Hello everyone. This is the plant that was wilted when I came back from Ecuador. It has pretty pink flowers now. The other is a philodendron I bought here in Tumaco, but I have no idea about it. Any ideas?



Here is the one I think is some sort of philodendron, but I dunno.

First one is likely Impatiens walleriana.

Second is Calathea, could be Calathea makoyana, the leaves might look a little different on mature plants.

http://www.about-garden.com/fo...

http://www.google.co.uk/search...

Thanks Janet,
This information will help me keep them alive. The Calathea makoyana is a very pretty plant that I added to my collection a couple weeks back. I was afraid I might over water it. The Impatiens walleriana seems to be happy.

Calathea are sold as house plants here Noel, I have one which has stayed alive for a few years now. The leaves are not huge and lush as one might expect but we hardly have the right conditions for them. They don't mind being quite wet but not soggy, they do like a moist atmosphere which I think you get, so do we but not with the heat.

They are fairly common here but I've not had great luck with them. I have one now and it was looking really good but has gone downhill in the last few months. Thanks for the ID as now I think I know what is wrong, our humidity has gone down and is in the 50% range plus since it is the dry season I have been watering it with city water. It got rain before and higher humidity in the wet season. I hope I can keep it going through this dry season now that I know what it wants.

We usually have between 80 to 100% humidity! In the record hot summer 2006 we were getting around 50%. I put mine out in a shady spot in summer to get rain, it definitely helps.

The soil in both pots looks very dark, which is usually a correlation to a tendency to stay soggy for long periods. So I would warn, as did others, with any potted plants in such a soil to be careful about not letting the plants have a chance to dry significantly between waterings, especially combined with cooler temps if/when that applies where you are. Overwatering is not usually a fault of the plant owner but the soil.

Don't know enough about them to confirm or deny if the 2nd is Calathea but it sure is pretty!!!!

About your Impatiens, there is a devastating disease called downy mildew killing these plants in many places across the globe. I hope your area is free of this, but as an airborne disease, it's something to know about in case there is a decline in your plant. Should your plant be unfortunate enough to be infected, the best of care won't be able to save it, so should not be taken personally.

Thanks for the advice about the soil. I am actually in the process of changing my soil throughout my collection to a better draining mix. I am mixing sawdust, burned wood & ash with the soil mix & sand that I have now. So far it seems to be draining better, & will serve until I move where I can plant them in the ground of my new yard. No such thing as cooler temperatures here in Tumaco, Colombia, South America. I am also adding something I have not found in any of the wild soil, but I did not really search for them. There are red worms here, & earth worms, but they do not seem to be natural. I think perhaps they are imports, but I am not sure. Opinions on improving the soil of local plants with them? Red & Earth worms.

Give them organic things to eat, like newsprint paper. Noel have you got termites there? If yes then try to use pine sawdust or from bitter wood plus with 100% humidity this mixture will/might remain soggy.
Regards.
Arif.

Hello Arif,
If you mean to feed the worms, I have that covered. My mix has plant matter including spent coffee grounds. I have used this same mix in the States to cultivate worms for my garden plants such as tomatoes. The worms loved it, & grew quite large. As for the plants, I am continually combining organic matter with the soil as it comes to me. We eat lots of vegetables, plants shed leaves, & the sawdust of course. All of this is allowed to dry out, & gets shred up to be mixed into the worm mix which gets incorporated into my plants pots slowly. I have only been here 4 months, so I am still developing a good strategy to work with this. Once I have this completely figured out, I plan to incorporate the method on a large scale for my fishery & horticulture farm. The fertilizer tea idea you mentioned was actually already in my plans. I am going to be using a large tank (1000 liters) to compost on my farm, & circulate the ponds water through this compost in order to draw nutrients out. My main concern is getting micro-nutrients into the mix since this part of the world seems to be a bit short of them. More to come later.

Noel

How come that part of the world is short of micro nutrients? Just go stand at any main drain exiting the city and you will find a treasure. Third world country and short of micro nutrients . Which reminds me, there is no ethics in this part of the world. So that bottled mineral water, better be careful, things are not judged by their cover in some parts of the world.
Regards,
Arif.

I am very aware of that, & I try to be careful. I am simply working with the fact that the bottled water is not making me sick like the city water. I am not sure about the micro-nutrients, but the plants I collected had deficiencies.
Noel

If not micro nutrients then maybe protein and carbohydrates. Don't start feeding them babies starter meals.
Hello Janet. Stiff upper lip na.
Regards,
Arif.

Hello Arif,

I think these plants need what they would grow in happily in nature, I grow everything in pots in a very free draining mix of 'river soil' which is dug from a roadside ditch along my property front, it's the more gritty sand particles which aid drainage and there's always leaves rotted into it. To that I add compost from mainly leaves off my Horse Chestnut tree but with some grass cuttings, I aim for a 50/50 mix by volume. I haven't found anything which does not thrive in this mix, nothing artificial added. Micro organisms develop in composted leaves which aid the uptake of nutrients to the plants.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M...

Microorganisms also are responsible for building fertile soil for plants to grow in. Microbes stick to the roots of plants and decompose dead organic matter into food for the plant to absorb. The plants that live and grow because of the microorganisms that live on them make a home for other animals to live in.

http://library.thinkquest.org/...

I think that by using artificial methods you will destroy the essential elements which help keep a plant healty, then the chemical companies can sell something else to combat the effects of ill health. Too many nutrients can be harmful too, plants in nature have not been able to adapt to these, the plants may thrive for a while then suddenly collapse on you with the result the grower will try to revive it with something else which will not help it. I believe in the KISS theory, "keep it simple stupid".

The upper lip has had to be very stiff lately!

I know about the lip and the rest. One second please.
Regards,
Arif.

Hello Arif & Janet,
One of the reasons I am adding worms is they process organic matter & have the beneficial soil microorganisms in them. I use an artificial fertilizer, but I use it very sparingly. My soil is being changed as I learn more about these plants, & it is paying off. Some that I just collected are putting out inflorescence again. I just collected pollen off my "spotted friend" which I plan to pollinate another of the same species (I hope) with in the next few days. I am still waiting for one of my plants to open the leaf it had when I collected it so I can try for an ID. I think it has an inflorescence as well.

Ahh Arif, the fruit of all aroids (that I know of) is toxic except for the Monstera deliciosa, & some of the elephant ear types. The elephant ears are also called taro, & the root is eaten like a potato. Some require extensive cooking, & others are not toxic to start. I have 4 varieties of edible taro in my collection. They call them papa-china here which translates to Chinese potato.

Sincerely,
Noel

You have not completely polished of "The Exotic Rainforest" have you? We eat these things and so must the romance of your life. Go ask her. As to the edible taro, we call it "arvi" while peeling it some get a allergic skin reaction. I like your spotted friend, please look after, (is it a he or a she) have you inquired as yet or is it a 50/50?
Regards,
Arif.
http://www.exoticrainforest.co...
http://www.exoticrainforest.co...

Some Philodendrons make delicious fruits, or so I've read. Maybe someday I'll get to visit a jungle and get a taste of some by those who know which ones to eat and how to prepare them if necessary.

Wiki "Philodendron" article:
Though they contain calcium oxalate crystals, the berries of some species are eaten by the locals. For example, Philodendron bipinnatifidum white sweet berries are known to be used.

This is interesting: http://www.ediblearoids.org/ The only thing it seems to be missing is a list of edible aroids! Or maybe I just couldn't find it, but I did try for a couple minutes.

Good for you for starting/growing from the soil up. Most people grow from the plant down.

Hello Arif.
Honestly due to the length of time required, & the randomness of inflorescence, & ability to pollinate due to being too far from the jungle for their pollinators, I really was not interested in eating the fruits. I am more interested in developing a good stock on my property to provide plants & seed for sale in the near future as well as describing new plants for science, & producing new hybrids after I have a sufficient stock of plants to insure a good gene pool is available for the entirety of my endeavors.

At the moment I am collecting pollen as these inflorescence mature, & attempting to pollinate the newer inflorescence with these in the next few days. The inflorescence seem to be the normal male up top, sterile middle, & female bottom of the inflorescence.

Once I get sufficient stock on my property to start a breeding & hybridizing program, I plan to import the pollinators as I find them while looking for new plants. I assume this will be a good food source for my fish, & great for my plants.

In case you are wondering, Arif, this is all a long term plan which will start to be realized in a few years. I anticipate a long life working with plants though, & I have thoughts of making my "stock plants" into a small tropical reserve that I may provide for public access at a small fee of course.

Also, it is not very expensive to visit here, or to take a taxi through the jungle if you wish. My round-trip airfare was under $1,000 , but I knew which airline to fly. In a couple of years my wife & I may have lodging available to visitors as well.
Sincerely,
Noel

WOW Arif,
that link is interesting. I would love to get involved with that project here in Colombia.