PAPYRUS HELP NEEDED

For several years I have nursed along two big papyrus plants but this year they seem to be really struggling. Normally I stand them in the garden during the summer and bring them indoors, standing them in the window of a back room. They've done pretty well up till now but I have noticed a huge mass of dead material and very little in the way of green shoots. I haven't seen them die back quite this dramatically before.

Can anyone advise? I presume I should remove all the dead stuff and see what's left but I wanted to double check before I went mad as I fear there won't be much left once I do this.

I'll be glad of any suggestions and advice.

TIA

 

Blimey,

For once i'm stumped. Welcome to the forums Nikki, but I don't know what to suggest there.:DOH:

 

Hi Nikki

You have done very well to have kept them going for so long. I am afraid that I can't help you. I started this winter with about 4 small ones grown from seed last spring. But only one has survived so far. I understand they are difficult. In the summer I had them in saucers of water, and have done so for most of the winter too. But I have heard that they like it drier in winter. If the Nile in Egypt floods in the summer, then in the winter those flooded areas must be a lot drier. Sorry - no help - just thinking out loud.

 

No, any suggestions are welcome. During the summer I keep them feet deep in water as they are water plants almost and they have been spectacular year in and out. During the winters I normally let them dry out a little and it has always worked until this year. I suppose I could cut down the worst one and see what happens rather than risking both. It's ridiculously upsetting! I've had these plants for about four years and it is daft how attached to them I have become. I might try and obtain some seeds and try growing new ones although there may be enough healthy growth in the old plants to start off a new one. They had grown madly so obviously I was doing something right up until now.

I'm hoping I can keep them alive long enough for spring to come so I can get them into the sun and hopefully rescue them.

 

Hi Nikki

I have tried several over the years and never been able to over winter them .I got mine from a small local nursery who always seems to have lots of them in the spring .Not sure how he propagates them? 'seed or division' Unfortunatly he will not be open till Easter or I could have enquired for you ..Not much help at the moment though ..



Dave

 

I suspect light is a factor too. I said I started the winter with 4 small ones. I have clearly overwatered them, as until very recently they were all standing in water. Thanks Nikki and Shiney for confirming that they need less water in winter. The ones that went first were the ones in the poorest light. The remaining one was under some low intensity grow lights - just designed to keep the plants alive rather than getting them to actively grow. The light was 120 watts of fluorescent tube, several feet above quite a large area of plants. Some plants don't seem to be doing much under these lights, but others like Echiums are visibly growing and a Brugmansia sanguinea is flowering. The temperature is not much over 10C.

Light and water are clearly related. The higher the light level, the more the plant is actively growing, and the more water it needs. My remaining plant is now in a lightbox, with a high light level. But it isn't going to fit there next winter - assuming it survives.

 

Irrespective of what has happened this year Shiney - an unheated greenhouse makes them much tougher than I would have imagined. Presumably you gave them virtually no water.

 

Thanks for your suggestions. I wonder if light might be the problem more than anything judging from everyone's thoughts. They've overwintered in the same window for years but they were huge when I brought them in and perhaps they have outgrown the space and are blocking their own light.

I'm going to bite the bullet and prune back, see what's there and see if there's any new growth sufficient to restart it.

 

I finally managed to find time to have a look at the papyrus and clean out some of the dead stuff. One of the plants - although looking rather forlorn - does seem to have a lot of new growth happening so I think that will survive but I'm not sure about the second older plant. We'll see how it goes. I have ordered some papyrus seeds to give them a try.

 

Nikki - so pleased to hear that at least one has new growth. The fact the Shiney can overwinter them in an unheated greenhouse implies that they are much tougher that I would have thought. On thinking about it, I suspect that the key is the balance of heat, light and watering level. I put my one small survivor in a light box and watered it less; it has really perked up and is pushing out new shoots.

 

That's good news for you. I've had these things several years and this is the first one I think I've ever had any concerns. I usually have to do a bit of brisk pruning before putting them back out in the garden but not to this extent. I liked these because I didn't think you could overwater them but obviously you can