uy - i either seem to water it too little or too much - it was dry and dehydrated; not it's droopy and worn out looking. poor plant. how do i properly care for the little dude? how much water and sunlight does she need?
Zebra plants do best in indirect bright (1500 to 10000 lux)light, or curtain-filtered sunlight, but away from direct sunlight. The zebra plant requires average night temperatures of 60° to 65 degrees, day temperatures of 70° or higher and can resent the cool, dry winter conditions found in many homes. They need to be planted in highly organic, extremely well drained soil. For example, 2 parts peat moss, 1 part compost [or packaged potting soil ] and 1 part sharp sand or perlite. Packaged tropical soil mix is usually good enough. The potting medium must never be allowed to dry out completely. Place the pot on a humidifying tray. For best results, mist it often with room-temperatured water. If you allow your zebra plants to wilt a time or two, the lower leavers fall off and the plant takes the shape of a miniature palm tree. It is really tricky to make Zebra plant flower. They usually flower in the fall but they can be induced to bloom during any season if they're given the right conditions. The plants must accumulate a prescribed number of days of bright light and good growing conditions to flower. If the light is too dim or the environmental conditions too far from the optimum, you get only leaves. Fertilize every two weeks during flowering. Anyway, flowering is a challenge and if you succeed, you might consider yourself a "thumb up indoor gardener". Other then that, the Zebra plant should be quite easy to care for. In March cut back half of the previous season’s growth and repot. Propagate from stem cuttings in spring. Watch for spider mites, aphids, and mealybugs. I hope this helped. Peace, poor_old dad
alrightie - next question - how do i revive her? she is now wilted to one side. shall i put her outside? and also- what do you mean by a humidifying tray?
those are some of what I consider to be disposable gift plants, not something normal people keep alive very long, but really pretty at first. I'd ditch it and get something easier to take care of, personally....
aw! but i've seen em grow so big. they seem like pretty hearty plants (well, at least before i read poor old dad's post!) i feel like i really want her to thrive - it sucks seeing her hurt due to my miscare. at any rate... i seem to be doing in all my plants!
A humidifying tray is a tray or pan that a potted plant sits in. The pan or tray has about 1/2" of water in it. It keeps the air around the plant a little more humid. Aluminum pie pans work great. As to reviving your plant - Hmmmm hard to be sure, but my best guess is to go to Wal-Mart or Lowes , get a bag of tropical potting soil mix and a new pot [be sure it has holes in the bottom ]. The new pot should be a little bigger than the one it's in now. Take the plant out of the pot it's in now, soil and all. Knock off as much of the old soil as you can. Then re-plant in the new pot, using the tropical mix. Plant it to the same depth as it is now. Put the pot in an Aluminum pie pan, then add water, a little at a time, until it comes the bottom and fills about 1/2" of water in the pan. I really didn't mean to worry you about your plant. They may not be the easiest to grow, but so ? Do it anyway. Peace, poor_old_dad
