Help me save my houseplant

[PKN]

Hi,

I am a novice to plants. I am trying to identify quite a few that I have and I am having no luck. If you have any idea what kind of plant this is I would appreciate it. I will be posting a few others in the next few days.

The height of this plant is about 2 1/2 feet. It is sparse. I think it should be bushier if it was healthy. I took this up-close picture. I hope it helps.

Thanks everyone.http://www.complete-gardens.co.uk/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif
:)

[Paul Narramore]

Can I suggest that your plant might be a Nerium oleander? The leaves look identical to mine. Have you seen it flower yet? They should be pink or white blooms with a scent of vanilla. If it is an Oleander, then they are not strictly speaking hardy so you'll need to bring it in to a greenhouse for the winter. Mine must be about six or seven years old, grown in a large pot and stored each winter in the greenhouse. When mine got a bit sparse, I cut it down to about 6" and it threw up lots of new growth. Next year I intend to plant it in a dry, gritty bed on a south-facing wall and leave it there for the winter with no more than a fleece covering.

[Miranda]

Glad you identified that one, Paul. It was puzzling me ;-)

From what I can see on the photo, it looks a bit spindly and it may be that it hasn't been getting enough light but, as Paul says, cutting it back should encourage it to bush out.

If it was mine, I'd be quite tempted to propagate it by air-layering and get some new plants. Air-layering is a very simple method where you wound a section of stem, cover it with moss, wrap it up in polythene and leave it to form roots. Then you remove and pot up the rooted bit. Or you can peg down stems to the compost and let those root. There are some instructions here: http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0602/layering.asp?session=bzs34a3ty1c0nquzn1hzreqr and here: http://www.wildchicken.com/nature/garden/ga005_air_layering.htm

Edit: Meant to say that the layering should be done when you're sure that the plant is healthy and strong.

[PKN]

Thank you both very much for the information.

I looked up the plant you suggested and it looks like you might be right that it is a Nerium Oleander. Of course, mine is so scrawny that I am not completely positive.

I don't ever remember this plant blooming flowers either, but then again, I don't have a green thumb.

I do have another question. Do either or you or anyone else know what the roots of this plant looks like?

The reason I ask is that I found out yesterday that my plant has root rot. I have probably been overwatering it. : ( What I ended up doing was throwing out all the dirt, putting it in a better draining pot, with fresh and dry dirt. I also rinsed the plant leaves, bark, and roots really well before I placed it back in the pot. I also did surgery on it before I put it back in the pot. I had to saw off all the bad, really, really rotten roots. The roots on the plant I have are like a bunch of big bulbs intertwined. I either sawed off the entire bad root or I sawed into the root until I got to a good portion. I had to saw them because they were so tough. When I touched the rotten roots, some of them just crumbled in my hands. The insides of the root look almost bark like and stringy. The rotten roots were so rotten that they actually looked like rotten fruit.

This plant is trying so hard to survive. Even with the root rot, it has new shoots on it. The plant I have does have other good roots that I left alone. I am hoping that the good roots will take better hold and that I saved the plant by doing this. I figured I could not replant it with the rotted roots still attached and it certainly will not make it if I did nothing. I also was reading that I probably should have put an antifungal on the plant before I put it back in the pot. Does anyone know of one that is good or even if I should do this? I read something about using tea to water plants? I also read something about using baking soda too. I would prefer to use something natural and not a store bought product if I can help it. I have pets and an elderly mother. I don't want them to get sick because of a plant.

Thank you again for your responses. I have been looking for weeks to find out what kind of plant this is. It totally had me stumped. : ) No pun intended. Now I have an answer and hopefully can get this plant in good shape and maybe even bloom. Otherwise, I killed it and it will end up in the great garden in the sky. Have a great day everyone. : )

[Paul Narramore]

After a bad start, you seem to be doing the right thing. I would wash all the soil (dirt is what you have on the soles of your shoes) off and after cutting away any damaged or rotten roots, repot using fresh gritty compost - I use a 50-50 mixture of general purpose compost to sharp sand with all my pots these days - water just once then leave in a frost free place until the spring. Hopefully you will see signs of new life, then cut down to say 6" high and with luck this will stimulate new growth from the base. Once the risk of frost has passed, place the pot outside in a sheltered, sunny and preferably south facing spot. Then if the summer is long enough and hot enough, you will get it to flower. If you ever go to Paphos in Cyprus, Oleander plants are used in the centre reservations of dual carriageways and seem to thrive there with no water and some neglect. Good luck.