Advise needed on health of U. longifolia

[mobile]

As you can see on the picture below, my U. longifolia has developed purple coloured blotches on the leaves. Anyone know the cause?

[manders]

As you can see on the picture below, my U. longifolia has developed purple coloured blotches on the leaves. Anyone know the cause?

Probably too much light, i keep mine in the shade.

[mobile]

It get no direct sunlight and is approximately 1m away from a 70W MH floodlight so light intensity is quite low.

[manders]

I would still suspect too much light, I found when I kept mine in the shade it grew really long green leaves over a foot long which lasted well over a year, as soon as it got too much light, they started to get blotchy and died, i've just moved mine under the staging in the greenhouse as a bit of sun killed virtually all of the leaves off. Its a definite shade loving plant.

[Martin Hingst]

Hi Carl,

it is a fungus (forgotten the name, but I can do some search later on if you need the information). Not a really bad one, but weakens the plant. A mild fungicide helps. But you have to change the conditions, if you want to get rid of it (plenty ventilation would be my first try.)

Regards

Martin

Edited August 19, 2009 by Martin Hingst

[mobile]

I have it potted in a mix of bark chips, sphagnum moss and peat. Maybe it has picked up the fungus from the bark chips as it is constantly wet. Any suggestions of a more suitable soil mix?

[manders]

Mobile, mine has flowered ever year in live spaghnum, and has spread into the water tray as an aquatic, in fact it's really an invasive weed for me.

[LJ]

Powdery mildew? Had this on mine too but not as bad as that. Spray with fungicide and increase ventilation like Martin says. The soil mix is not the issue, it grows like crazy for me as a windowsill plant in peat and perlite, I'm sure it would also grow well in live moss, it creeps out of my pots too trying to live as a semi aquatic! Mine doesnt mind the heat and gets full sun all afternoon (well when we actually get some sun!). I wouldnt say its a shade loving plant though, atleast mine isnt and I was told utrics generally like a decent amount of light.......

Anyone else got any comments about how much light it should be given??

Looks like its still recovering from the repot oo, it will soon spread and fill the whole pot!!

Heather

[mobile]

I knocked it out of the pot, with the intention of repotting it, and found that all the soil was bound together by the root system, so I just return the whole thing to the pot. I guess that it's happy in the soil given the above.

[Martin Hingst]

Yes Heather, something like mildew.

In the wild it often grows in wet meadows, but in partial shade by surrounding vegetation (something like a dense Savannah for example). But even there light level is high - I would doubt it can get too much light unter cultivation conditions. Mine grows at the moment on a very bright S/E window sill plus a strong metal halide lamp above it. It doesn't need it perhaps, but too less light is more dangerous than too much - at least if ventiolation and other parameters are not ideal.

Regards

Martin

[manders]

Could just be i had mine in shade for a long time then moved it into the sun, which then caused leaf damage as per Mobile is seeing. I find if the plant is in more shade you get much bigger leaves and with more light the leaves stay relatively small.

[LJ]

I imagine going from shady conditions to bright ones would some cause leaf damage until it acclimatises to the new conditions - the same for any plant. Also, not suprising it produces bigger leaves in less light - probably trying to increase the surface area so it can catch as much light as possible, then in higher light it doesnt need to do this.....maybe try putting it somewhere a bit bit brighter Mark. Although if it floweres every year its probably happy enough!! Some people struggle to get longifolia to flower so I think you're doing pretty well with it really.

Good luck Carl, hope you manage to get it back to full health soon. Fungicide, more light and more air circulation seems to be the answer :) Hope you get to see some flowers on it, they're definitely worth the wait

Heather

[Martin Hingst]

I imagine going from shady conditions to bright ones would some cause leaf damage until it acclimatises to the new conditions - the same for any plant.

Yes -

Also, not suprising it produces bigger leaves in less light - probably trying to increase the surface area so it can catch as much light as possible, then in higher light it doesnt need to do this

and yes

I also would prefer a bit shadier conditions - but only if not too shady, and at the same time cool, fresh, moving air is ensured. I placed mine on the window sill because I wanted to see its flowers in my living room. The stalk was developed while the plant was growing in my highland tank under fluorescent lights. Not too bright, but 160W above a 80cmx35cm tank in 30cm distance is not really dark.

[drj]

Hi everyone,what is a safe fungicide to use on alpina for this type of fungus, brand name if anyone knows one.   dave

[Adelae]

Can't say anything on fungus/moulds, but I keep my longifolia in full sun from 7am-3pm, and another pot under 50% shade cloth in full sun all day, I found that less light led to small 3-4cm leaves.