From: ghirarde@wam.umd.edu (Judith Ellen Ghirardelli)
Subject: Re: Lobelia turning brown
Date: 15 Jul 1993 16:53:56 GMT

ghirarde@wam.umd.edu (Judith Ellen Ghirardelli) writes: 
>> Hi!  I am a newbie gardener.  I just have a patio, so I am
>> limited to window boxes, and have done well so far this year
>> with a variety of annuals.  I have numerous Lobelia, and they
>> grew like crazy and had zillions of flowers. Well, now the
>> flowers are fading, and the Lobelia are turning brown.  Some
>> are turning brown on the stems where the flowers are fading,
>> some are brown all over (although i believe the heat wave 
>> here in DC fried *those* - these are in the front and get
>> more sun), and some are just dandy.

klier@iscsvax.uni.edu (Kay Klier) writes: 
> Do you have Lobelia erinus, the little "cascade" lobelia?  It
> doesn't think much of hot weather around here, so that may be the
> problem you're having, too.  When the hanging baskets of L. erinus
> in the greenhouse start looking too shabby, we just get out the
> scissors and do a "haircut", cutting everything back to about 3 or
> 4"... it *does* grow back and bloom again!  Kay Klier Biology Dept
> UNI

Thanks for the info!  I do have some L. erinus, and some unspecified
which may or may not be L. erinus.  I have noticed lately that the
plants that look fine are the ones that bloomed later and the flowers
have not started to fade yet.  The ones that are turning brown are
turning brown on the part of the plant where the faded flowers are.
SO I think now that I should cut them back when they start to fade,
and then won't have to deal with the stems turning brown.  (this
excludes the ones up front which were fried by the sun, I think).

Now that the heat wave has broken, I will watch to see if they do
better.  THey have not gotten *worse* lately, and I think that I did
not water them for a couple 100 degree days, so that might be the
problem in itself.  I will post any progress to the net garden for
others who might be having similar problems.