new to growing salvia

[Winder]

I find that a basement is a great place to grow salvia.
The air is relatively still, so the moisture loss is more easily controlled. Just water sitting in the base beneath a pot provides adequate moisture to raise the ambient relative humidity. Also basements tend to be cool, thereby reduce mositure losses from both the plant and the soil. Of course, basements are usually lacking in light, so fluorescent lighting fills that requirement nicely. They are cool, simple, easily obtained, replaced, relatively inexpensive to purchase and operate. For larger scales, other lighting is more economical, but for up to a dozen plants, fluoros will do fine.

I have 14 plants under 4 shop light fixtures. They are thriving with the plant on one side of the laundry room and the dehumidifier on the other side of the laundry room. The only ventilation that occurs is from the dryer and the gas-fired water heater exhausting to outside.

The leaves are not the largest I have grown, but they are lush, velvetty, emerald green. They are adequately potent as revealed by the tincture prepared from them. I tried growing outside, but the constant shift in climate, (warm to hot to cool, dry to mild to damp) did nothing to please the salvia. Furthermore, all sorts of pests found my plants appealing, whereas indoors I have better control against the pests and the spiders in the basement are happy to feed on the pests.

If you don't have a basement, then try a room with limited air circulation. I did such indoors before, but made the mistake of using a humidifier in that room. I wound up with condensation and mold growing on my windows and blinds. Gack!

[Zander]

I have noticed that although my new Sally's have not dropped any leaves their leaves do seem pretty dry to me. I've got a pan of water at the base and the plants around it and I keep them watered but they don't seem as tender as I expect them to be. I don't have a way to set up a humidifier, have a pot of water on the woodstove. My salvia sensenorum (sp) is the same but she's blooming and the brugmansia seems perfectly happy and growing new leaves all over the place

[zakmalados]

With mine, the tips turned brown/black first, and this crept up the length of the leaf until it was all dead.

I've used two-litre jugs to give bedding out plants a start; they're just a bit too small is all. I'm gonna try it with a five gallon jug; I'll bet that will work great.

Zak

[Zander]

So what is causing this brown out, I only have a few leaves that look that way, most look just fine but feel drier and stiffer then they should.
I don't have any jugs that could provide cover but I have moved them into a darker corner where they'll only get a bit of filtered direct light for a brief time in the afternoon.

[zakmalados]

It's a mystery to me. Some people say these things are easy to grow, but not for me.

Once, I was visiting the local university with my children. In the agricultural (animal) sciences building there were sally plants, growing in plastic containers or cups or whatever garbage was handy. There was one plant growing roughly every four feet of counter space in the lab. They were a bit anemic looking (had never seen daylight) and a bit spindly, but they were growing! It was obvious that they were all started from cuttings.

I was kinda blown away. I think somebody (obviously) knew what they were, but that the bulk of the class just blissfully disected their frog or whatever in complete ignorance.

So, why can they live and grow, neglected, in the darkness of a basement biology lab but not in my well lit office? I think its Feng Shui or something.

Fortunately, my office has dandy feng shui for cacti and sceletium, so that's some consolation.

Sometimes I think about just getting a few plants in the spring and growing them outside all summer, harvesting in the fall and do it again next year.

This year I took two leonotis that were suffering in my office and planted them in the garden. They are now five feet tall. Wish I'd gotten my calea's or mimosa's out there before it was too late.

Zak

[Jupe]

change itself often causes problems with the plant. two or three changes=trouble. If your plant will be in the shade for awhile, let it be, don't water it too much, or it will rot. when moving it back to sun, do it gradually, or leaves will curl and then die. For a really great description of Salvias native conditions and how they grow,(falling over each other, dying, re-rooting, sprawling etc.) Its written by a couple of biologists, but is well worth your time. Salvia is also very daylength sensitive, so any changes done to your plants should be done with that it mind.
Zak......sounds like your salvia would like to be in your garden also...goood luck Jupe

[Jupe]

oops I forgot. Website is called Sabia.com/salvia sorry everybody..Jupe

[STTb]

I just built a terrarium for my room to raise a few tropicals. Its got a plexi top and face and mylar sides and back.

I think one of the best ways to plant salvia out doors/extreme environment would be to;
1)interplant with other plants because it
alters local microclimate by transpiration
increases soil moisture, oxygen, nutrients
protects them from herbivory
inhibits other plant competitors
2)put a shading cloth tarp over the plants
decreases intensity of sunlight therefor
decreases transpiration

Just plant plants far enough away from each other so they dont steal water and nutrients from eachother. If you live in a cold place build an airtight green house (or terrarium) with large black trashcans filled with chlorinated water underneath your planterboxes or raised working space (besure they face the sun all day).

[Zander]

I have lost one of my salvia plants but the others are all looking about the same, except the splendons who is very happy with it's new home. This week-end we are installing new fixtures and plant lights so am wondering what kind of recommendations you experienced growers have for amount of light this babys will be happiest with.
They are on the east side of the house and have large plants filtering the sunlight out, this time of year there is little direct sunlight with all the clouds and the plant lights will be filtered by the hanging plants. I'm open to any suggestions here.

[Zander]

STTb,

Why chlorinated water?