Thank you.
I live in the US, north east. the plants have been on the kitchen table for the last 6 months, rotated them occasionally. The kitchen table is right next to the door that leads to our deck and that is the side the sun rises on. So I'm thinking the light is poor, especially afternoon and on. I ordered this light on amazon and it should be coming today. I'm not sure how my mother had them positioned and I'm guessing she didn't always leave them in one spot.
Oh and it's winter now, our heat is left on at 65.
Thanks.
I'm glad I made this post because my first step was going to be repotting them, but I'll hold off. The light source is most likely poor. The plants are on the kitchen table and get light from the sliding door a couple feet away. I ordered this light and it should be arriving today. hopefully that helps?
So how about this: Set up the new light, maintain a good water schedule, read up about AV, then revisit the idea of repotting them in about a month?
The kitchen table is right next to the door that leads to our deck and that is the side the sun rises on.
I would worry about drafts from the door. As long as the door is rarely used in winter, it's fine. If there is a lot of traffic in and out of the door, I would move it away from it. Make sure it's not by a heating vent either! From what I've read, AVs do not like large temperature swings or hot/cold drafts.
So I'm thinking the light is poor, especially afternoon and on. I ordered this light on amazon and it should be coming today.
Is the room bright? They need less light than you think. I believe in the fall/winter/spring they can take full sunlight, but when the temperature reaches about 70-75 you will want to move them out of direct sunlight or change it to filtered light. Like put it behind a blind.
Oh and it's winter now, our heat is left on at 65.
From what I've read, optimal growing conditions are 75 degrees. They basically stop growing around 65, and under 60 is bad for them. You don't want to fertilize when the temperature is that low. I would recommend you buy an electric plant heating mat and setting it at 75F. I would also recommend you buy a small temperature / humidity meter.
Next you will want to make sure you're watering them from below, as in putting water in the tray and letting the pot soak it up. Put in some water, come back in a few minutes and see if it complete soaks it up, put in some more till it stops soaking it up. Feel the top of the soil so you get an idea of what that feels like.
Most people recommend watering from the bottom because water on the leaves will create dead brown spots on them, and it's much harder to over water from below. If you do get water on the leaves, dry them them off with a paper towel.
Make sure any water you use is at room temperature, this will minimize any thermal shock to the plant. If you have really hard water, I recommend buying and using reverse osmosis water.
I don't use an electric light, but I know some people here do. Maybe they can chime in on what is ideal lighting.