Ming aralia rescue - is it too far gone?
Comments (18)
Dave
6 years ago
Laurie (8A)
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Ming aralia pruning
Comments (11)I don't find it as fussy abt being moved as everyone says, I've taken mine out of the house to Plant Society Mtgs & tho' folks are surprised at that, it's been fine. I DO think wkly watering might be a bit much & THAT might be making the leaf/branch drop. These guys want an odd combination of drying out (I let mine go for abt 10 days to 2 wks btwn watering) & humidity, I grow mine on pebble trays. They usually do pretty well for me. That said, I just lost my beloved Balfour Aralia (a type of Polycias, related to this Ming). We recently had a sudden heat wave in NYC, w/ little warning & I let mine get too dry, once I got to watering it, it was a bit too late. (Sorry if this sounds severe) I think you should cut back on frequency of watering & stop fertilizing; don't think these plants need it much & fertilizer is not like medicine, it won't usually help a plant that's ailing. You could cut off those bottom branches & try water rooting them to make a separate plant. Are you sure the housekeeper isn't watering it also trying to 'help' you? It's also possible something is wrong w/ the drainage, OR the mix has gotten too hard & the plant's not drinking. I'd give it a month, stop turning it, stop fussing w/ it (these plants don't like the fussing even tho' you're well intended). If it doesn't improve in a month, I'd consider unpotting it to check the roots....See MoreDid I just kill my Ming aralia?
Comments (13)If your plant was healthy when you repotted, it will have plenty of energy (especially at this time of the year) to push a new flush of growth, You have the right idea .... keep it barely moist & in the shade (outdoors if possible) and wait. It's probably transplant shock, possibly made worse if you didn't take pains to keep the fine roots wet while you worked on them. Sunburn (photo-oxidation) is unlikely if you're only concerned about the amount of time in the sun during the repot, but if you're looking for symptoms - leaves turn silver or whitish - never red. The sun releases a free O- radical (the same one that is so loosely attached in hydrogen peroxide) which bleaches (oxidizes) the pigments in the leaf so they turn silver/white. It can't turn leaves red. Al...See MoreLooking for a Ming aralia (Polyscias Fruticosa)
Comments (14)Hi markbudde, I don't know where you are located but I often see 2-3 different varieties of ming (fine fern-like leaf and larger leaved) at my local Meijer's store ($5-$20...5" to 2.5') in Ohio. The ming in the photo I'm posting was purchased thru Amazon.com from Hirt's gardens also in Ohio. I got it(3 plants in the pot shown) a year ago at about 6" tall and now it's 14" and still sprouting new growth. Hope this helps. As a side note can anyone tell me exactly what variety it is? Here is a link that might be useful:...See MoreAny hope for a Ming Aralia with horrid root rot?
Comments (2)Sorry you didn't get any replies. Sounds like you have done the right thing, but I would not leave the two survivors in the direct sun for now. Of course, you know you must be very careful about watering; water only when dry. I'm not sure about the pot sizes, but I think you've done all you can for now, except maybe cross your fingers!...See Moreantiguamarie
6 years agoDave and Laurie, thanks for the alert and big thanks to Karen for pointing out the icon. I used it and hopefully you can see it here. I'll be at work shortly and will take some soil with me in case the advice is to repot and prune the (probably) rotted roots. I'll post photos of that as well. Thanks much in advance!
antiguamarie
6 years ago
And now adding photos from today showing what’s left of it. I haven’t taken it out of the pot yet to look at the roots. Seems that’s there’s some life still; trying to figure out whether best best would be to leave alone or repot to cut away root rot. But at this point I don’t know if there’s any. I cut the tops of some branches, some are still green.
Karen S. (7b, NYC)
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoM-E,
Glad to help & that the pix appeared.
Somegu7
Excuse me pls, but have you grown any of these? They're not easy plants; while I can be quick to unpot most plants to check their roots, I feel this is an exception.
I would give it time, AS IS, w/out unpotting it, & see if it starts putting out new growth which it well may. I would cut off about one foot from the right branch which appears crispy & dry & I'd venture is quite dead. (Edited to add seems you've already trimmed off some dead foliage, good.)
I've grown a variety of these for a number of yrs. & they can be tricky.
This is Polyscias Ming, sadly recently got cooked by a blast of apmt heat I couldn't control. But mine's got 1 point of good growth which seems to be growing well.
I'd say give it time. Polyscias aka Aralias can be kind of temperamental. Some folks say they don't like their roots messed with.
Years ago, I brought a Ming out to a meeting & someone there expressed surprise took the plant out of the house. This lady grew a new respect for me growing that plant, I swear.
Here's a variegated version that was even trickier. Sadly didn't make it, but these can be beautiful, regal plants that really make statement w/ their interesting forms & variations on their style.
Pls. post updates of how it's going, good luck!
fawnridge (Ricky)
6 years agoYou have plenty of life left in those plants. Cut them one node above the existing growth. Don't take them out of the pot! Mings do not like to have their roots disturbed. Don't fertilize yet. Wait for a few weeks until the new growth appears and then only lightly.
My Mings came from a 12' x 4' plant in my garden in South Florida. The original cuttings came from one that I planted in a courtyard in Delray Beach for a client. These are all cuttings from the one in South Florida that I took two years ago and brought with us to Colorado. They're in a mix of pine fines and potting soil, full southern sun, and they get watered twice a week.
pearlgirl
6 years agofawnridge (Ricky)
6 years agofawnridge (Ricky)
6 years agoantiguamarie
6 years agoKaren S. (7b, NYC)
6 years ago
Paul MI
6 years agofawnridge (Ricky)
6 years ago
Debbie in IA *Zone 5a*
6 years agoI'm no expert but if it were mine I wouldn't unpot it quite yet at least until it starts getting some leaves on it. The roots are very fragile on these plants. The first one I got I instantly repotted and it destroyed practically all of the roots and I ended up with root rot and lost it. They can get root rot very easily. I now have these 2 others and I was very careful repotting them into a more gritty mix for fear of root rot and curiosity of what their roots may look like verses the first one I had. They didn't seem to have a great root system either. Very few small roots and not very many left after the repotting. They are growing and doing fine though. I've read you should keep the soil moist but I let my 2 dry out pretty good before watering. Neither of mine get a ton of sun both sit about 10 feet from a window. I've heard they hate drafts and are very fussy about being moved around. I bet your Ming will turn into a very beautiful plant if you don't fuss over it to much and don't over water it. Good luck!
antiguamarie
6 years ago
Karen S. (7b, NYC)