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Episcia Help

8 years ago

I've been growing my episcia for 6 months and recently the leaves are curling under. Ave temps 65-70 degrees, ave humidity 20-30 percent, and is set back from an eastern and southern window. Does anyone know why this might be happening. Thanks garrett

Comments (8)

  • PRO
    8 years ago

    I'm not sure if there is a reason but I have noticed with mine I have a few that just seem to grow that way. The ones that I have that grow like that also have fussier leaves. Here is a picture of one of mine that always grows with the leaves curving back like yours see how furry the leaves are.

  • 8 years ago

    Garrett - your plant is healthy, The longish internodes tell me that it can have more light, Humidity and temperature are both on a very low range of Episcia growing. Find it a warmer lighter spot... Kitchen? Or keep it under fluorescent lights on wicks. Episcia is a ground cover - but it is an equatorial ground cover.

  • 8 years ago

    Thank you for your advice, I just received a reptile tank from a friend and my thoughts are to clean it and turn it into my episcia terrarium. I want to leave them in their pots but I feel as that I can gain some humidity control doing this. Any ideas on a lightweight stone that I can lay on the bottom in order to use like a humidity tray.

  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    After ignoring her comment for six or eight months, I've come to the conclusion that Irina is right, episcias are weeds. And once I started treating mine like that...watering heavily, fertilizing, it started growing like one. My house stays in the high 60s during the winter, and it seems happy enough, though it grows slower than in summer. Humidity is always around 50% in the house though..that may help.

    I starved and dehydrated it for over a year, but it survived like the weed it is ;) I'm sure yours will respond to increased warmth and especially light (I agree it looks like it doesn't get near enough).

  • 8 years ago

    There's a significant difference in how episcias perform under lights in my house. In the basement at 65-70 degrees, they grow slowly and sometimes languish. They do far better in a second floor growing area where it's consistently 5-10 degrees warmer (humidity is about the same). The pictured plant in the first post looks like it needs more light.

  • 8 years ago

    In a fish tank ... they will fill it to the brim in a couple of months... This is a minus - you will be working non stop trying to keep a yeast dough getting out of the pot

    You can throw some vermiculite on the bottom. Sooner or later it will get covered with algae. What I do in my terrarium - just keep my plants in oyama pots - so I can refill the reservoirs with fertilized water - and keep a length of acrylic fabric on the bottom which I keep wet using clean water. It kind of keeps algae at bay. Every so often I wash it

    I do not think you need 100% humidity for Episcias. Probably 70% is enough - so do not cover the top 100% - and provide light.

    And they do grow fast.... you would wish you keep them out of this terrarium,,


  • 8 years ago

    I know I missed this post somehow,,,,but get a small piece of plastic grate they sell in the hardware store and cut it to fit ! It is lightweight, can be cleaned, and keeps the pot off of the direct bottom so if you want to pour a little water in the tank you can and your plants won't sit in it! Rosie

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