11 September 2017

charlie plant!

I have been wanting this plant for years.
I found one this morning in the supermarket. I would have been happy to pay the full price, but it was on sale! Looks a little flattened, but the foliage seems pretty healthy I hope it will perk up and that I can care for it properly this time.
I tried a few times before to grow one from cuttings my mother gave me, but they always failed to thrive. Once more. When cleaning up the plant when I got it home and removing some dead leaves, I accidentally broke two stems. So stuck them in a jar of water, just in case they will take.
The scientific name is plectranthus australis, the label calls it 'sweedish ivy'. I learned that I had been overwatering (no surprise) it should be watered only once a month in the winter, and once every other week in warmer months. No fertilizer in winter (in my house, that means remember to give it tapwater instead of tank water). Also, it is related to coleus! Makes sense, when I look closer at the leaf and stem structure.

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