I've had outdoor busy lizzies for a few years, where I buy them as plug
plants each spring then throw them away when they're spent in the autumn
(round about now, in fact!)

But this year someone bought me a 'thank you' indoor busy lizzie plant.
It was a beautiful thing, bright pink, lovely long dark green leaves,
but very susceptible  to under watering, and 4 or 5 times I left it a
couple of days to find it flopping all over the place, gasping for a
drink.

Question is - it's looking very unhappy now (I moved it to the south
facing kitchen  window where I would remember to water it more often,
but it seems to have picked up some infestation of teensy little crawley
white mite things that are leaving a cobwebby gunk on the leaves), I'm
wondering if it should be expected to last indefinitely, or if it's a
throw away plant like the outdoor varieties are?

On 02/11/2009, 23:55:38, in uk.rec.gardening
(),
 wrote:
> Question is - it's looking very unhappy now (I moved it to the south
> facing kitchen  window where I would remember to water it more
> often, but it seems to have picked up some infestation of teensy
> little crawley white mite things that are leaving a cobwebby gunk
> on the leaves), I'm wondering if it should be expected to last
> indefinitely, or if it's a throw away plant like the outdoor
> varieties are?

I've had a collection of bizzie lizzies that have so far survived 6
years inside after I just didn't have the time to plant them out.
They do need repotting, and their growth is a bit restricted at the
moment, but I have some red flowers on them now. If they have been
left, they do dry out quickly and flop over, but a good soakijng has
rejuvenated them. I think over the 6 years I have had 3 die on me,
and I am left with 4 growing, some with die back on some stems. I'm
just keeping on going with them to see just ow long they survive. I
think they would do better if I took more care of them. They live on
the bathroom windowsill, west facing, looking out onto a shared drive
with one of my next door neighbours house directly opposite the
window.

-- 
Zhang Dawei: Stoke-on-Trent, UK, and Zhangjiajie, Hunan, China.
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take the plat to a location where you ca spray it freely a use a
solution of alcohol (methyl or ethyl though avoid beer/ale/cocktails
with sugars) with 10 per cent water. sorry for the missing letters my
keyboard seems to have stopped working properly.  it was recommended
to me y a professor from university and it works wonders for all kids
of creepers. I have a young baby ad this is best because it is
ecological. I spray at 7 days interval for a few times a the I forget
about it for a while because I have o creepers for a time.

On Nov 3, 4:25 pm, GH  wrote:
> take the plat to a location where you ca spray it freely a use a
> solution of alcohol (methyl or ethyl though avoid beer/ale/cocktails
> with sugars) with 10 per cent water. sorry for the missing letters my
> keyboard seems to have stopped working properly.  it was recommended
> to me y a professor from university and it works wonders for all kids
> of creepers. I have a young baby ad this is best because it is
> ecological. I spray at 7 days interval for a few times a the I forget
> about it for a while because I have o creepers for a time.

I forgot to say don t soak the plat only spray the leaves and all
parts a ove the soil thoroughly.

GH  wrote:
> I forgot to say don t soak the plat only spray the leaves and all
> parts a ove the soil thoroughly.

I'll give it a go, thank you.