The majority of the plant looks dead. Given its condition, I’m going to guess that either the original peat root ball was “plopped” into this pot and just filled with more soil, leaving it unable to actually use the water available in the outside soil and drying to death (which then made you give it more), or you overwatered it. (I’m going to guess the former here.) It also doesn’t look like it had enough light. Pull out the plant and see what the roots look like — I mean, break apart the entire soil ball to expose the roots.


I seriously doubt you can save the plant. But you can take 1-2 cuttings, it looks like. If you cut where shown in red, and carefully remove the two sets of leaves in the yellow area from the stems, you should be able to root it. I’d let that dry for a couple of days on the counter.

THEN—take that cutting and put it in DRY soil in a tiny pot (1.5” or less small). It doesn’t need to stand or anything, though you can prop it up with stones or something. Just put the nodes you exposed by taking off the leaves into the soil and leave it that way in a bright (but not direct sun) area. In a couple of weeks, try carefully lifting it out of the soil to see if roots are forming. Do not water until you have roots. Think of it like trying to make you drink water if you have no mouth or nose; can’t drink if there are no roots.

You can try this with any green stem area where you have at least one leaf.

Once you begin watering, let the new roots drink all of the water in the tiny pot before you water again. And soon, the cutting should show new growth.


That is, if it’s important to save a piece of THIS plant. Personally, I’d order/buy more unless there is sentimental value. :)

Thank you very much Grace. You are absolutely right. I pulled the plant out and the root was so tightly packed with soil. I've loosened it up. Will that help?

I'll also take a cutting as you suggested.

Mines did the very same thing. Hard to grow if you ask me in our growing zone. I did not provide good sunlight nor did I provide a good amount of fresh air.

I found that the leaves rot very easily on these unless you have a good air flow and water from the bottom. Mine did have a very good draining mix but the leaves still got diseased...

I bought a good disease control spray and was able to salvage my other little one thank God.

That one I stick under a light and it gets constant air movement..

Before I show my plants I want to reiterate that I have my plants outdoors all year long. They are in full sun, get rained on plenty during the summer and get lots of air movement from winds. So my conditions don't compare to those of you who need to bring plants inside for winter.

Here is my first pot of C. perforata - some are actually variegated.

After growing taller, often the leaves on the stems die and get crispy. (for me, that is) There are new plants coming up at the bottom.

And if I get busy, ignore them and forget about pruning them - pretty pathetic, huh?

So obviously, I had to do some serious beheading! And this is not the first time I've had to do this. LOL So here are the new plants, rooted and back in the sun.

I find that these root pretty easily. They've done well enough to bloom, too. So follow the advice given and don't give up on the bottom of the plant. You may get some babies from what appears to be a dead plant.

Good luck!

Hi Sushmita,

Glad you found the problem.

As Crenda points out, the bottom *may* not be a lost cause, but definitely take the cuttings to ensure that you save at least a portion of the plant. They should root fine.

As for the compacted rootball, I can't find my photos of having done this with peat-based soil right now, but I do have some shots of a gritty-type mix rootball I "detangled" recently, as shown below.

In your case, while you certainly need not be this drastic (especially since the main plant will be left without any functioning leaves), I'd ensure to untangle everything with my fingers and 'shake off' as much as I can, then repot it into fresh mix. Think of it as enabling all roots to freely reach fresh soil and drink fresh water.

If it were my plant, I'd choose the smallest possible pot (1"?). (Idea here is the small pot with a small amount of soil ensures it can only old a small amount of water for the small/trimmed roots.) If you're going to use your current potting mix - I'd wet it, squeeze out all of the moisture, and then fill the small pot, carefully placing the plant in and lightly tamping down to ensure contact with the roots. Also, take off all the dead leaves; they should come off easily if you swipe up the stem--and maybe cut down the stems to about 2" above the soil line. Then, place it in the brightest possible spot, and wait and see, I guess.

If I were the betting kind, I'm going to say it's a goner. But if it's going to come back, this is probably your best shot. No fertilizer, just bright, bright sunshine. I'd carefully water to keep the "squeezed out soil" moisture level pretty consistent for awhile - making sure it always has moisture, but it's never drenched until it's showing new growth.

Hope you can save it!