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Those darn hahnii

7 years ago

I have literally killed every hahnii I owned except Jade. I’m going to give a couple more a go this spring since I’ve learned a few things but if it happens again, that’s it! It just breaks my heart to kill gorgeous plants(and throw away all that money). How are you all doing with your hahnii? Is it just me?

Comments (38)

  • 7 years ago

    No, I do pretty well growing all the others, but have killed off too many hahniis. I gave up.

    vitorama thanked barbmock
  • 7 years ago

    My Hahniis all made it, and now I have more. Most concerned for a petite Golden Hahnii, I feel a little encouraged for next year. It has not offset, but there are more roots. Jade, Jade Marginated, Silver Marginated, the regular green, and the Hahnii Marginated(looks like Midnight Shine) all did well. We'll see what happens next year. I did discover that I am a near abusive underwaterer, and I did spend what might be an inordinate amount of time schlepping plants under and out of light and air flow from the heat vents, or onto and off of a heat pad. I'm sorry for your losses and hope that your next experience finds you rewarded. I did get some rot on a cylindrica. I watered at the wrong time with too many days in the absence of sun, I believe.

    vitorama thanked shana_lee29
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I'm happy to report that the 3 Hahniis I got last Oct. are still going strong. I'll admit, I too am rather an underwaterer of Sans & lose them from time to time because of it.

    My Jade Hahnii looks a bit rough, like it needs more light & maybe water too. Otherwise, my Hahniis are doing well. I'm almost surprised abt it as I too have killed a few Hahniis in my time.

    I water infrequently, but right now heat's on again, so I'm watering them more. I do use a very coarse, pumice based mix, maybe that helps too.

    vitorama thanked Karen S. (7b, NYC)
  • 7 years ago

    I have VERY LIMITED windowspace, but I will say my hahnis perform best and survive winter when they are kept on a fairly sunny windowsill and watered fairly regularly. If I try to keep them in darker areas they will fall apart. The windosill in my office get a couple hours of morning sun. It is single pane glass and so gets pretty cool in winter but the plants do well on it. I always water on the morning of a sunny day and probably water at least once every week or two all winter.

    vitorama thanked woodnative
  • 7 years ago

    Okay, I can join the kill hahnii club. Some do very well for many years then die on me. This happens during out winter months. Space is limited and like Chris, on a sunny window sill I have the best luck.

    Check out my new post!!

    vitorama thanked Stush2049 Pitts. PA, zone 6
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Hats and horns, did I ever speak too soon about not killing a Hahnii. My petite Golden Hahnii! With such a well developed root system! Rot! Rot! Rot! Removed 4 leaves. Think it can be salvaged? I am now an official initate into the Killing Hahnii Club, I reckon. And here I was, wishing for it's pup.

  • 7 years ago

    Shana if that base is still firm and healthy you can probably reroot it. All hope is not yet lost!

  • 7 years ago

    Thank you! I will try it. Hopefully the warmer days will help.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I use stuff like 'Take Root' or other rooting hormones. It also has an anti-fungal. I switched to a more peaty mix but watch the water. Spray mist until you see some kind of growth. Keep in bright light but not sun. I have saved some worse looking that that. Watch that no water gets into the crown. I keep a straw around to blow the center clean and dry.

  • 7 years ago

    I do have some 'Take Root'. Would it have been best to apply it after cleaning the rot mess off, or better to apply prior to planting? I have Sulfur, as well. I used the straw method last year. A few days ago I slept through a rain. Panicking, I got my trusty silicone straw and blew myself lightheaded. When I first read about you doing that, I had to try it. The silicone straw is bendy and flexible enough so that it can really be stuck where you want to blow dry. They even come in bright colors so they are harder to lose. When you say 'spray mist', is that for foliage, medium, or both?

    Is this type of rotting, losing the rhizome, as or more common than say, having areas rot in the crown, or the leaf bases?

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    My guess is root rhizome rot. Crown or leaf base is most deadly. Some times on crown rot, the root rhizome is still okay and sprout new pups around the base. I had that happen several times.

    Since the plant has no roots for water take-up, I feel you must spray mist the foliage to keep it hydrated. A little too much and you induce rot, so be careful with water.

  • 7 years ago

    I lost a lot of hahnii too. It's really depressing. All of my tall sans are doing great.

  • 7 years ago

    They are tricky! I like Stush’s idea of the rooting hormones. Could prevent some of those rotting problems


  • 7 years ago

    This is my Hahnii hospital and pup rearing room. A precious little parva is trying to come around in there, too. We have had rain every day, high temps, and humidity. I have not misted the rotted rhizome Hahnii. It gets dewy and misted every day. How do you think it looks? Do you think this wild spring and summer we are having will help it to grow roots? It has had rooting hormone, a little alfalfa in the pot. Afraid to move it to look at the base.


  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Try your best to hold off watering and it should make it. With the hi moisture content of our weather and warmth, it should be thriving.

    I am slowly loosing a 'streaker'. My one and only. This type used to thrive for me but now I am having the hardest time with it. I hope Chris's stock is holding up well.

  • 7 years ago

    Oh, no. I really like seeing pictures of well grown and healthy Hahnii. They are so darn cheerful. Excellent photos here. I hope your Streaker can rally. I've found myself getting quite attached to my plants as individuals. Having them unhealthy in some way really feels like failure, but not everything is under our control. I'm sure my petite Gold Hahnii was, though. The leaves look a lot less 'curled'.

  • 7 years ago

    Know the feeling... I lost almost my whole Hahnii collection this past Winter... only 3 survived: ‘Seibert’ ‘Silver’ and ‘Jade Marginated’... working on rebuilding though... not giving up! Haha!

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Sad update to share, am losing my Jade Hahnii, was beautiful, looked yesterday & the middle is collapsing ... was in a spot w/good light too, but not at the window, bummer. Well at least my other 2 are OK.

    On my Hydro Sans thread, someone wondered abt trying to grow a Hahnii in hydro since they have trouble the regular way .... hmmm ... curious idea.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    @Karen, I’m really sorry to hear that, it’s not easy losing green babies. Best of luck with your surviving ones! My Hahnii Jade was one of the ones I lost this Winter, and it was my biggest Hahnii, the only one I had in an 8” Pot... it was painful to watch it collapse! :(

  • 7 years ago

    Thanks Mary, sigh ... I can barely make myself dispose of it. Just moved it aside to take pix & can barely stand to look much less unpot to try & learn what happened, looks like crown rot ... sigh

  • 7 years ago

    Karen, I too lost many to crown rot. I have been changing my mix to a more compost type from the traditional gritty mix with some pretty good results. Must watch the water in winter with this mix. I know this mix doesn't work for every one. Depends on so many factors.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I've managed to kill quite a lot of houseplants over the winter months, but I actually think I only ever killed one sans. I noticed some dying leaves on a couple this past winter, 2 hahnii's and a cylindrica, but I removed the yuck, and just backed off the watering for a while, and now they seem fine.

    I'm going to assume my success would be attributed to their tolerance of our well water (very limey), rather than any plant growing skill of mine.


    On the porch for the summer.

    Edited to add that, I just use regular peaty potting soil for all these.

  • 7 years ago

    Steve, Sans like a close to neutral ph, a little on the acid side is good. Well water is better because it doesn't have all those chemicals in it. I like to use fish tank water which is close to 6 ph.

    I think the mix is more personal due to how we water, and place our plants around the house. I am now on the peaty side.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Steve, Your plants are beautiful, that Watermelon Pep is really nice! Your ability to grow outside must help immensely.

    This was the Jade Hahnii as it got worse.


    I suspected crown rot, but don't know if I've ever seen it for sure. Is this it?


    Here's the pup

    So discouraging, I wish I knew how to avoid this.

    I took the upper portion of the best 2 leaves remaining from the parent, trimmed & put in water. I'll see if they do anything; on another thread, someone who also lost Hahniis was wandering about maybe trying them hydro since she too was having trouble the traditional way as she put it.

  • 7 years ago

    Soaking these guys with the hose.....

  • 7 years ago

    Thanks Stush, for the info. I guess from now on, I'll be dipping water out of my little fish pond to water them with. I recall on one of the, succulent Basefook groups, they were mentioning watering succys with fish tank water. Made me want to rush right out and get a big honkin' aquarium, I resisted though. Didn't want to add another thing I had to be constantly caring for. Maybe when I retire.

    Thanks for the compliments Karen S.

    Yes,I bring virtually all my houseplants outside for the growing season, good to have lots of porch space. Surprising that watermelon pep looks ok... after what I did to it over the winter...

    It's not looking good but, there may be hope for your Jade Hahnii. I would be a little more brutal removing any dead matter off of the bottoms, just to see if there's any little roots under the yuck. I've had to save a couple like that.

    Now that we're discussing it, I think mine's getting a bit crowded, I should uncork it and get some more started.

  • 7 years ago

    Chris is that my Asahi your hosing down? Looks healthy.

    Karen, Looks like roots dried up. Lack of water? Don't really know.

  • 7 years ago

    Yes Stush top watered often right from the hose. Here is a photo later today. 97 out they love heat and moisture.

  • 7 years ago

    A’Silver Frost’ right next to it.

  • 7 years ago

    Those look gorgeous Chris!

  • 7 years ago

    However I lost most of my Sans to anthracnose late last year. No idea how it originated. This one was pricey and is slowly recovering

  • 7 years ago

    That anthracnose is stinkin' vicious. Having a plant recover from that is slow, but it does cause one to treasure the recovered plant. I've already posted this photo here, but the little variegated Hahnii lower left dealt with anthracnose and has been recovering in Hahnii hospital and nursery pot. A Jade Marginated is holding its own, as well. Not growing yet, like the little variegated one, but I am hopeful that it will have a productive fall. I used Bayer Tree and Shrub, the spray, as well as as a drench. I used sulfur, lots of it, packing wounds and cuts, filling the crevices where leaf attaches to crown on the variegate. Thought for sure I might have sulfured it to death. I am so sorry to hear of your losses. You Sans pictures are always gorgeous.


  • 7 years ago

    And here is the Jade Marginated who will get a more moisture retentive medium this fall. It hasn't done much, but I do believe it will this year. It's been getting the Special Sauce. Silver Frost (a woodnative plant) and a Stush Asahi . Silver Frost is bulging the pot a bit.



    I have this small patio full of large pots and have to juggle the Sansevieria to get photos.


  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Of course I have to ask pls Shana, what is the Special Sauce?

    I hear ya Stush, hard to know, I am prone to underwatering Sans. I use C&S Mix w/a lot of pumice. Lately I've introduced some bark to my Sans. mix (maybe 1/3 or 1/4). I've got a tall, thin leafed Sans in the office in a lot of bark & it's doing great, who knew?

  • 7 years ago

    @Shana Lee, they’re beautiful, and they look like they are happy And healthy!

  • 7 years ago

    Shana great job!! Here is a limey green hahni doing well

  • 7 years ago

    Oh, yowza. That is so bright and fresh, just beautiful. It's hard not to have a thing for the Hahniis. They do have their charms, and your photos really bring it out in them.


    Karen, the Special Sauce is Alfalfa tea, potassium and water that has sat with ground eggshells simmered in water and left to sit in it for a week or so. I only tea the Alfalfa for 24-48 hours. Boy, the Sauce does stink. Some get the stinky tea, some get capsules.


    Mary978, Thank you. I have become attached to looking at them, just looking at them. I really hope they can all become fat colonized pots. Hopefully, everyone is having a good Summer that will mean growth spurts and pupping after they come in for the Fall. Then folks can take more pictures to share. Hoping you get lots of that action.

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