Plant Hunter Stories - Geogenathus ciliatus | Costa Farms Trending Tropicals® 

Thanks for sharing! Since Geo has been happily growing in the wilds of South America for thousands of years, it is quite possible that others have grown her, too. There are many cool plants known & grown only by collectors here in North America. 😀

It needs high humidity?

Lawanna: We hope you enjoy your new Geo! Thanks for giving her a great home. 💚💚💚

Thank you for saving her --- and glad to hear she has a great home!

So happy you found one! And yes, Geo prefers to stay moist compared to other plants. 😊

Glad to hear you're enjoying your Geo! Our research and development team is testing a lot of varieties --- fingers crossed you'll see more dark-leaf plants you like passing the tests and coming out in the future! ---Justin, Costa Farms Horticulturist

Thank you for giving her a great home, Marilyn! We hope you enjoy her!

Thanks for giving them a great home! We hope you enjoy your Geo and Monstera Peru!! 💚💚💚

Thank you for giving our plants a great home!

@@CostaFarms Almost all my plants are from Costa Farms and I love them.❣️😀👍

Thanks for giving her a great home! Reach out if you ever have any questions about her. Thanks!

Thanks for giving your Geo a great home, Kim!! 💚💚💚

Sorry to hear, Daniel. We hope it recovers quickly now that you have it indoors.

Thanks for giving her a great home, Debbie! 🤗

We're always happy to help as we can, Mona! Reach out anytime there's something you want to know! ---Justin, Costa Farms Horticulturist

@@CostaFarms justin, my Geo’s leaves are curling up. Too much light? What are your thoughts?

​@@janafoley6272: It's tough to say without seeing it --- would you mind sending us some photos and share a description of growing conditions to Questions@costafarms.com ? That would be super helpful and allow us to give you more specific advice.

@@CostaFarms Actually I put a humidifier in the room and all was well within about five hours!

Glad to hear you're loving your Geo! 💚 💚 💚

So glad to hear, Victor!

Thanks for giving your Geo a great home!! We hope you continue to enjoy her as she grows and thrives in your care. 💚💚💚

If you can't find it in your local store, Sandy G, you can always order it online and have it shipped fresh from our farm, direct to you!

@@CostaFarms Thank you! I did check out your store, but I'm hoping to find it for less $$$ locally. ;-)

Thank you for giving her a great home, Holly! We're so glad to hear you're enjoying her. 💚💚💚

Marilyn: Crops are shipping now as a part of the Trending Tropicals collection, so keep an eye out at your favorite store that buys from us! (www.costafarms.com/retailers)

I just found one here in Richmond Virginia at Walmart garden center! Its gorgeous!

We hope you enjoy life with Geo George! Reach out if you ever have any questions about him. We're always happy to help as we can. ---Justin, Costa Farms Horticulturist

So glad to hear! We hope you enjoy her!!

Happy Birthday! We hope you continue to enjoy your Geo for many years. Don't hesitate to reach out if you ever have any questions about her! Our team is here to help.

Thanks for giving her a great home! 💚💚💚

Thank you, Geiny!

Thank you for the feedback, Wynn! In terms of next year's TPIE event, you can just go to the website and register (www.tpie.org/2022/public/enter.aspx)

Hi MtBiker68: Crops are shipping now as a part of the Trending Tropicals collection, so keep an eye out at your favorite store that buys from us! (www.costafarms.com/retailers) In terms of price, retailers should price them the same as the other Trending Tropicals (Raven ZZ, Global Green, Baltic Blue, Network Calathea, etc.). Hope this helps! ---Justin, Costa Farms Horticulturist

@@CostaFarms Thanks! T.T. at Lowe's are usually around $20. I'll be watching for them!

Hey Russell! We're sorry to hear this! Geo can be a bit tricky to get the watering right. 😢

Hi Rachel! Glad to hear your Geo bounced back. 💚 It propagates easily via cuttings (that's how prop our crops here at Costa Farms). Hope that helps!

Hi Heather! There's no need to repot your Geogenanthus unless you really want to. It should be perfectly happy in its mix as long as it doesn't dry out. If you prefer to repot, we recommend a good moisture-retentive mix as this is one of the more thirsty plants in our collection (similar to a Spathiphyllum).

@@CostaFarms okay great! Thank you so much for your fast reply! I'll leave it be for now!

Dow: Sorry to hear you haven't ben able to find one yet. We hope your favorite local retailers' next order aligns with a Geogenanthus crop being ready to go so you see it in your area! If you get tired of waiting, you may also be able to buy it online and have it delivered to your home (depending where you live).

Congrats on all the new growth! You can either pinch it back (it grows pretty readily from cuttings, so you can use the pieces you pinch off to propagate) or transplant it into a larger pot to keep it in scale. As it grows, it can spread more than 24 inches across, so eventually it does outgrow the 6-in pot we grow it in.

@@CostaFarms thanks for the reply and info. Wasn't too familiar with this plant and was a bit surprised considering I've read that its a slow grower. I'll go ahead a prop some cuttings and eventually have a few Geos in my rotation. Thanks again

You're welcome! Happy we could help. 😊

Keep an eye out, Johnnie --- we'll continue to send them out as a part of our Trending Tropicals collection throughout the year. And if you get tired of waiting, you can order online! shop.costafarms.com/collections/trending-tropicals-collection/products/medium-geogenanthus-ciliatus-parent

@@CostaFarms , I enjoy the hunt!

Medium to bright light is best --- within 3 to 4 feet of an east- or west-facing window is ideal. Artificial lighting works well, too. In terms of fertilizing, there's no single right regiment. The easiest way to fertilize is to add time-release fertilizer to the potting mix every spring (following the recommendations on the fertilizer packaging). Or you can also use any general-purpose fertilizer (time-release or water-soluble) formulated for use on houseplants following that fertilizer's directions. ---Justin, Costa Farms Horticulturist

@@CostaFarms thanks Justin!

Sorry to hear you're having some troubles with your Geo. 😥 When you say it's staying moist, is it possible it's staying too moist? Wet soil can be problematic for this plant. Also: Is it near a draft source (such as drafty door, window, or heating/air-conditioning vent)? Hot or cold air can make the leaves go crispy prematurely. Do you fertilize? Excess fertilizer salts can also cause the leaf tips to go brown. If none of these sound right, please send pictures and a more detailed description of the growing conditions to us at Questions@CostaFarms.com so our team can help!

@@CostaFarms Wow thanks for the response. He was near a patio door that I could feel the radiating off. I loved him under a large Monstera which is near a humidifier. It seems like the crispyness has possibly slowed. The pot he is in is self watering so it stays pretty moist. I don't refill the reservoir until the plant feels slightly dry at the top inch or so of soil.

We hope you're able to bring her back to good health! If you ever need tips/advice, don't hesitate to reach out --- our customer care team is always MORE than happy to help as they can via Questions@CostaFarms.com

Hi! We have not seen them go dormant in any testing we've done --- be we're not able to test every possible scenario. We have seen some stressors --- such as cold --- defoliate it, but it's able to push out new growth within a couple of weeks.

Glad to hear you're enjoying yours! In terms of propagation, they do not come from tissue culture. We hope you're not disappointed, but we propagate Geogenanthus via traditional cuttings. ---Justin, Costa Farms Horticulturist

@@CostaFarms nope! Just curious..👍

Hi Dave: It's tough to say for sure without being able to see the plant. For a more accurate diagnosis, I'd encourage you to send pics to the team at Questions@CostaFarms.com. But in general, I'd wonder if it was a moisture issue. Has the plant wilted at all? Like a Spathiphyllum, it wilts really quickly when it's drier than it wants to be. If it stays wilted just a bit too long, damage starts to occur. But if your plant hasn't wilted in your care, you can probably guess too little water isn't an issue. I'd also watch for too much water---if it stays wetter than it wants to, roots start to drown and die, preventing the plant from taking up as much water as it needs. Is it near a source of drafts (like a heating vent)? Hot or cold drafts can really mess with this plant. BTW: For what it's worth, misting the plant probably isn't doing much for it. Misting provides a really short-term humidity burst, but as such, it's not an effective humidity builder. It's really more therapeutic for you than the Geo. Hope this helps? ---Justin, Costa Farms Horticulturist

@@CostaFarms Thanks! It actually hasn't been wilting at all. I've had it for over a month and it is growing, and the leaves are reaching up. It looks pretty good besides some crisping leaves. The 2 new leaves look beautiful!

Hi Plant Mama! Yes, you can trim it back and encourage new growth farther back on the stem. Do be sure to leave at least a few inches of stem for it to grow back from, though.

Mars Melon Plant

They did just “Geo”

Yes, very well!

@@CostaFarms TY!

Hi Erin, We recommend you should pinch back the growth tips which will force branching and should give it more light. Geo gets leggy when in search of light --- normally it will form a mound. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask.

It's a low-growing plant, so it stays less than a foot or so tall. And over time, a healthy clump can spread more than a foot wide with 8-inch-long leaves.

Hi! Sorry to hear your Geogenanthus is struggling. As is the case with just about any stressed plant, the best thing you can do is give it good, consistent conditions/care. Its deal state is one with medium to bright, indirect light; consistently moist soil; average to above-average relative humidity; and protection from drafts. It's pretty susceptible to drying out, so try not to let it wilt once you get it stabilized again.

If you wish to fertilize for faster growth, you can use any general-purpose houseplant fertilizer. How often and how much to use depends on the product (unfortunately every fertilizer seems to have its own set of instructions). Follow the guidelines on the fertilizer label. In terms of temperature, average household temperatures (60-90F / 15-32C) are just fine. Do be sure to keep it above 50F/10C as it is sensitive to cool weather. ---Justin, Costa Farms Horticulturist