Wrightia Religiosa

Hi,
does anyone grow this? I bought a plant this last winter and it just does not seem happy. First it lost all its leaves. Then it regrew them. Now they have all wilted and are turning crispy,but still green. It gets regular water, is in well draining potting mix in a gallon pot, and everything else is potted up in the same soil so I know it is not that. There have been no dry periods at all, I equate love with water for my plants, so if anything, it had too much water. But upon checking on that, I discovered that it was draining away well and I only had moist soil, not soggy! So if anyone has experience with this plant, PLEASE tell me if there is a secret that I need to know about growing these. I have been treating it just like all my other jasmines & apparently it is not liking it!
Thanks in advance,
Donna

I bought it from Toptropicals last year. They told me that it is in dormancy(april or may time). It never came out of its dormancy and died.

I don't have that plant specifically, but I'm addicted to tropical plants and have had that exact same thing (crispy but still green) happen to a few plants that were probably better suited for Florida's tropical climate rather than California's! I'm not sure what causes it for sure, but my guess at the time when it happened to me was that they wanted a more humid environment. I could be way wrong though!

Hmmm, I don't think the dormacy applies, we have been in the high 80's, low 90's for a while now. Not sure humidty was an issue either, since the temps were not that high and because of where I had it. Ecrane, what happened to the tropicals you had that did this? Did they die or recover? I am so sad about this, I was so looking forward to this plant! :~(
Lovetropics, did you ever get another one?

No. I did not buy another one.

Mine never recovered, but I may have given up on them too quickly! I would definitely not give up on yours until you can get to the bottom of what caused it--my thought is as long as it's green it might still be able to come back. I was in a very experimental phase of gardening where I was trying lots of stuff knowing that some of it wouldn't really work in our climate, and things that were finicky like this I didn't want in the long run anyway, but if one of them had been a plant that I really, really wanted I would have tried harder to figure out what was going on and fix it.

Hi Donna,

I have had this plant for about 2 years now. It does seem a bit temperamental and lost quite a few of its leaves after travelling to me from the nursery in Germany. There was also some stem dieback which I pruned out. The plant is in a greenhouse here in London and has temperatures in the high 80's in summer and a minimum of 60 in the winter. I have noticed no dormant period as such as it has been growing for me through April/May. It also retains its leaves during the winter here. In my experience, when a plant crisps up like this, it is usually a sign of root failure - either from rotting or drought. Since you say that the plant has been kept moist I can only think it is due to the roots rotting perhaps as a result of a fungal infection. I'm sorry to say that plants in this condition usually don't recover. If the leaves feel as if they still have some moisture in them, try taking cuttings and putting them with the bases of the stems in a jar of water to rehydrate them, enclosing all in a poly-bag to retain atmospheric humidity. If they do rehydrate successfully and the leaves don't drop off, you can try rooting them in an enclosed propagator with some bottom heat. Healthy cuttings of Wrightia have rooted quickly for me at a temperature of 80F. Hope this helps

Matt

Thanks everyone, and Matt, I appreciate the info. I am afraid it is a goner. The leaves have completely dried and are falling off. I set the pot aside and will just leave it be and see what happens, but I have no expectations. :~(

Donna

Donna,
Where did you buy it from?

I got it from ebay, a seller that I have bought alot of plants from with no problem, so I am certain whatever caused the problem occurred here. :~(

I'm having the same problem with my wrighti religiosa and I'm so disappointed. I bought it mail order this past winter. The leaves fell off and it has never grown any back; there is just the trunk and the bare stems. At first I thought it was in dormancy but now the temps here are high so there must be something else going on. The stems are still green, though, so I haven't given up hope but now that I've read what has happened to others, I'm doubtful the plant will ever recover. I'll keep an eye on it though.

Shoot Belle, I am sorry to hear that. At least you have green stems though, so there is hope! I sure hope it perks up for you.
Matt, can you tell us what the smell is like? That is really all I got mine for, it is supposed to be wonderful. Maybe if it is not so wonderful I will not feel such a need to replace mine. LOL

I am going to try stemnadenia(?sp) in it's place. I saw it in HI and is very fragrant and beautiful.

Is it this? http://toptropicals.com/cgi-bin/garden_catalog/cat.cgi?uid=STEMMADENIA_GALEOTTIANA
Sounds wonderful!

I tried ordering the stemmadenia from Top Tropicals this last spring but after I ordered (and paid) they were evidently out of stock, so they refunded my money. I'd still like to have one though. Lovetropics, let us know if you can get one and how it does...

That is the one. Too bad Gardino does not ship to AZ. I will keep you guys posted when I get this plant.