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What’s Wrong With My Split-leaf Philodendron?

Ask the Plant Expert:

I have been in charge of caring for a heart-leaf philodendron for a worker who passed away earlier this year. The plant was growing rapidly & bearing big, beautiful, green leaves. I water it on Fridays before the weekends & make sure it is not in direct sunlight.

Last Friday when I went to water it, I noticed there was standing water that the plant was not soaking in. Come Monday, the plant had an odor to it. I figured it needed the next size pot since it had grown so much. So, I re-potted it with Miracle-gro, and there’s no smell, but it looks sick. Please help. – Beth

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Help! Repotted My Red-Margined Dracaena & Now It’s Dying

Ask The Plant Expert:

I re-potted my red-margined dracaena and now it appears to be dying.  The leaves from the bottom are brown and falling off and the entire plant is looking droopy.  Is there anything I can do to revive it?

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Help! Why Is My Money Tree Still Turning Yellow?

Ask the Plant Expert:

I do have another plant for you to look at; it’s a money tree with 3 braided stalks… It only gets “some” morning direct sun… I just moved it there a few days ago and its looks better but… I do still having continuing yellowing/browning leaves on it… Maybe it’s that time of season for new leaves to appear? Hope that wasn’t a silly question there. I have several plants… I have a chinese evergreen, a birds nest fern, spider, snake, aleo vera, sago palm, jade plant and a croton plant… All of those are very healthy…which I’m thankful for.

Here’s a pictures of the money tree I told you about:

Money Tree In Sun

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:

At some point the plant may have had a water issue, but it looks like that has probably been corrected. Since the plant was moved it may be going through a little transplant shock. Give it a few weeks to overcome the move. Be sure to watch the new growth, if it is healthy your plant should be just fine.

I’ve Re-Potted My Plant, Why Is It Getting Worse?

Ask The Plant Expert:

I’ve just discovered i had four spiderplants growing closely in the same pot, I’ve subsequently seperated them so their now in two equal sized containers. I’ve been as gentle as I could, but am afraid I’ve damaged the roots, or are they tougher than I think? – Matthew

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:

Every plant will go through some shock when transplanted, especially when the roots are disturbed. As long as you were able to keep the majority of the roots intact, your plants should be fine. However, they will be stressed for a few weeks. So, don’t over water them, and don’t fertilize them. Keep your environment as close to the same conditions they were before you separated them.  Then just be patient while they over come the stress.

Hope this information was helpful. Please let me know if I can help with anything else.

Why Is My Jade Plant Loosing Leaves?

Ask The Plant Expert:

I received this Bonsai plant as a gift about 10 days ago. I don’t know what kind of plant it is, and don’t know how to keeping and taking care of. There are some problems with it; it’s leaves fall down every day in a large number, both young leaves and old leaves. Also in these recent days, some of its leaves are wilting. Here the weather is cool so I water it once a week. I put it about 1/5 meter away of the window. The room is light, but there is no straight sun light on it. I attached a photo of its location too. Please help me with its wilting and the leaves falling down. Please guide me how to taking care of it and a perfect location for it. And please tell me my plant’s name.
Looking forward your answer
Gisou

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply: Gisou,
I believe what you have is a type of jade. If I had to guess what the problem is with your plant, I would put my bet on transplant shock coupled with a water issue. Check you soil and make sure it isn’t too wet. The leaves have the ability to store water. If the soil is kept too wet, the plant will get root rot and the leaves will fall off. So let the soil dry slightly before you water it. This type of plant requires a very stable temperature range. Make sure that it is not in the pathway of a door or air vent. You can give it a slight bit of fertilizer once a month from March through November. Be sure not to over-fertilize it. Too much fertilizer can cause severe damage.

One more thing to check is the position of the bonsai. If it is too high in the pot, the plant could be drying out which can cause the leaves to drop.  I don’t think this is a problem, but it is hard to tell from the pictures.

I hope this information was helpful. Please let me know if I can help with anything else.

Schefflera Shock: How To Help With Repotting Recovery

Ask The Plant Expert: I have a Schefflera that I have had for 35 years and it has gotten very big.  I was finally able to find a pot at least a little bigger than the one that it was in, so I repotted it this summer.  It’s roots were wound around at the bottom of the old pot.  My new pot wasn’t much bigger than the old one, so I rubbed off some of the old soil from it to give it new soil when I repotted it.  I let it rest inside for a few weeks and it seemed fine.  Then I put it outside for a few days this summer to get a good bath from the rain (I usually do that each summer) and since I’ve brought it back in, it has been dropping green leaves and some leaves are turning yellow and dropping off also.  What am I doing wrong?  After 35 years, “Charlotte” has become part of the family…I’d hate to loose her!  Thanks! – Amy

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:

Amy,Schefflera (Brassia arboricola)

It sounds like the plant is in severe transplant shock. It usually takes a several days for the signs of transplant shock to appear and a couple of weeks for the plant to recover. In your case, the plant went from one situation (re-potting) that caused transplant shock to another (moving it outside) without ample time for the plant to recover form the first.

To help your plant recover,

  • Make sure the new pot allows excess water to drain.
  • Make sure the rootball has been thoroughly saturated and that you water it as you have always done.
  • Let it rest don’t move it for at least a few weeks.
  • Don’t fertilize it. The plant should start to recover during this time.

Once the plant has recovered and is stable, you can go back to your normal fertilizer schedule and other activities. Hope this information was helpful. Please let me know if you need anything else.