August 17, 2015 - part 2 of my memorial to cherished plants that have died (or have been banished from indoors):
Fiddle leaf fig - after a thorough washing and clipping off the top few leaves, there are still whiteflies crawling on the leaves. This is a widely available plant so I’ll part with this one.
Nerve plant (fittonia) - this one started looking scraggly so I thought I would help it by placing it in the humidity tent. Little did I know that super humid and stale air is all that was needed for the fungus to ravage the dead leaves. I wasn’t vigilant in removing the dead matter and aerating the soil. Anyway, this little nerve plant has enjoyed some tumblr fame.
Variegated spider plant (CC Variegatum) - I think this spider plant got too much sun despite my efforts to attenuate the rays coming through the skylight. The soil started getting hard and because it was such a large pot, I got lazy in trying to keep it loose. I’ve really enjoyed its beautiful foliage and its cascading plantlets. I’ll probably buy another one in the near future.
Prayer plant (office) - I’m a sucker for nice foliage and vines but the prayer plant seemed doomed to harbour spider mites. Even after a violent cleaning and repotting, the mites emerged. This plant has since been banished to live outdoors and will be discarded at the end of the fall (if it doesn’t first die from the cold nights).
Peperomia prostrata - this is the plant I will miss most. The spider mites that infested this plant came from the prayer plant from my office when I brought a few cuttings home to root. Even when I tried to save this plant by taking cuttings (and washing them), I guess the spider mite eggs were so entrenched in the plant that washing was ineffective. My handmade planter now stands empty in the basement washroom. I will keep my eye out for the peperomia prostrata but so far, since I purchased it, I’ve only seen this plant in Hong Kong.