I planted a bunch of what I'm fairly certain is Salvia Coccinea back in March (it was mislabeled as Salvia Splendens), and it's done… fine. It's grown and bloomed, but hasn't exactly thrived.
However, it self-seeded into one of my succulent pots, and in just over a month the seedling has grown almost as large as its parents. Its leaves are also larger, and a healthier shade of green.
My question is, what should I be looking at to understand the difference? Is it likely a drainage issue, soil pH issue, or something else?
tl;dr: how do I figure out why the potted Salvia Coccinea is so much happier than its in-ground parents?
by chief_tyrol
7 Comments
How odd! I wonder if it’s a drainage/moisture discrepancy. Succulent soil is supposed to drain quickly and hold less moisture; are you overwatering your intentionally planted salvia perhaps?
Salvia are somewhat hampered by our current dry conditions and heat (yes, they like heat — but combined with lack of water — they’ll shrivel a bit during the worst of summer unless consistently watered). I supsect that you plant in your pot is water more often. Nothing more complex than that.
I have always observed that plants that are grown from seed in place take off much quicker than their transplanted counterparts. We can look to the logic of why smaller trees that are transplanted grow out faster than transplanted larger trees; the root to canopy ratio is closer to being balanced, which allows the roots to grow rapidly because the plant is not struggling to provide nutrients to the foliage.
Salvia coccinea grows like a weed in my yard and those volunteers are VIGOROUS!
A plant you buy that was grown out in containers by a wholesaler is going to be different than volunteer and established seedlings that start in the same medium as your planted bed. Most often, what you purchase (HD, Lowes, Shoal Creek, Great Outdoors, etc) is going to be from rooted cuttings grown out in a greenhouse environment and then transported for market then transplanted when you bring it home. The thriving seedlings you have, they started there and have had no disruptions.
Apparently it likes sandy soil, so maybe it likes the drainage. Could be it likes the amount of sun it’s getting in the pot.
Personally, I don’t see any real issues in your pictures…. they all look normal to me.
I think Salvia coccinea has a tendency to age and look a bit ragged in the leaves as the summer progresses. I believe they also can get spider mites and similar – which tends to let the leaves looking dried out.
I think the one in the pot is probably just a “fresher plant” – For the older ones, you usually can cut them back significantly “as needed” and the newer growth will look nicer/fresher again.
I think it probably does the like better drainage from the potted soil, and I wonder if there’s a difference in light?
I have some Salvia Coccinea I planted this spring that is living life so much it was threatening to take over my garden bed so I have to cut it back regularly. It’s part sun and in a berm bed so better drainage than my clay soil. It gets watered once a week from my drip irrigation.