ZandriaB

OK - everyone here is the best and helped me with my first question, so I thought I would ask some more!

First off, I just got my double mahoi in the mail and well... I live in CT and didn't want to wait till spring, so it didn't exactly come healthy. Unfortunately I think the Post Office used it like a football and the box came super damaged - then add in the cold temps and it really got a beating! (was in the teen outside, but there was a heat pack inside that was cold by the time I got it - at least I hope it did something!)

I planted it, but all they told me was to add 20% perlite to well draining soil. I went and bought perlite and used the citrus/cactus soil that I had just planted my baby orange tree in. Does this work for soil or should I use something specific?

After almost a week I do not see any new growth yet. The stalk is still green and the 1 and a half leaves left are a combination of green yellow and brown although I trimmed off as much brown as I could. I am trying for warm, and have it relatively near the fireplace (but sheltered, no direct heat can hit it) and have a humidifier running right next to it. The humidity is up to 65-70% so I am happy with that, but the thermometer sitting on the pot says anywhere from 57-65. The room is 72-75 at all times, so I thought it would be warm enough, but the clay pot has been staying cold to the touch. Not too sure why, or if my reading is just off because it is on the wet soil... Is this OK? Right now, I just put my pot on a hot chocolate/coffee mug warmer and I think it might end up working - we'll see... Here I've had a plant for a week and am already being ridiculous about it!!!

I have a small grow light on it, but I do not think it is very strong. I have a much stronger one showing up in the mail tomorrow and will set it up when it arrives. Is there anything else I can do? Or anything I am doing that I shouldn't?

Thanks in advance!!!

ZandriaB

OK - I have been trying to add a pic - so hopefully it works!

Hammocked Banana

Looks fine. U will start to see some new growth once its roots have developed some. Try to keep the root zone warm.

Abnshrek

Looks like it needs a sunny spot and a heating pad. :^)

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trebor

hello
your double lookes like a lot of others I've seen delivered in cooler weather. if you want to spend another 8 bucks at a pet store you can purchase a reptile heating pad place it under your pot and it will heat up the soil. you cam actually wrap around the pot with tin foil to trap even more heat. let it heat up for 14 hours a day turning it off when ya go to bed and on in the AM. or depending how cool it is just leave ut on 24/7
if you want to know just how warm the soil Is use a cheap out door thermo motor in the soil.
sorry bout spelling my phone spellcheck has mind of its own

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ZandriaB

That's great! Thanks!!! I hadn't even thought of a regular heating pad. I am trying one I have in house right now (only disadvantage is it shuts off itself after 2 hours) and provided it works I will get a pet one that will stay on. I already looked online and found one for $6 with free shipping so that is great! I have been trying to think all day of what I could use to warm it up and everything I thought of got too hot. This one is perfect! I will try the tinfoil as well!!!

Thanks everyone - I can't wait to get this little guy up and growing. It will help me feel like I live in a tropical zone even when I can't really live there!

ZandriaB

Oh yeah - forgot... Am I supposed to cut off the leaves? I just heard back from the seller and he told me to cut the leaves if they were yellow - does that help it or hurt it?

Abnshrek

If the leaf still has any green on it leave it on. :^)

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ZandriaB

I think my only question left was the soil. The seller said a well draining soil with 20% perlite, so I bought perlite and used citrus/cactus soil - will that work?

Olafhenny

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2woodensticks

i use a large clear plastic trash bag..put plant inside blow air into and tie the top so it looks like a big clear ball..keeps in humidty and heat and lets in light..just change the air everyother day..its like a small green house..just until it really starts to grow and warm up..work for me and im here in florida..must be a LOT colder up there

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ZandriaB

wow - the bag is a great idea! I think I will try it with some other tropical plants I just bought too. We have an in-state greenhouse (Logees) that has a big reputation and I took my first visit and came back with manderine orange, grapefruit, coffee and other tropical flowers. I figure if they can do it in CT, then others must be able to as well! They are all small, so I think the bag would be a great help for them. My grow light just showed up today, so I will set it up tomorrow for them all.

sman87

ZandriaB I am in the same boat as you, new to all this as well lol I just bought 2 young Basjoo's here up in ohio. They're about 5 in tall still in the starter pots they came in. But I got some larger ones to re-pot them in. Right now I made a small set up in my basement under a stairwell which I made into a small room/closet. I have a t5 4 bulb HO grow light for the space inside. Hopefully these babies will acclimate well. I have a heating mat ready and also put bags over them. Luckily I stumbled upon this thread or else I wouldn't know about how much water to be using for indoors! I heard of a trick to retain heat in small areas is to use emergency heating blankets and hang them up on the walls. They're relatively cheap to get at walmart near the camping supplies. The small room I have is modestly warmer with them, maybe by 5 to 8 degrees.

ZandriaB

I combined a bunch of advice into 1. I had some big heavy duty clear craft bags, so I put a short box in the bottom to help give it square open feel. I attached a 3 foot bamboo rod I had from the garden to each corner which gave me a fairly sturdy box structure. I then slid another bag over the top and have a great mini greenhouse 3 feet tall! The humidity was up to 90% - if it goes any higher it might start raining! Oh -yeah, I lined the box with tinfoil and then put a heating pad in the bottom that I can turn on when necessary to raise the temp. Right now it is around 66 degrees - could be better, but still not too bad! My grow light arrived, so I set it up as well. It was a 60w energy efficient grow light that is suppose to put out the same as 250w regular bulb. We'll see how it goes!

Abnshrek

Sounds nice.. you should have a Happy Nanner. :^)

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designshark

Now that's thinkin'! I like that idea! Thanks!

sman87

Nice setup! Should keep them cozy for a long while. Yeah it's surprising how quick and high the humidity can jump in a smaller space with some covering lol gotta love those indoor micro-climate setups for tropicals!