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Looking for help with this plant we recently got. Not much of a plant person, but struggling with this one in particular. Don't know what it is..but I think it's slowly going.

I think the soil is really bad...water just flows right through it and it feels quite dry only a few hours after watering. The soil is very hard.

Any help?

enter image description here

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  • I've seen a plant that looked like this before, although only with the broad-leafed presentation (it hadn't branched out to the other phases I see here). It seems to have some attributes in common with some species of crassula, although I'm not sure that your plant here is a succulent.
    – Brōtsyorfuzthrāx
    Oct 23 '14 at 22:24
  • The flowers do look a lot like the kind of flowers you would see on a succulent, though.
    – Brōtsyorfuzthrāx
    Oct 23 '14 at 22:41
  • Maybe the plant I saw was a hoya carnosa, which this plant is not.
    – Brōtsyorfuzthrāx
    Oct 23 '14 at 23:13
  • I would try taking cuttings of it. That way, if the cuttings live, even if the plant dies, you'll have new plants to work with.
    – Brōtsyorfuzthrāx
    Oct 23 '14 at 23:15
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+50

I am quite sure but not positive that this plant is Ixora coccinea. It is very commonly used as an ornamental flowering shrub in tropical and subtropical landscapes. As a houseplant, it will require direct sunlight- a south facing window and as close to the window as possible. In nature they prefer full blasting sun. Keep the night temps above 50 degrees F.

It will not bloom heavily in the depth of the winter- day length too short. Due to lack of natural predators, it will be susceptible to many insect problem kept as a houseplant including scale, mealy bug, and white fly.

It will benefit greatly from being kept outside in warm weather months and fertilized regularly during the active growth periods of May-September.

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  • This does look similar. Especially the unopened flower buds. I see what everyone else thinks.
    – J. Musser
    Oct 23 '14 at 18:54
  • Also, would you mind adding info on the potting/soil needs of this plant, as the one pictured in the question obviously needs some attention there? Thanks!
    – J. Musser
    Oct 23 '14 at 18:59
  • Ixora coccinea leaves appear to be quite different to me (they look to be shaped more like fig leaves; these are hugging the stem, however, sometimes curly/wavy and are a shorter heart-shape).
    – Brōtsyorfuzthrāx
    Oct 23 '14 at 23:12
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How long has the plant been in that pot? It might be time to change the soil. Make sure you get good potting soil, and just get rid of the old stuff.

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    This answer is not very detailed, and doesn't completely answer the question. Try to flesh out a little more, and be more detailed. What is the plant? What makes you think it's time to repot?
    – J. Musser
    Sep 19 '14 at 19:30
  • @J. Musser Well frankly, you've only got to look at the soil in the pot, plus the description that its hard... looks almost like garden soil.
    – Bamboo
    Sep 22 '14 at 15:29
  • @J. Musser - though its hard to say what kind of soil it might need without ID, it just looks tired
    – Bamboo
    Sep 22 '14 at 15:50
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    @Bamboo Truth, but my comment was more to the end of promoting a higher quality answer, than it was in disagreement with the post. I agree it's time to repot, but a good answer is more than a two line opinion.
    – J. Musser
    Sep 25 '14 at 11:03
  • @J.Musser - its annoying, this plant is vaguely familiar, but I can't for the life of me think what it is, nor find it anywhere
    – Bamboo
    Sep 25 '14 at 11:05

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