Carole..you are the "Medinillia Whisperer!"
I yanked the M. scortechinii out of its pot this morning and plunked it into a bucket of weak fish emulsion, seaweed, and asst stuff. I meant to leave it soaking for an hour, but time got away from me. When I finally remembered to pot it up into a hanging basket lined with coir, there was a big surprise for me! New leaves were popping out of the top of the branches. Am I seeing things? I don't think so.

Well...I am delighted!!!

I am a transplant from Seattle to the tropics...and I am having to learn how to grow things here...which is very different from a temporate zone. The best information I ever read was a descriptions of the forests of Brunei...how the simbiotic relationships of the upperstory and the understory plants work... Then making it work on my 12 acres (all that means is that I have more weeds!).

The secret is H2O...and very airy open medium.

Also remember that tropical forests exist because they have a working system of beneficial microorganisms at work 24/7. I am a firm believer in EM and I always add a wee bit of molassas to my water...and even in my nursery I am only using fish emulsion or chicken manure with EM and molassas.

I can't be happier to see those new leaves!!!! Good on ya'!!!!

Good helpful hints that I appreciate. Tonight is our garden club mtg and I plan to take it to show previous owner the new leaves (it's our ice cream social and "show and tell" night).
I use the "recipe" to spray on my brugs and some other plants, so I do manage to spread a little molasses around. I love fish emulsion, although it has really climbed in price since I started using it about 10 years ago! No manure-deed restrictions, you know!

Update:
It's been a year and I wanted to let you know, Carol, that I haven't killed this plant yet. It looks like it's getting ready to bloom again. I had to take the hanging basket down today. Just too hot here for baskets in the trees.

We've had a bit of rain that perked everything up, but now it is getting hot and dry. I've moved the basket up on the patio so I can spritz it when i think about it. I did trim some of the dead branches off, but left a few for insurance. It bloomed beautifully on the scraggly branches last summer. I'm hoping for the same or better this summer. It survived the winter in a cool gh.

I may have managed to root one of the leaves. I'm still checking on it daily.

Coincidentally I just stumbled upon this thread as someone had just given me a Medinilla. I am sorry to hear they like lots of water because my yard is on the dry side but it's such a gorgeous plant that I may just have to run out there from time to time with a bucket.
Learn something new every day - I had no idea they were epiphytic...

You're a lucky girl! It'll be worth the trouble, Hetty.

Has anyone heard of any Medinillas with a caudex? I got a request for one and, personally, have never seen one.

Never seen one either...

I bought this one last week. It was labeled M. magnifica.



I wanted this one, but it had a "red tag" meaning not for sale...yet.

I saw this Medinillas yesterday at the Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco. Indeed their set-up there is very very humid and the small tag says it is grown in the Philippines, where humidity is to the roof

I think this one is Medinilla myriantha


This one is Medinilla magnifica

I believe that bottom photo is M. cominsii. M. magnifica has pink stamens.

Just bought this new Medinilla "Dolce Vita" Note: this not M. magnifica

I used to have a medinilla magnifica but sadly it grew too big, so i gave it away

You can prune them to size you want. I have m.magnifica, she's done blooming for now; here she is while blooming.

You all are importing your lovely images directly from the threads to the database, right?!

Carol, awesome what you can grow in your back forty!

Hello, I found this thread today and thought maybe one of you medinilla experts could answer a question about my medinilla Lalique plant. It is a house plant for me, as I don't live in a climate where it could be outdoors year round but I do put it on my deck in the summer. My question is about something I am finding on the back of the leaves and stems. It is a very fine white sand like substance that rubs off easily on my finger,and doesn't appear to harm the plant.I have washed the leaves and sprayed the plant with 'Eight', but eventually this comes back. Could this be something the plant excretes? Any idea what this is?

This thread was original in 2011. Hopefully some of the folks who were on it then will answer. Some people are no longer here

I have already sent the poster a treemail welcoming him to the Tropical forum.

@Bubbles, why do some posts from years ago suddenly pop up again? It seems random

Gina1960 said:@Bubbles, why do some posts from years ago suddenly pop up again? It seems random

Because someone did an online search for something specific, a thread pops up in that search, they sign up and post on it.