Ask The Plant Expert - Bloomin' Blog

Can I Grow A New Elephant Foot Plant From It’s Offshoot?

December 26, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams 19 Comments

Ask The Plant Expert:

I have an elephant foot plant and I was wondering, can you snip off the leaves growing out the sides of the trunk to grow new plants? Mine is about 4ft. tall. I did slice one off, put it in water, the leaves grew well, but no roots or signs of a trunk developing. Should I just plant it? Thank you for speaking with me, Diane

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:

The Elephant foot plant (Beaucarnea recurvata, also know as ponytail plant) can be started from an offshoot of the plant. However, a leaf by itself will not form roots. What you need is a true sucker from the plant. These will have a thicker base attached to the trunk of the plant. You can snap these off at the trunk and stick the sucker in soil to root. A rooting hormone, found at any garden center or nursery, can be used to help start your sucker roots. Keep the soil moist but not soggy. If the soil is too wet the sucker will rot and not form roots.

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Help! Why Is My Avocado Tree Dying During Winter?

December 24, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams

Ask The Plant Expert:

Ok, so it’s winter, and I put my one-year-old avocado tree inside to prevent it from freezing, but some of its leaves have crunched up and the tips of some leaves are brown. What’s wrong with it? What should I do? Any ideas? – Cassy

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:

Cassy, It looks like an environmental factor and not a disease problem. When you move a plant indoors during the winter humidity becomes a problem. The heating system in most houses decrease the moisture level in the air. So, you need to increase the humidity around the plant. You can do this by misting the air around the plant with lukewarm water once a day. Your plant may need a little more light as well. If you can move it closer to a light source, I recommend doing so. Hope this information was helpful. Please let me know if I can help with anything else.

Filed Under: Plant Care Questions Tagged With: Ask The Plant Expert, Avocado Trees, Brown Leaves

Help! Why Is My Money Tree Still Turning Yellow?

December 15, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell

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:

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.

Filed Under: Plant Care Questions Tagged With: Ask The Plant Expert, Money Tree, Transplant Shock, Yellowing Leaves

What Is This Young Plant & How Do I Take Care Of It?

December 7, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams Leave a Comment

Ask The Plant Expert:

I received this plant from my son’s funeral. We have several, and they are not doing too good. There are bugs, (fruit flies?) and they are just not growing. I need to find out what it is and how to care for it. – Theo

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:

Theo,
It looks like your plant is a peace lily. I think this article will have all the information you need: How to care for your peace lily.

As for the insects, we need to identify what they are; a picture would help.
If you could capture a few, take them to your local garden center, and they will be able to identify them.
They would also have the right insecticide to take care of the insects.

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

Help! Why Are My Money Tree’s Leaves Turning Yellow?

December 3, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams

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 that time of season for new leaves to appear? Hope that wasnt 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 Im thankful for. Heres a pictures of the money tree I told you about… -Carolyn

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:

Carolyn,
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.

Filed Under: Plant Care Questions Tagged With: Ask The Plant Expert, Money Tree

Help! My Devil’s Ivy (Pothos) Plant’s Leaves Are Turning Yellow

December 2, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams

Ask The Plant Expert:

I water my plant every 2 weeks, when the soil is dry, but not completely dry. My plant, at first, was so beautiful; then when it started to turn cold. It became wilted and yellowing, then brown… I always baby my plants, and I do talk to them… I mist them all daily, but not a lot… I have it sitting in a low light area… no sun or direct sun, just a low light area. Can you tell me what I’m doing wrong? – Carol

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:

Carol,

Was the plant left outside as the temperatures turned cold? If so, this could be a case of cold damage. Remove any of the brown or yellow leaves, and make sure the plant is in a warm environment. You should be able to continue with your normal care procedures.

If the plant has been in the spot and not moved, check the air vent flow in the room. If the air flow blows directly on the plant, and you recently turned your heat on, the hot air might have damaged the plant. In this case move the plant out of the air flow and remove the damaged leaves. Once you have done this simply continue with your normal care procedures.

If neither of the above cases fit, it may be time to re-pot or trim your plant. Re-pot the plant if it looks as if there are more roots than soil. Your new container should be 1 1/2 times larger than the current one. As you re-pot the plant, make sure the top of the current root-ball is not covered with soil in the new container. It should still be the top of the potted plant.

Trim the plant if the tendrils are long and sparse. This encourages new growth, and allows for a better concentration of nutrients. Hope this information was helpful. Please let me know if I can help with anything else.

Filed Under: Plant Care Questions Tagged With: Ask The Plant Expert, Pothos, Yellowing Leaves

Help! My Polyscias House Plant Won’t Stop Rotting

November 29, 2011 by Mandy Maxwell

Ask The Plant Expert:

Hi.
I had a Polyscias for three years, and it’s the most important plant in my home. Six month ago it started to lost some of the leaves began to lose some limbs. When I realized everything had fallen trunk with no branches and the trunk was soft and smelled of alcohol. I cleaned and put sulfur, waited for it to dry and then sealed with beeswax. However it was not good, because the rot has continued to rise. Now I’ve cut to see if I can save what remains of plant and I found this (pictured below). I do not know what to do, if you cut the remaining logs to try to save them or what. I would greatly appreciate your advice, I’m pretty desperate as it is a very beautiful plant, and the rest of the logs seem to be ok, but it also smells like alcohol. Thanks in advance for your attention. – Marina

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:

Yes, it is best to remove any soft decaying tissue completely from the plant. The smell of alcohol indicates the wood has soured, likely because of oxygen deprivation. This causes anaerobic activity, which creates a build-up of acetic acid. From your photos, it doesn’t look like there is any mulch, but often the soured wood is due to too-much mulch piled up around the base. Be sure not to do this; spread mulch thinly around the base and always allow it to dry between waterings.

If no mulch was used, it could be an over-watering problem. Hold back on watering your plant until the soil is dry to the touch. It may take a while to air out, but smell should go away.

If all else fails, Polyscias is a very easy plant to propagate from cuttings. Simply take a stem of your plant and place it in water. To ensure rooting, apply a rooting hormone easily found at your local garden center.

That is my best guess, but perhaps our readers will have more suggestions.

Filed Under: Plant Care Questions Tagged With: Ask The Plant Expert, Over-watering, Polyscias, Rot

Are Coffee Grounds Safe For Plants?

November 27, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams

Ask The Plant Expert:

I’ve just read about coffee grounds being beneficial for spiderplants. Would this work for all plants? -Matthew

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:

The answer would be not necessarily. I personally have never used coffee grounds around my plants, so I can’t speak from experience.

Coffee Grounds and Plants:

Coffee grounds are acidic. So they are used around plants that are acid loving. Azaleas, hydrangea, gardenias, hibiscus, roses, camellias and blueberries are types of acid-loving plants.
Coffee grounds are said to be high in nitrogen (I have no scientific evidence of this). Potentially They can help with leafy growth.
Coffee grounds are good for earth worm beds and compost piles. However, be cautious of the amount of coffee grounds you use in these beds since they are acidic.
Coffee grounds are used as an organic repellant for snails, slugs and cats. (I have no first-hand knowledge if this works. I understand it works best if mixed with crush egg shells.)

If you want to use coffee grounds around your plant, find out first if they are acid-lovers. Then apply only a small amount and see what reaction your plant has to the coffee grounds.

I would be very careful using coffee ground with your spider plant. Chlorophytum comosum (spider plant) prefers a pH of 6.0 to 6.5. Keep in mind 7.0 is neutral.

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

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Filed Under: Plant Care Questions Tagged With: Ask The Plant Expert, Plant Care Questions

Help! What’s Wrong With My Droopy Schefflera

November 26, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams Leave a Comment

Ask The Plant Expert:

I have had my Schefflera for nearly 4 years. I live in OH and this plant lives indoors next to our south-facing window from late-October through mid-May. During the other months, the plant is kept on the outdoor porch which is just on the other side of the south-facing window in indirect light.

This plant has been transplanted once last Spring and seemed to be doing well. However, after I brought the plant in from my outside porch last month, I noticed that there are branches curving downward and the plant is losing its attractive shape.

It doesn’t help that my cat likes to pounce on the curved branches she can reach. How do I fix this? – Heather

Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:

Heather,

You have a very nice schefflera. There are a couple things that you can do to help shape the plant. Prune out those branches that droop down, and with no regards to the basic shape of the plant. Then start a rotation schedule for the plant. Every week turn the plant 90 degrees; this will keep the foliage from unevenly bending towards the light. You can also prune flimsy and weak stems.

In fact, it looks like your plant has produced a lot of new growth in a short period of time. If this is true, and a result of you fertilizing the plant, cut back on the fertilizer by half. When plants rapidly produce new growth, that growth can be a little weak and flimsy. This new growth over time can strengthen, but if it is causing the plant to look mis-shapened it is better to trim it.

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

Filed Under: Plant Care Questions Tagged With: Ask The Plant Expert, Houseplant Care, Houseplants, Pruning, Schefflera

Help! My Jade Plant Is Getting Weaker

November 24, 2011 by Jamie Jamison Adams

Ask The Plant Expert:

Hi there
Thanks for your help with my Jade plant, but I still really don’t know what’s wrong with it. I water it when the soil gets dry. I fertilize & mix its water with Bonsai’s vitamin too but it’s still loosing leaves.The great number of its leave wilts & drops. I attached you some photos that you can see its changing over these 2 months. I’m really worry. The color & shape of the new leaves are different. When I received it, the leaves were dark green & plump. But now all of them are light green & thin. I’m not sure if these leaves can store water as much as the prior leaves, & 1 more problem: It’s small branches are wilting & falling; as u can see in one picture the short branches are wilting & some fell off branches are in my hand. In your previous reply you told me “if it’s high in the pot” ,sorry but I don’t understand your meaning by this sentence. Plz guide me through taking care of it. My Jade is too weak; its leaves & branches fall off by itself & even with a small shake. It has no new sprout anymore too.
thanks. -Gisou

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Filed Under: Plant Care Questions Tagged With: Ask The Plant Expert, Jade Plant, Leaf Drop

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