaf fig...
bbbbbbbbb Roses are red Violets are blue but they don't get around like the dandelions do... Posts: 12 | From: North West burbs of Chicago | Registered: Sep 2004
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Carly, Not sure about how you order things thru the US mail or not, but there is a wonderful tool in the www.leevalleytools.com Click on the Canadian Flag and it'll bring up your area you'd go to order, go to "Propagation" and click on that, it'll open up and click on "The Rooter Pot"........ It's a "tool" you'd fill up with " the interior of the pot with moist, soilless (peat-based) potting media " and the roots grow, and you get a set of 5!!!!
Give 'em a try, I think you'll like it with all the fun you have with doing plants... I discoved this method when I was in my teens, and accidently broke a piece of my angel winged begonia off and duct taped it back together to hold it up, and lo and behold roots grew under the ducttape!!! Wonderous world of plants.. Do some research as to which plants root more easily in this method and I think you'll have a blast with it!!! Weezie
bbbbbbbbb Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. - Bible - Hebrews 13:2
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This looks exactly like my Gardenia....just as pitiful! When I found this gardening sight, that was one of the first things I asked...was what to do. I was told about Gardenias being an acid loving plant and to get a food like what you use on a rhododendron. So, I went with the miracle grow shake & feed for azaleas, camellia & rhododendrons. It is a slow release (3 month)food. I also read that Gardenias require 3 inches of water per week so I mulched and humped up on the watering. I just have to tell you that my 2 gardenia bushes have millions of the best smelling, beautiful blooms for the first time ever....and they are both over 3 years old. AND they are STILL blooming. I think the water increase made just as much difference as the food.
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Happiness, like a dessert so sweet. May life give you more than you can ever eat... *** *** Posts: 7034 | From: The Land of JOY | Registered: Apr 2004
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I've spent hours looking at photos on google trying to match my plant to those photos. I've shown the photos around on forums, lists, to friends, family.. anyone who will read my e-mail nearly haha! I'll gladly take more if that'd help to identify it, but so far no one is able to give it a breed name.
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