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Tips on maintaining a healthy salvia plantOne of the biggest concerns
of new Salvia plant growers is how to maintain a healthy Salvia plant. The reason for this is that it is not cheap
to obtain the necessary means to actually grow a plant. By far, Salvia plant seeds are the most
expensive but the cuttings and Salvia plants are not cheap either.
It is wise to consider
growing a Saliva plant from cuttings. After
you order your cuttings and receive them, it is crucial to remove it from its
packaging, carefully, and place it in a cup of luke warm water. Now, if your cutting has some roots already,
a couple of hours in the water will be sufficient and then you can plant
it. However, if your cutting does not
have any roots, you will have to let it stay in the water for up to a week
until the roots start to grow and are big enough to be planted.
Maintaining a healthy Salvia
plant, even if it is only a cutting, includes giving it enough room to grow
once you plant it. This means getting a
pot that is at least 25 cm wide. Next,
you will want to fill the bottom of the pot with some type of gravel, as this
will promote healthy water drainage. After
this, you will fill the pot with compost that is loam based. Now you are ready to plant your cutting, in a
small hole in the center of the pot. Be
sure and spread the roots out before filling in the hole with more compost and
packing tightly. Water your cutting until it starts draining from the bottom of
the pot. It is suggested that you place
your planted cutting in a humid environment, but away from direct sunlight,
such as a well-lighted room or in direct sunlight but behind a net
curtain. You should water your plant
twice a week in hot weather and once a week in cooler weather. Now, maintaining a healthy
Salvia plant is not that different than maintaining a cutting, in that you must
water it and keep it out of direct sunlight.
However, Salvia plants can tend to be temperamental because they were
grown in specific conditions. This means
they will need some coaxing to thrive in your home. What you can do is learn about what
conditions the plant was grown in originally and duplicate those, and then you
can gradually change the conditions to something that is easier for you to
maintain. If your home is not naturally
humid, try placing your plant in the bathroom as the moisture from the showers
will help it thrive.
A good rule of thumb to keep
in mind is that if your Salvia plant is turning yellow, it needs more sun. If it is wilting, it needs more water. If your
plant starts turning brown, then the conditions (humidity levels) are not
right. Mist the plant with water or trim the brown leaves off to stimulate new
growth.
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