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Any plant experts out there?

Birdlovesme

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(Sorry, this isnt about birds...at all. :facepalm:)
So I have this spider plant that i (usually) keep in my chameleon's cage. Took a bad turn, quickly. Took it out and have no idea what to do now. Any help will be appreciated, this is one of his favorite plants... :smuggrin:
 

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rocky'smom

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try distilled water for a few weeks, tap water is bad for plants because chemical in it.
 

finchly

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It looks like it had a bout of dryness, did it? If not did you fertilize it recently?

I would give it a nice drink of water and just trim off those brown ends with clean scissors or pruning shears. Also you can try rinsing the soil, which is good if you have over fertilized or if minerals from tap water have built up. Just run through (slowly) with water and let it drain.

And, as @rocky'smom said, you can try using distilled water.
 

Birdlovesme

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Okay, thanks! Ill try that. I havent fertilized becasue ive heard i shouldn't.. should i?
 

rocky'smom

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remember city water is chlorinated and has fluoride added to the water. I water plants I let the water stand in the open to release the chloride from it. that can cause the browning of the leaves.
 

LunaLovebird

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remember city water is chlorinated and has fluoride added to the water. I water plants I let the water stand in the open to release the chloride from it. that can cause the browning of the leaves.
Just for the record, that isn't going to get rid of chlorine in water, since most of it is in the form of chloramine in the US. You would really need a filter of some kind.

I can't quite see the pot it's in, but it looks maybe like it's a bit small? It's possible it's root bound and needs an upgrade. Mineral build up, which was mentioned above, could also be the issue, but I believe that would be unlikely unless the soil is unable to drain when you water it (could be wrong, but that is my understanding).
 

finchly

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Minerals build up on the soil, unless you water by pouring gallons of water through!:laugh:

As far as standing the water to trlease chlorine I don't know but a scientist friend lets his water stand out for 3 days to let it dissapate befor he uses it in fish tanks.

Okay, thanks! Ill try that. I havent fertilized becasue ive heard i shouldn't.. should i?
Hmm. I would think fertilize in spring/summer, back off in the winter.
 

LunaLovebird

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Minerals build up on the soil, unless you water by pouring gallons of water through!:laugh:

As far as standing the water to trlease chlorine I don't know but a scientist friend lets his water stand out for 3 days to let it dissapate befor he uses it in fish tanks.



Hmm. I would think fertilize in spring/summer, back off in the winter.
I too am a chemist, and I can tell you that it won't do much if your water is chlorinated with chloramines as it usually is the US. It works better in other places where this isn't the case.
 

CrazyBirdChick

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Distilled water is usually sold in most stores that carry gallons of bottled water. Alteast in the US they do. I get mine from the supermarkets like Jewel, or even Walmart.
 

Mermaid

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I agree with the previous posts. Spider plants don't do well with tap water. I have a few plants like that, including Dracaena. You can either use distilled or rain water for every watering (I collect rain water in empty Rubbermaid tubs outside), or you can "leach" the soil once a month by letting distilled or rain water pour through the soil to flush out built-up salts.
 

Shezbug

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It is actually fascinating to see how much faster and healthier plants watered only with rain water grow than the plants that are watered with our town water.......I did not believe one of my friends a few years ago so did a little experiment and the rain water definitely wins without a doubt!
 
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