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Ask the Expert: When to transplant
I have a Lucky Bamboo plant that is getting really big. It is in a small vase. How do I know when I should transplant to a larger vase? Kathryn
Plant Expert Reply:
A good rule of thumb is to transplant lucky bamboo when it becomes top heavy or is 1 1/2 times taller than the container it is in.
Ask the Expert: Help !!! azalea problem
Hi,
After my azaleas blooming..I pruned them…some just a little be but I’ve a couple of them to big so I decided to prune a lot but I concerned that wasn’t a good idea, please see the pictures. the wood looks dark. Thanks for your help Elsa
Plant Expert Reply:
I am assuming that your Azaleas are deciduous and not evergreen. Either way you did the right thing by pruning them after they finished blooming. All azaleas whether deciduous or evergreen will have dormant buds that will leaf out after a plant has been pruned. So the important thing is to give your plant shape as you prune it.
To keep your azalea full and attractive, you need to make sure light gets to the plant from top to bottom. To do this make sure your plant is like a pear shaped woman – narrow towards the top and fuller towards the bottom. After a severe pruning it will take shrubs a couple of weeks to leaf back out. In fact, I just butchered the shrubs at my house. By my Memorial day party, they will be flushed back out.
I did notice that a few of your branches have winter damage. If these branch do not leaf out in the next couple of weeks, prune them back to the point where the leaves have flushed.
Now would also be a good time to fertilize them. A good rule of thumb for feeding azaleas is AA – April through August once a month. In some areas you can start fertilizing sooner and extend the feeding a month longer.
I recommend a slow release fertilizer blended for azaleas. I use an azalea fertilizer than contains a systemic insecticide as well. This will keep the azaleas happy and healthy. Your local garden center and nursery should carry the azalea fertilizer they need. You can ask for Fertilome Azalea/Evergreen Food Plus with systemic or something similar.
Ask the Expert: Yellowing Stem- Plant
Hello,
I got a lucky bamboo three months ago, and about a week ago the stem started yellowing. As you can see from the picture, the roots kind of turned brown/black-ish. The leaves are still very green, and the stem is yellowing but still strong. In picture 1 you can see its about half green/half yellow. I had a few questions, though. 1. I saw that you usually recommend to cut off the yellow parts and start with green, but is that ALWAYS the case? Is it possible for the bamboo stem to recover and turn green again, or is it “once yellow, always yellow?” 2. Although the bottom of the rooms look black/brown, I see some new white (healthy?) roots budding from it. What does this mean? Could I just cut off the brown part entirely, and have new roots grow from the yellow stem? Is there any disadvantage to a wait and see approach?
Thank You,
Mike
Plant Expert Reply:
The wait and see approach can work for yellowing stems, but only if the roots are still healthy. The yellow stalks usually don’t turn back to green but can survive if the stalk doesn’t become soft and mushy. However, your roots do not look healthy. This is what I recommend: Cut the healthy top off the lucky bamboo stalk and start a new plant in a new container. Then cut the black roots off and see if the stalk will produce new roots and come out of the yellowing. The disadvantage to the wait and see approach is:
1) If multiple stalks in one container the issue can spread.
2) If you wait to long, you might not have a healthy piece to start a new one.
If you try my recommendation, you can essentially have your cake and eat it too. Good luck and keep me posted.
Ask the Expert: Black, Yellow and burnt leaves
I have a peace lily that sits in front of my window. I keep the blinds of my window open so that the plant can get some light because I have brown curtains and brown sheer panels at my window. I water my plant when it feels dry and also I give it a mist. Most of my leaves are yellow at the top with a burnt tip. Some are black on the sides. Even the newer leaves (smaller ones) look as though they are turning. I also noticed today some of the leaves are getting holes. I don\’t know if the holes are from the drooping or what. I love this plant. It\’s from my mother\’s furneral. So please help me to save this plant. P.s. I use tap water that runs through a filter on my sink. Angie
Plant Expert Reply:
I suspect that the peace lily (Spathiphyllum clevendii) is too close to the window and the intesified light is buring the leaves. Move the plant a little farther from the window. When you water the plant make sure to saturate the soil completely. Also, check to see if you have any insects on the plant that might be creating the holes. Should you have an insect problem, spray the peace lily with a houseplant insecticide.
Once you move the plant away from the direct light from the window, the plant should make a full recovery. Good Luck and keep me posted.
This plant questions was sponsored by the local florists in San Antonio.
Ask The Expert: I have received a Spathiphyllum plant and it is blooming. Some of the blooms have turned brown and wilted. Do I clip the dead blooms off? If so,where on the stem should they be clipped? Glynda
Plant Expert Reply:
Yes, you need to clip the old peace lily (Spathiphyllum) blooms off. Follow the bloom stalk down to the base of the plant and clip it off. This will make the plant more attractive and it will send a signal to the plant that it needs to bloom again.
Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum clevelandii
Ask The Expert: I was give a peace lily for my husbands funeral last April. This is very large plant. I have trouble keeping any house plant. The leaves are dying and turning brown. I’ve tried leaving the light on in the kitchen because I thought it needed light. I would just hate to loose this plant for many reasons. Can you help me bring my poor peace lily back to a healthy life?
Thank you,
Nita
Plant Expert Reply:
I can understand why you want to keep this plant healthy and I will try my best to help you do so. If you haven’t removed the peace lily from the decorative foil the florist puts it in do so now. The foil won’t allow the peace lily to drain properly.
Knowing what the specific care needs for a particular plant is the first step in houseplant survival. Let’s see what kind of care peace lilies (Spathiphyluum clevelandii) need.
They need bright filtered light, but are tolerant to low light levels. They do not like bright sunlight shining down on their leaves — it will cause the leaves to burn. So place your peace in a room that gets a fair amount of light, but do not place it directly in front of a window.
Peace lilies want an evenly moist environment. This means the soil should not dry out completely or reamin soggy. Once a week watering is a good rule of thumb. When you water make sure the soak the water completely and that any excess water drains quickly and easily. You can perform an easy test to determine the water needs of your plant.
Test the soil before watering by sticking finger in soil up to first knuckle — this will help you determine if the plant needs water. If the soil feels moist don’t water. You can also pull a little bit of the soil out and perform the roll test.
Roll the soil into a ball:
Always water your peace lily with luke warm water and mist the air around the plant occasionally. Peace lilies are susceptible to chlorine damage; let chlorine evaporate from tap water before using or use distilled water. Over-watering may cause leaves to turn yellow and under-watering may cause plants to wilt and the leaf edges to turn yellow or brown.
Light and water are the most important plant care requirements. You can learn more about peace lily care on our peace lily page.
I also recommend trim off the damaged leaves. Hopefully these tips will help you take care of your peace lily. Please keep me posted on your progress.
Flower Shop Network proudly sponsors this and all plant care questions.
Ask The Expert: hi, my name is kim, i am new at gardening, so i would
like to ask you some question.
1. what color rose bushes do,- you have? i have some, that are a stick in a bag of dirt.
2.where do i store them and how do i feed and water them? until they are ready to plant.
3. what about plant food, do i give them food, while they are in the bag or wait till i plant them, to give them food?
4. after, i plant the roses, how long will it take for them to bloom?
5. when is the best time to plant them?
i need the month, last year i- planted stuff, in the middle of may, wich was to late.
thank you Kim in Carnegie PA
Plant Expert Reply:
Q1 – Although roses are loved and adored by Flower Shop Network, they do not sell roses plants. However, there are several quality nursery & garden centers in your area (Carnegie PA) that do sells roses. The Pennsylvania Nursery Association has a list of garden centers for your area – just go to http://www.gardenpa.com/Custom/PLNASearch.aspx.
Q2 – Bagged roses need to be taken out of the bag as soon as possible and soaked in water for 12 to 24 hours. This will help re-hydrate them. After the soaking period is up, they must be planted. You can accomplish this one of two ways – you can plant them in a container or plant them in the ground. Either way the soil needs to be a mixture of sand and well-composted bark material. Depending on the ph, you might need to adjust the ph with a little hydrated lime. When you plant the rose make sure the crown is above the soil level – the crown is the knot between the roots and the canes. I also recommend pruning each cane just slightly.
Q3 – Once the rose has been planted, you can water it in with a light solution of water soluble fertilizer followed a couple weeks later with a granular slow-release fertilizer. Your local garden center and nursery will have the fertilizer you need.
Q4 – Blooming depending on several things – whether the roses blooms on new or old growth, sunlight, temperature and variety. At my families garden center, we mostly sell roses that bloom on new growth. These roses usually bloom within 60 days from the time we pot them. (We don’t carry bagged roses – we bring in root stock and grow our own roses – container grown [Read more…]
Ask The Expert:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=10888936&id=519140575
what is this plant and its care and properties?? it leaves water on the desk from its leaves. thank you. Rosemary
Plant Expert Reply:
It looks like you have an Aglaomena sometimes referred to as a Chinese Evergreen. The water on the desk is perplexing. Is the water dripping from the leaves. Is it water or a sticky substance? A sticky substance could indicate an insect problem or damage to the plant. When you water the plant do not wet the leaves only the soil.
As for Aglaomena (Chinese Evergreen) care instructions are as follows:
Light: Filter light or partial shade – no direct sunlight.
Water: Keep soil evenly moist; occasionally letting it dry slightly. Mist plant with lukewarm water every day.
Fertilizer: Feed a balanced fertilizer every 2 to 3 weeks except during the winter.
Let me know more about the water and I will try to figure out if it is a problem.
Ask the Expert: peace lilys
during our relocation from tennessee to georgia my 2 lilies have been in a nephews garage from june until now. I know that the weather was in the 90’s to 100’s during the summer and recently it has been in the teens at night. I would like to bring them back inside and need to know what I need to do to make them inside plants again. They have wilted considerably and alot of the larger leaves are brown half ways. any suggestions would be appreciated. Teresa
Plant Expert Reply:
You plants are already in shock and they will probably look worst before they look better. But, I think they will recover. Anytime you move a plant from outside in to your home check for any signs of pests. During times of stress plants are more susceptible to pests and other pathogen attacks. If you have a pest or fungal problem, you will need to get rid of them. Send me a picture of the pest or problem and I will instruct you on how to get rid of them.
To care for the peace lilies when you take them inside, begin by removing all damaged leaves. Place in an area where the plants will receive bright filtered light, natural if possible. Make sure your drain holes are working and are not obstructed. Keep the plant evenly moist. Do not over-water — the peace lilies will not need as much water as it did outside.
Now for the hard part, wait. You will need to patiently wait while the plants works through the shock of being moved. In a couple of weeks, you should start to see new growth appear. As the new growth appears, you can give the peace lilies a very light solution of water-soluble fertilizer. Now the peace lilies should be fully acclimated houseplants.
Ask the Expert: Hi,
I have a question about caring for my lucky bamboo plant. I have had the plant for 2 and a half years, and the branch has gotten so large that it cannot even stand up straight anymore because of the weight. It seems like the base node of the stalk is too thin to support it, though it is green and looks healthy. What would you recommend? Should I try to find some kind of wooden pole for support. Your advice is highly appreciated.
Best Regards,
Alaina Kiskaddon
Plant Expert Reply:
Lucky bamboo stalks that are flimsy because they are too long need to be topped. This gives you a great opportunity to create new stalks.
Before you top your lucky bamboo, you will need a few things: a sharp knife, rooting hormone, a container for the new stalks, and a water mist bottle. I recommend using distilled water with lucky bamboo, but you can use tap water. If you use tap water it will need to aerate it overnight before you use it.
Once you have assembled your tools, determine how short you want your existing stalk to be after you top it. Now find a node close to the height you want the stalk to be. The node is the raised ring on the lucky bamboo stalk. Cut the lucky bamboo stalk off an inch above the node. The part that is still attached to the roots will form new leaves and the part (top) that is left will become a new lucky bamboo stalk. Dip the cut end of the top in rooting hormone and let dry. When the rooting hormone has dried, place it in the new container filled with water.
In a couple of weeks the top will develop roots. In a few weeks the existing stalk will form leaves. However, to help the leaves form you new leaves you will need to mist the stalks. Start misting the stalk a couple of days after you have topped it. Mist it once or twice a day until the leaves form.
You can create new stalks any time by repeating the process. Good luck and keep me posted.
