Question
My sick Mother in law'
Hi Maureen,
I've had my mother in law's tongue plant for about 6 years and i'm worried it might die. I've read loads of internet blogs but nothing which matches my symptoms.
Two of the leaves are going yellow from about an inch below the tip. The bottom of leaves and the tip look green and strong. There is also some black mould near the tip of the worst leaf and a few black spots on others. Where the leaves are yellow they are wrinkled and the outside of the leaf feels a bit blister-like. Discoloration is now appearing in some of the other leaves.
I had a look at the roots and they are a brown-orange colour (I guess they are supposed to be) but not slimy and black, so i'm not sure it's root rot.
I bought some anti-fungal spray, sprayed some on a tissue then rubbed it into the black mould. But this doesn't have appeared to help.
It's been in the same pot since I bought it as i heard they like to be pot bound. I don't feed it as I heard they don't really like plant food. I water it about once every 2 weeks. It is by a window but not in direct light. I live in England, it's been pretty cold here for the last month (Snowing) but it went through last winter with now problems.
Someone suggested re potting it but i'm not so sure this will help. I have a feeling I overwatered it after leaving it for a month over christmas. But I left it for about 3-4 weeks without giving it anything again. To add to the confusion it's babies have definitely grown in the last month - I don't understand how a sick plant can still grow.
I'm sorry for writing you an essay, I will just be really upset if I kill this plant. It's the reason I took more interest in gardening as I had managed to keep it alive.
Thanks for your time.
Best Regards
Chrissie
AnswerNo worries about the essay, it seems that there is more than one thing going on and it is confusing. My first thoughts are that rot can be either black, wet looking, or dry, where the plant starts to shrivel and blister. The blistering can also be caused by sun damage or frost but doesn't seem so here. Your's sounds like rot. You have done well with it by no fertilizer and pretty cautious watering. They come from Africa so tho succulent can take periods of dryness. Winter is actually their active period which is why you may be seeing more pup activity. If you are willing, I'd like you to try a couple of things. Pull out the leaves that are damaged and destroy them. If they come out easily you know that you probably have rot at the base. Look at the roots again, they really should be whitish, the rhizome may be darker. Make sure the roots aren't soft, brownish and don't separate when you tug a little on them. If that all seems to be OK and there is no discoloration ( should only be green and white) at the base than separate the pups (check them as well) and put them in smaller pots. First rinse the soil off, dust or spray with fungicide or a solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water. Plant them in new soil that is well draining such as half perlite or grit and half sphagnum or sterilized potting soil(just he kind you get in the store) and don't water them for about a week.
I do suspect the mother plant has rot and one never really knows when that may have started. It can take months for it to show up. Given the number of leaves you're going to have to remove you will have a much smaller plant. Cut off the dead roots and if the roots in general have wrapped themselves around the pot you need to loosen them. When they are so pot bound that the roots do that it means all nutrients in the soil have been depleted and they've been looking for nutrients. It's not that they needed fertilizer , they just needed new soil. Anyway, I digress.
So you gotten rid of all the leaves that are discolored, shriveled, have black spots. You've looked at the base of the plant and the roots and they look healthy and any old brown roots you've cut off. Rinse the old soil off and again spray with the bleach mixture. Then let the plant just sit for about a week. No soil. Dusting with fungicide if you have it would be good.Keep it and the pups in a warm spot with filtered light.
Then... find an appropriately smaller pot deep enough to let the roots grow so they can hold the the leaves up. Also wait 4-5 days before you start to water slowly. Sans can tolerate dryness but prefer slight moisture. Don't water on a schedule, water by how the soil feels. If moist,leave it alone, if dry, water it. Confused? Let me know. You have a good chance with the pups and the mother is more iffy. Oh, isolate her from any other plants and destroy the soil, don't compost. And don't give up on gardening, this is how we learn to do better. I can't tell you how many plants I've killed.:-). Keep them where they can get some bright, filtered light. Sans really do like sun if you gradually acclimate them to it - but hat's for later. Remember You've cared for this plant for 6 years and it's done well. We take plants out of their natural habitat and wonder why stuff happens. Also remember that Sans are incredibly resilient. Thanks for the photo and let me know how you make out. I'm gonna go check mine out now...
Maureen
