Hi, I hope someone can provide an answer to problems that I have had trying to grow Pandanus amaryllifolius indoors. P. amaryllifolius ("pandan leaves") is the long-cultivated and sterile herb used in south/southeast Asian cooking. Here is a history of my attempts so far: Plant #1: I received this plant in a package along with another plant that had scale on it. Since crawlers might have been present in the soil of the Pandanus, I removed all of the soil from the roots and potted it in an ordinary potting mix (MG cactus mix, to be exact). I also watered it, since everything I read about this plant says that it prefers its soil to be moist all of the time. Within a few days, the lower leaves turned yellow. About a week after that, all the leaves were dry and the plant seemed dead. Further inspection revealed that the stem had rotted. My thinking at this point is that one or more of the following things had happened: 1) the plant had not been given enough time to acclimate before repotting; 2) the removal of the soil from around the roots had damaged them and left them open to infection; or 3) watering the plant immediately facilitated the entry of the pathogen into the plant. So, after this failure, I got two new plants (from a different vendor). Plant #2: I let this plant sit in the middle of a room for 1.5 weeks before repotting it. This time I did not remove the soil from the roots and when it was repotted, I kept the roots surrounded by the soil that it came with. Since the new pot was bigger than the nursery pot, the remaining space was filled with potting mix. I also did not water this plant. Again, within a few days of repotting, the lower leaves turned yellow and it became clear that the stem was rotten. I assume this plant will die just like plant #1. I have attached a picture of plant #2 showing the yellowing leaves. Plant #1 looked similar before its demise. Plant #3: This was obtained at the same time and from the same vendor as plant #2. The difference is that it has not been repotted. It is still in the original nursery pot. Otherwise, the conditions in which it has been growing are the same as plant #2 -- same temperature, humidity, light, etc. It has also not been watered since it arrived. Unlike the other two plants, the leaves on this plant have not turned yellow (except for a few spots where the yellowing is easily attributable to mechanical damage to the leaves). So in summary: Plant #1: Repotted immediately (in new soil); watered; died Plant #2: Repotted after 1.5 weeks (with same soil); not watered; probably will die Plant #3: Not repotted; not watered; seems healthy So, there seems to be something having to do with the repotting process that is killing these plants, but I am at a loss to understand what it is. (The potting mix used has been used on other plants with no ill effects.) Eventually, I will need to get plant #3 out of its nursery pot, or at least water it, so I would really like to figure this out. I have already tried Web searches, and I have found plenty of people who have had plants die in the same way, but I have yet to find any information about how to repot these plants safely. Does anyone have any experience with keeping these plants alive indoors or can anyone tell me what I have been doing wrong? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
