A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The House Plant Forum Swedish Ivy - something wrong with it...

So, this was in my front yard when my rental company decided to landscape. They ripped it up and I salvaged it (like a little psycho digging it out where the tractor dug). It was really thick and pretty, but now it's kind of sad looking.

First, I think my dirt sucks. I'm getting some perlite and sphagnum this week for my VFT's so I'm going to get it different medium and mix with perlite for better drainage. The stuff in there is kind of hard - but it's what it was growing in originally.

Second, I'm not sure if it's over watered or under watered. I keep it "moist" and in my kitchen, so it's not drying out fast that I can tell. But the leaves are dying back on the stems. I recently pruned all the dead stuff off of it - I hope this helps.

Any other ideas on what might be wrong with it?



Also, the landscapers dug up a ton of variegated Hosta's. I replanted them in the back yard, which is full sun as opposed to my north facing front yard they came from. Now they are no longer variegated? Just solid green? Is that normal?

I'm moving fairly soon and intend on digging them up and bringing them indoors in the next month or so to acclimate them before I move. Any suggestions there?

Thanks :)

Your poor little plant! No wonder it looks so sad, sitting there happily growing for years and years, then a great honking fire-breathing monster comes and roots it up from its happy home. You'd be stressed too. I don't have any experience with Swedish Ivy - plectranthus is its fancy name - it seems to be one of those plants which is out of fashion at the moment, but did a little research, and from what I could find, it's supposed to be easy to grow. Your plans for potting medium sound good (you can't use garden soil in indoor pots for a variety of reasons like drainage, compaction, pathogens, etc.), likes moderate moisture, and bright indirect light. From the picture, it looks like it needs more light, all pale and lanky-looking. You might try putting a few stems into water - its supposed to root easily in water. Just let it rest and recuperate, and get its "feet" under it. Let me know how it works out - it looks like it should be a nice plant. Regarding your hosta, yes it is normal for a variegated plant to lose variegation in brighter light. If you bring it inside, just make sure it has plenty of light - hostas are not indoor plants, and need beaucoup light.

I'm in zone 4 also..when I move hostas this late I just put them in double bags with soil for a few days until they get to their next destination(usually a neighbors yard). I water a bit in the bag so they stay moist for a bit.

I repotted the Ivy yesterday in a peat/vermiculite mix (what I had for my carnivorous plants) Hopefully it will do better. I did give it a light foliage fertilizing as well since peat/vermiculite is low in nutrients. Moved it closer to a window as well so it gets a little more sun.
I know the info on them says they like sun but this one didn't. Before they plowed it up, it was growing in full shade and stopped right where the sunlight hit. So I have it in the same window facing where it was ripped out of.