Mary Anne, I think they have differnt variety of Pandanus. I too had killed a few of Panduanus plants.(The plants use to flavor food) I brought the only one left in the house since the beginning of winter. It is true that Pandanus plant does not like wet soil. Try Cactus mix media and mix some pebbles in it. It needs good drainage. After you water the plant, always tilt the pot let the water drip out. Well, I place my plant in a humidity tend with a cup of water sitting by it. I Open the tend for half of the day to let the air flow. I also let the pot sit on top of a heating pad. I place a few layer of old newspaper on the heating pad to prevent over heat. Just place you hand on the pad and make sure it is warm. And also I put the pot under a grow light. I water it twice a week only and feed it with liquid fertilizer once a month.(I mean right now in the house) It has grown quite a few new leaves now. Himidity is a big factor for growing pandanus plant in my area. I think your plant may have root rot. Trim off the roten root and hopefully there are a few good roots left.

The leaves would be wonderful for weaving. They are smooth and have no stickers on them. They don't cut you. Too bad, we're going to be throwing lots of them away. Come on down and we'll give you some. Also, it hasn't fruited nor bloomed in the four years we have owned the home. So I can't help you there.

I've been interested in the genus Pandanus for quite some time. They used to be commonly available as houseplants but became positively rare in the trade. I think it was because most species have spines (and those can cause minor dermatitis on most people). I used to grow Pandanus 'Veitchii' (which has nice creamy white variegation) and was probably one of the very few few variegated plants I preferred over all green ones. Ended up giving multiple pups away but somehow, over the years, lost the original mother plant. It does not surprise me that they do well in containers as you have excellent soil drainage (potentially). So, make your your soil has good drainage (soil you might use on palms or cycads for instance). They are not tolerant of cold, wet soils..., maybe add a generous amount of coarse sand and/or perlite. I see you are in SF; I am not sure how the plant will grow in that climate. (I I would put mine out in the growing season but have to take mine in for frost..., still, it got really, really BIG. Actually, too big for an average house if only in the Winter!) You can experiment with yours..., just try to propagate it by taking pups that show evidence of roots. P.S., Currently, I am growing P. amarylifolius (pandan plant); used in SE Asian cuisine..., and the only species of Pandanus used culinarily. Has the typical stilt roots of the species but without the spines and variegation of the 'Veitchii'.

The genus used to be more commonly grown as "houseplants", but too many people had problems with those serrated leaves. Unfortunately, they are not as readily available as in past years in the "indoor" plant trade. Currently, I am growing a spineless species (Pandanus amarylilfolius/Pandan plant), which is used in SE Asian cuisines, btw.