Yesterday (or possibly Saturday evening), I severely cut back the plant. On any plant that had even a tiny little leaf start (or hint of green), I cut off all large leaves. This morning it seems a bit more perky. The remaining leaves are still drooping but not hanging on the side of the pot, it appears that they are doing a bit more towards holding themselves up. So maybe it is on the road to recovery.... we'll see! :D ~ I haven't done anything with the other house plants, got enough school work done yesterday that I got the yard mowed, my most faded zinnia bed pulled up & a bit of amendment done to the bed in preparation for either fall planting or next spring. I haven't yet decided if I'm going to put my winter annuals in containers or in the ground. Depending on how much we are affected by tropical storm Isaac and how long I'm housebound, I may be able to get in, around my school work, a couple more repots on some of the house plants.

The middle pot is not too small but repotting is not long down the road. About getting soil off of roots. I use a gentle hose to wash the soil off. I also have used a tinny brush thing I have. After washing the soil off, I let them dry for a couple of days. If any roots are bruised , they would have callused over. This step really minimizes the rot that can come from damaged roots. I always get rid of soil that plants come in. It is good plant hygiene. I do not want other peoples bugs, and you don't want mine. sometimes I use this time to spray with a systemic pesticide. and fungicide before drying. Just now, I had a huge Aloe cameroni that had gotten blighted by my son leaving the door to my winter warm space open during a cold front and this plant half of it was dying from rot. I decanted it and the roots were a large mass of mostly rotted shizz. Helf the plant had dissociated itself from the dying half and was putting on a growth spurt. I did severe washing and cutting of the roots looking for ALL the dead and dying, but out of a large hydra headed plant O still have a nice large plant and five rosettes to re root. They are dosed with fungicide and bayer 3 in one. and drying eating to be potted. The rosettes are being misted and I am waiting to see root nubs before I plant them. One can be pretty rough with aloes as long as you let the damage callus by letting things dry up. They will grow more roots.

I bought T5 fluorescent grow lights from a hydroponics store and hung them in a basement room with no windows. I keep my 'jungle tropicals' and my c&s in the same room, at room temperature with supplemental humidity (50%-ish). Everyone seems to get along in there, and then when the outside nighttime temps are staying 50F and above, they all go play in the back yard(they have to readjust to the sun every year by gradually bringing them out of the shade, otherwise leaves burn). ps, welcome back, and the supplemental lighting may lift your spirits also. ez

I have my sans in a custom mix with pine bark fines and they are thriving and my mix drains well why would anyone say bark is bad for sans? the problem is you are watering on a schedule you can forget sans in the winter ESPECIALLY in low light conditions less light always means less water i had NO noticable growth on my sans in low light, so while they survive in those conditions, they will not thrive in those conditions i moved mine to a sunny location, water less than once a month in the winter, water more often in the growing season AND like someone else mentioned i use DynaGro foliage pro spring to September they shot up like crazy and sent me pups i keep all but one in clay pots I have a wood burning stove in the winter … my home is dry … i still don't water my sans more than once a month in the winter and mine are in a south window … for low light i would wait two months to water them i just planted my new Sayuri in the gritty mix. how can anyone think the gritty mix can’t hold the weight of the plant???? Shes the tallest sans i have right now and shes sturdy in the grit If you arent comfortable with the gritty mix, use Als 5:1:1 mix it has superior drainage and all my potted annuals absolutely thrived in it i buy reptibark since i can’t find pine bark fines in my area When i do water, i water thoroughly so as not to leave dry air pockets in my pots so in essence the roots are getting a good drench but drainage is the key no perched water