There is nothing more discouraging or disappointing than having a plant die. It’s what prevents so many from becoming plant people, and it’s a common heartbreak among those that love this hobby. No one is immune from killing a plant. I always say, “It’s not a matter of IF you’ll kill a plant, but when.”
“Geez Lola, this sure is a sad blog entry you’re writing here.” I know. I know. Here’s where the ray of sunshine comes in, plant people. Not every sad shriveled plant is doomed for the compost pile. There may be hope of saving your poor little friend after all. To quote my favorite television medical drama, “It’s a beautiful day to save lives,” and I’m here to help you do it!
First thing we need to do is trim off all the really dead stuff. I’m talking about those crunch leaves and stems that you can snap in half. Get it all off dears! Be gentle with your plant when you’re removing the dead pieces. Don’t go in there ripping things out by hand or with rough fingernails. Get yourself a good pair of shears or scissors and gently remove them. If you’ve got a hangnail and you rip it off, sometimes you end up ripping more skin. Plant are the same way, not everything comes away clean. Go easy.
When you feel like you’ve got the lost causes trimmed away, assess what’s left of the plant. You might be left with nothing but a stem or half a leaf. Don’t get discouraged. You’d be surprised at the sad little plants I’ve brought back from near death.
The most important thing you can do for a plant at this stage is to try and figure out why the thing went downhill in the first place. Do you have spider mites? Are you over or under watering it? Is it lacking nutrition and needs some fertilizer? Maybe it’s not happy with the amount of sunlight it’s getting. This may take some time and research to figure out where to go from here.
If you have a decent amount of plant left, you can leave it in its pot and pursue some super TLC until it bounces back. If you’ve been left with very little plant, I recommend removing the plant from its soil- GENTLY- rinsing the roots in room temperature water, and placing it in a glass of water. See my propagation blog for more info on this.
Be patient with your struggling plant. It will take time to recover and sprout new foliage. The wait is better than losing a plant though, I assure you. I have a designated place in my home and shop for struggling plants. My kitchen window at home serves as a propagation station and plant hospital. It’s a place I visit regularly and can check on all of my little friends.
I hope this helps you fellow plant people rescue your own struggling plants. If you get stumped on treatment or are not sure if you plant can be salvaged, feel free to send pictures and questions to me here.
Happy planting my plant people! I’ll be back next month to talk about the dreaded spider mites! Eek!