Just when you think the maids are over the worst, they suddenly start to wither away. At the same time, they could start to spend the summer on the windowsill or on the balcony in just a few weeks. “Winter is a stressful time for them,” Jana Bucharová explains in the iReceptář do úcha podcast. But he knows how to improve them again.
You can listen to the audio version of the podcast here:
Some maids are more prone to this. In winter, they suffer from dry air, higher temperatures in rooms and often overwatering. The last-mentioned problem is particularly at risk for rhododendron and anginum, which are not only beautiful houseplants, but also useful herbs. “Both are succulents, after all, you can already tell by their thicker, hairy leaves that they can manage water very efficiently,” explains Jana Bucharová, an expert at the magazine Recipe for garden topics.
Watch out for water
It is overwatering that is the most common reason why the rhododendron does not do well. Especially in winter, it is important to estimate how much is just right. So that it is not overwatered and at the same time does not suffer from dryness.
But it is not the only reason. “It has less light, so it pulls out long shoots,” says the expert. However, they only weaken it as a result, moreover, they often break or at least bend themselves, and this does not benefit the plant either.
Easy help
Begin the rescue by removing the plant from its pot and inspecting it. If the root ball is not too damaged, it may be enough to relieve it with a spring transplant. “Tap the roots and transplant them into a clean, perhaps even slightly more spacious flower pot,” recommends the expert. “Concentrate on the substrate. It should be very light, mixed with sand or agro-perlite.” Alternatively, use the substrate intended for succulents directly.
New plants
However, if you feel that the roots are rotten, the plant is generally lacking, its stems are thin and weak, it is probably impossible to save it. But that doesn’t mean you have to lose it completely.
“Choose a few stems or even those long shoots that look promising and grow a new plant from them,” advises Jana Bucharová. It is not difficult, because the rhododendron is very easy to propagate. Just put them in water and in about a week transplant them into the same light substrate. In the summer, you might have three rhyming books instead of one.
