A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The House Plant Forum An SOS to all Green Thumbs please!!!

A few mths ago I bought a Rhoeo discolour "Stripe me Pink" from a reputable source. Most of the others on display had browning leaves, so naturally, I chose one which didn't. A few weeks later, its leaves also started to brown, shrivel & die , so I placed it outside in a sheltered spot with some sun. The leaves continued to brown , but after I started to use water that had stood for 24hrs to allow the chlorine to evaporate, the browning has gradually ceased. The plant is in good potting mix which drains well & is not over watered. I always "water through" & empty the drainage saucer. There is very little info about this plant available from the usual sources, apart from the fact it is in the same family as "Moses in a Cradle" & others of that ilk. Its care tag has good general info but does not address my problem. It is such a pretty plant & would like to make sure it survives.The main plant has just one tiny leaf left in the central whorl & an offshoot has a few leaves, there doesn't appear to be any new growth at the moment. Can anyone give me some advice, please???

The only thing my book has on this is:
"Tradescantia spathacea (Rhoeo spathacea) Dwarf form varigata has leaves striped in red and yellowish green. Tough plant; takes heat, low humidity, sun or shade. Best with regular moisure but withstands inconsistent watering. Try to keep water out of leaf joints when irrigating."
It seems overhead watering is not good for this plant. Water the soil only. Other than this I do not know.

Thanks jonnie13 (again). My plant has mauve leaves with bright green (tho' not yellowish) stripes down the centre & I think the browning of the other plants at the store probably came from its overhead watering, but I have only watered it on the surface of the soil. I think the variety I have was developed for fairly tough conditions. It's just that there seems little info re the "Stripe me Pink"-sounds very Australian, doesn,t it? I think my plant is a bit of a woos (is that how it is spelled?). It browned from the outer leaves first, if that helps. Many thanks.

Patient stable. Must have either been the water or moving it. Time will tell & at least it is not getting any worse, thankfully.

All's well with my rhoeo "Stripe me Pink" (I hope). There is new growth appearing & no more browning. Shall leave it where it is & stick with the "aired" tap water, seems to have done the trick, fingers crossed.