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Testing for Life in Freeze-Damaged Caribbean Copper Plant

Scratch Test

After a freezing winter in LA, scrape bark on a branch tip. Green underneath = alive, will leaf out. Brown = dead at that point. Work down until you find green.

Pruning

Remove all dead wood. If the base is green, the plant will resprout. If entirely brown, it's dead—replace.

Plant Diseases: Banana Plant Collapse: Corn Borers in Mother, Save the Pups; Chitalpa Tree Dead? Scratch Test Decides; 35-Year-Old Schefflera Lost Leaves: Likely Dead, Consider Replacement; Rescuing Euphorbia Cuttings from a Collapsed Plant; Frozen Jade Plant: Recovery First, Repot Later; Ficus Lost All Leaves: Check for Life, Then Decide; Is Your Red Maple Dead? How to Check; Late Frost Killed New Growth: Rhizome Likely Alive; Pineapple Plant Collapse: Overwatering Diagnosis; Caribbean Copper Plant Freeze Damage: Succulent Limits and Survival Test

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