My african violet starting dropping its outer leaves not to long ago and it was because the roots had rotted. I am not sure about the others though. Good luck!

With 'minimal' light, they need to be watered less often (the Dracs, anyhow). The violet looks like it needs more water and the all need to be away from the drying heat. Why are you only giving them minimal light? They need a lot more all day long, but also humidity, though spraying is a waste of time. Set up wide trays under each pot, with lots of pebbles in each tray, and water, but never let the water touch the pots. They're probably in some version of dormancy too, given shorter light hours, and need water less often because of that too, though shortly should pick up again and start growing.

I suspect the Dracaena marginata is too wet, or has been in the recent past (watergal: are those the "dark spots" you referred to elsewhere?)

The palm is probably reacting to dry / hot air, and I would also check it for spider mites.

Just going by the picture, I think there's a good chance that the rubber plant is a lost cause. I can't be positive without touching it, but I'm not optimistic there.

African violets are new enough to me that I'll take a pass on that one.

The peace lily would probably like more light, though it wouldn't necessarily insist on it. I wonder if it's maybe in too big of a pot? It doesn't necessarily look like it's doing that badly.

The last one is a Dracaena 'Janet Craig Compacta.' It looks like it's basically in good shape too, though the brown tips may mean it's got fertilizer buildup, or mineral buildup in general. If that is the problem, it would benefit from getting a lot of room-temperature water run through it in a kitchen sink or bathtub. You'd need to run enough through that some of the excess disolves and gets carried away.

Fertilizer burn or mineral buildup could be the problem for a lot of these; flushing with lots of water at the next watering wouldn't hurt anything even if it's not the issue.

Your dracaena marginata looks overwatered to me (mr s, if you look hard, you can see the darker shadow about halfway down the trunk that shows it's not ready to be watered again yet). I suggest you cut off the really short stem just above the soil with a sharp pruner. As for the next shortest one that is flopped over on the top, cut down about 6 inches. If it is firm and white or light yellow, stop there. If it is brown and mushy or shrivelled, cut down another 6 inches. Keep going down until you find firm healthy tissue. It will eventually grow new leaves just above where you cut, if the stem is healthy.

Never water a plant on schedule, whether it's wet or not. A dracaena and a rubber plant should be totally dry on top of the soil, and down at least an inch or two, before watering again. Check by sticking your finger in there. In winter, in dim light, they may only need watering every 2 to 4 weeks!

The brown tips on the palm and the janet craig compacta (that's the plant in the last photo) also suggest chronic overwatering. Treat the janet craig like the dracaena marginata and the rubber tree. I agree with mr s about the janet craig possibly suffering from fertilizer burn. The palm may also be dealing with spider mites; I can't be sure from the photo. I'm not sure the rubber plant will bounce back - if it does, I expect the leaves will always be small and skimpy. It may be best to give up on this one. They are really hard to keep in low light unless you are scrupulous about not overwatering them.

If your soil is compacted, adding more on top doesn't help and may hurt. You really need to unpot, get rid of the nasty soil, and repot with the rootball at the top of the pot and fresh soil underneath. Use a good, soilless potting mix like Promix or Fafard or Sunshine, if you can find it, you'll probably need to go to a good nursery, not your local Walmart or home store.

Once the leaves start to turn funny colors, cut them off right next to the main trunk of the plant. They're just sucking up energy that the plant would be better using to make new, healthy leaves instead.

The african violet stems that are suffering seem to be the ones that are touching the rim of the pot. Look under the stems where they touch and see if you find a burn mark or callous. If so, they are being burnt by accumulated soils on the rim of the pot. Cut off any bad leaf stems. If you cover over the top half inch or so of the pot on the inside and the outside with foil tape, you'll solve the problem.

The peace lily looks pretty good. The yellow-brown tips suggest a bit too much water, but some varieties are prone to get them no matter what. It's best to water them when the top of the soil is ALMOST dry.

savannahmiller

You've already gotten some excellent replies. I would get all those that are still alive to a sunny spot. A south window if possible. It appears they're in the darkness of inner walls. They will die there slowly no matter how well you care for them.

Your pots look kind of big for the size of the plants you've got (speaking of the Dracena & the Spath). I'd cut back the dead looking stems of the Dracena, they won't improve or leaf back out again.

As to the Violet, pls. puck all the wilty looking leaves, they won't recover. From underneath, pull the leaves gently by their stems as close to the main part of the plant as you can get. A quick tug will remove the leaves, it's helpfull to do this often w/ AVs, keeping them well groomed.

If it is any consolation, I have trouble growing most of those plants and I have been growing them for 40 years. Palms can be tricky to keep happy in the winter. I can't grow peace lilies either-your plant looks pretty healthy. I know they like alot of moisture. I once grew one successfully under a plastic bag but I got tired of that arrangement. I ended up growing it under a tree for the past 2 summers and I purposely forgot to bring it in this fall. My dracena looks alot like yours. I think my water is to hard for it. I know this plant does not like chlorine. I hope to have a reverse osmosis filter sometime soon and hope my plant will be happier. I have 2 african violets that seem to be happy most of the time then all of a sudden I notice that the plant never dries out. The leaves become droopy and it stops flowering. A few weeks ago I popped one violet out of its pot. It hardly had any roots. I carefully trimmed away the soil until I found healthy roots, repotted it and it started flowering again within the month. I composted my Janet Craig last year. I could not stop it from getting brown leaves. I think you can trim the leaves up a bit and have it grow like a tree I also think you can cut it way back and it will branch again.

I have a few big plants but most of my plants are the type that can be cut back. Some of my plants limp thru our long winters then perk up as the days start to get longer.

Wow thanks everyone for the great advice! I know Minnesota winters can be harsh and very dry for houseplants. I was tinking about buying a humidifier not just for plant purposes but for my own, as I get very sore throats and nose bleeds in winter time. I will definitely try the helpful methods and post pictures in a few months. Hopefully I'll have some improvement!! Also, thanks for identifying the Janet Craig. I have never heard if it!! :) And I had no idea that plants had so many different needs. I thought Dracs did not like a lot of sunlight. It's a lot of work to have nice plants!

tootswisc z4/5Wi

I find all of these plants easy to grow. There is something wrong if even Peace Lilies don't thrive for you. I have mine in an east window where it gets morning sun. I keep it well watered. It's in a regular light potting soil and gets fertilized a few times a month with different houseplant fertilizers. It blooms on an off with very sweet smelling flowers or spathes.

I'm wondering if your humidity and light are too low? Perhaps both? Is your potting soil too heavy perhaps, suffocating roots?

All good suggestions. It takes a while to really get used to and be able to 'read' what a plant needs. With the violet, it wilts when it needs water, but if you've left it too long before giving it the water, the roots may have died, and although it can re-root, chances are you'll notice it still limp, so then mistakenly you'll give it even more water the next week, and so on, and then the stump will also rot, then you'll lose the whole plant.

Your palm looks quite 'dusty', and this could be the spider mites some have mentioned as a possibility, but it could also be dust, which isn't so great for the plant, since they need to 'breathe' through their leaves also. Plus, I feel keeping the leaves clean (dusted) increases the amount of light they receive, same as washing up a really dirty window in the spring allows more sunlight in.

Where I live, I find that plants that are considered understory or shade plants, can handle near full sun during the low intensity winter months, and I only move away from the windows in spring and summer.

Best of luck!

In addition to the great advice from everyone else above, I think you've buried the stems/crowns of these plants under too much soil. Did you remove old soil when you added the new?
(You stated:"I have added more soil to the top of all in the past month due to compacted dirt, but problems started before this")

The palm likely needs a lot more light than it's receiving, and it looks kind of dusty (some of mine get that way once in a while too!) so you might want to give it a shower or sponge it's fronds.

I think your palm is Chamaedorea cataractarum (aka 'Cat Palm') and they are very susceptible to spider mites indoors - mine had a bad case last winter, even when kept in a relatively cool room. I wasn't able to rid it of them completely until it was warm enough to put the palm outdoors.

Good luck!

Could you tell me how to check for spider mites? I haven't any idea what they're about. I pricked the droopy leaves from the African Violet. My mom came over after I took the picture and she said it's wayyyyy too DRY. She's the one who gave the plant to me. I don't know- In my living room all I have for light is a patio door. I live in an apartment. I guess I could put them close to that, or even by my bedroom windows. Come to think of it I only have 3 windows and a patio door in my apartment!! :( Is artificial light just as good as sunlight? and when you say 'flush' them with water, isn't that considered 'overwatering'?? I'm confused.

Watering = pouring water into the pot until some of it runs out the bottom.

Overwatering = watering too often.

Underwatering = A) not watering often enough, or B) watering at the right times, but not enough for water to run out the bottom of the pot. (I personally call definition B teasing, but this has yet to catch on.)

Flushing = watering, and then continuing to do so for a few more minutes, so fertilizer or minerals can dissolve and be washed away. (Best done in a bathtub or shower.)

Spider mites: see here for pictures & discussion. Or do a search on the GW forums.

Artificial light vs. sunlight -- there's a controversy. I personally grow many of my plants, including some plants with a high need for light, in artificial light, and they do just fine. Certain people have informed me that this is not possible, and the plants need real sunlight in order to do just fine. I have therefore been focusing my efforts on making sure that the certain people can't talk to the plants. It is my opinion that there is nothing magical about natural light, and that "plant lights" are not worth the added expense unless it somehow suits your purposes to make everything look more purple. African violets in particular are often grown under fluorescents, for what that may be worth.

It is the case that you often need a lot of artificial light to equal sunlight. Many of my plants are grown under 48-inch fluorescent shop lights, and when I say under I mean, like, a few inches under. A single reading lamp six feet away isn't going to be enough.

Just in case you need to purchase a new plant.....I came across this coupon for a $10.00 house plant from Lowe's. You have to join their gardening club (takes only a few minutes) and you are able to print out the coupon. I also just posted a Home Depot coupon for orchids and buy one/get one. Check my site for all the information and expiration dates. Thought all the garden and plant people would be interested and this post seemed to be the best place to insert this information,

Here is a link that might be useful: Christy's Thrifty Decorating

Savannah, if you're really interested in learning about plants and their needs, this might be a good time to get a basic "how-to" book on them. My favorite is "The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual---Essential Know-how for Keeping (Not Killing!) More Than 160 Indoor Plants," by Barbara Pleasant. Even though I've been growing plants for many years, it's one I still refer to. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual

clturner3

What do you mean by "your site?" What and where is your "site?"

clturner3

What do you mean by "your site?" What and where is your "site?"

Greenhouser...I own an assisted living facility. We have a funeral home across the street and frequently get funeral flowers. Peace lilies are a very popular funeral plant in my neck of the woods. In my house, this plant is fussy. The leaf tips easily become brown and I guess I just don't enjoy caring for this plant. I really think the minerals in our city water cause some houseplants to do poorly.

It is very hard for me to compost a houseplant. But looking at both a janet craig and a peacelily with brown tipped leaves for many months was also not easy. Fortunately, I have many other plants that like my water, my house and my care!

Yes, I second Shiver's recommendation of "The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual!" I read alot of houseplant books when I first started out and this is the one I keep going back to over and over. It's like the bible of houseplants!

Less watering - more humidity by spraying the plant with a spray bottle get a $5 moisture meter it will save your plants, more light also.

wow thanks again for all of the replies. A friend of mine checked the rubber plant and said 'it's done for.' It had white build up just under the soil line, he said from the water minerals or some such thing. And the roots where rotted. I moved everything toward the patio door that does not get sued in the winter, and cut off the flopped stem of the drac. Cat Palm does not have spider mites, ew, they look icky. haha I checked thoroughly and found nothing but some regular dust from lack of dusting. Clipped off droopy leaves of African Violet, and flushed EVERYTHING with water in the bath tub. What a job. Thank you mr sub for clarifying the different terms. And yes, I will track down the 'bible' and buy it. :) You guys are great.

Hi Sav..Your plants need work..I didnt have time to read all the above advice, but I'm sure it was excellent, knowing some of the ppl who offered it.
You mention a humidifer..It's a great idea..I not only use a humidifer, but an indoor fountain, (bought at Home Depot) and a smaller indoor fountain.
I also mist/spray leaves on a daily basis. Some people don't agree on misting, but in my opinion, it helps, (somewhat) w/humidity, keeps leaves clean, and lessens changes of insects.
I'm not sure, but it looks like your palm has mites..The first thing I'd do is inspect nearby plants to make sure they are insect free. Isolate.
There are several insecticides...I don't use bug sprays for many reasons, the main, I have cockatiels, and they can't be around harmful fumes. Instead I mist plants with 2-4 drops of dish soap and water..Once a month, or if I suspect a plant has mites, I add ground garlic and ground citrus rind. Believe me it works, it's natural, and won't harm your plants, pets or you.

If they were my plants, I'd first trim brown off each leaf/frond. Leave about 1/8" of brown on, this dissuades brown from continuing onto leaves.

I dont know if you placed your plants in the spot they're in to take pics, but each need sun..Since you're in MN, I'd place each in the brightest window in winter, if possbible summer outdoors in some shade then medium light.

You said you water whether or not the soil is dry..Big mistake..Water only when soil needs it. Stick your finger in soil..if your finger comes out wet, don't water..if dry, give a drink..It's difficult telling what size pots you're using, but some look rather large..Do you know how to measure pots? When you repot a plant, the size shouldn't exceed 1-2 sizes larger than previous pot..So if a plant was bought in a say 8", when it's 'time' to repot, only if it needs it, go up to 10". If you repot because you want a decorative container, when you remove the plant from its current pot check the rootball..If it's hard-packed roots, then it should be potted up a size, but if the new pot is more than 3-4" larger than the roots, I'd avoid it..especially if you tend to overwater..

As for your African Violet..It has a LOT of potential. What size pot is it in? Keep AV's potbound..They're also humidity hogs, so keep atop a larger tray w/pebbles and water. My AV's are kept in south windows all yr long, (they are not kept outside) Remove the outter leaves/crown. If given light, and/or leaves/flowers grow, even this time of year, you can add a little AV fertilizer..Very few plants flower yr round, but a healthy AV will do so if given proper care, (light, humidity, kept potbound)

I can't ID the 5th plant..What is it? If stems are soft, discard..You'd be surprised the number of plants that survive after looking dead, during winter months.

The 6th plant is Dracaena 'pineapple'. They grow into tall, pineapple-like-looking plants. They are closely related to Dracaena Janet Craig, but the JC grows much faster.

Fertilize from May to Sept w/an all purpose plant food..The AV should be fed w/flowering plant food.
Water only when soil is dry..Mist daily. Buy a humidifer. Place plants where they'll receive light, but away from a heating or cooling source. There's a product called Superthrive. I love it. It contains hormones and 50 vitamins. You can learn more at www.superthrive.com It is NOT a fertlizer, but to be used when you feed plants. 2 drops per gallon of water..
I believe with some work your plants can be show plants, Sav.
BTW, this is a lot of work, but taking plants to sink/shower, once a wk if possible, will perk them up. This doesn't include the AV, though filling your sink w/warm water, (few inches) then setting AV inside sink about 20 mins will do wonders..Toni

I recently bought a cat palm and transplanted it in to a pot 2" bigger. It has started to dry up on the ends and the leaves are "crispy," however there is a new frond just now opening and it looks great. My question is this, and I know very little about plants, so please don't laugh (lol): what should I trim off? Just the leaves? The entire stalk? I am really not sure.
I also bought a peace lily and it is quite large, I believe, and has one beautiful flower, but some, if not most of the leaves are wilting. Any suggestions?