My plant is dying and perhaps it's because of this?

Discussion in 'Indoor and Greenhouse Plants' started by dqpeace, Jul 19, 2009.

  1. dqpeace

    dqpeace Member

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    My plant is dying. Her leaves are turning yellow and bending down. It's been like this for weeks and at first, I tried to water it less frequently as I thought it might be because of over watering. But, there are some kind of yellowish thing covering up the top of the soil. I removed the top 1/8 inch of soil but today found out that the top part is again covered by something.

    What is this and could this be the reason of all this?

    I would greatly appreciate your help so that I can save my plant.
     

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  2. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Has the pot got drainage holes at the base? If not, find a new pot that does!

    Also the amount of soil in the pot looks to be too small for the size of the plant.
     
  3. fish dr

    fish dr Active Member

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    It looks like minerals from your tap water that are left behind when the water evaporates.

    Time to repot. Use gravelly soil with a bit of clay. If it looks bad to you, the plant will probably like it. Judging by the dark green foliage, it could do with more light too.

    And water that very seldom. It's a desert plant.
     
  4. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    it's a yucca elephantipes.

    normal growth pattern for older leaves to die off at the bottom as new leaves grow in at the top.

    likes a very well-draining soil and should be watered thoroughly and then allowed to dry out a couple inches down before watering again. should be in a container with good drainage.

    size of container should be no larger in diameter than to give an inch or so of room between the edge and the outer part of the rootball.

    bright indirect lighting.

    good air circulation.

    the size of the current container may be too small if the root ball is large - if it's a newly rooted cutting, though, then the size of the container will do for now.

    tap water is fine to use - just allow it to sit overnight so excess chlorine can dissipate. that also allows it to get to room temp and water should always be at about the same temp as the soil (whether inside or outside) so as to not shock the roots and stress the plant.

    softened water SHOULD NOT be used - too many salts in it. if you have softened water, put a tap in before the system so you can access plain water for using on your plants.

    i wouldn't use well water either since it may be contaminated or just have too high a mineral content - well, you could filter it to reduce minerals.

    rain water can be used if you want to collect it.

    the build up on the soil could be due to keeping it too moist or it could be the water itself is just too hard. or it could be a build up due to using fertilizer too much. this plant shouldn't need too much fertilizer - it's a desert plant, so, is used to very harsh conditions.
     
  5. fish dr

    fish dr Active Member

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    This plant grows like a weed in full sun. Bright indirect light should be considered a minimum. Make any move to brighter light gradual. Your plant has adapted as best it can to your too low lighting by producing excess chlorophyll to make use of all the light available. This is why it is so dark green. A sudden shift to bright light wil burn the leaves. THey need time to reduce their excess chlorophyll levels.

    Most muncipalities, because chlorine dissipates in sprawling water systems, stabilize it with ammonia to form a chloramine ion. This does not dissipate as quickly as overnight. Leave it at least a few days; the longer the better.

    Rain water would be better, and you would never have to repot as a result of mineral build up as you do now. Never use softened water for plants. It is full of salt.

    If you are in fear for it's life, don't. They are very tough and it's not so far gone.

    Good luck.
     

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