How To Save A Dying Plant?

Wednesday, June 6, 2012, 12:59

A common complain that every beginner have with gardening is that the plants just die and they do not know what to do. Now, lets not be so harsh on ourselves, even professional gardeners find a dying plant in their garden. But, a good gardener knows how to save a plant before it dies. You too can learn the trick to save your plants before it is too late. It will help salvage most of your green treasures.

To understand the problem you first have to know that even plants need some basic first aid like humans. What you need to judge from the symptoms, is, what is wrong with the plant.

Ways To Rescue A Dying Plant:

1. Going Bone Dry: The common cause of plants dying is lack of water. Every plant needs a certain amount of watering. If the minimum moisture level is not maintained, it starts loosing fluids; in other words, drying up. But make sure you do not drown the plant with too much of water. Drench the soil and sprinkle water on the leaves. Allow the water to get soaked (for about an hour) and then water it again. Slowly but gradually, the moisture level will come back to normal.

2. Soggy Soil: Over watering can also make your plant sick. If the plant looks droopy and unstable in a lump of soggy earth, then you must have over watered it or left it out in the rains. You can either leave it in bright sunlight to dry up or replant it in fresh soil that is not soggy.

3. The Diseased Plant: If your plant has been infected by some disease then the only solution is to shear off the diseased parts of the plant. Most often, the leaves are affected by molds and insects. Do not shy away from pruning the leaves. Even if all the leaves are sheared, the plant will grow from the stem that remains healthy. If the disease is in the roots then you need some damage control.

4. Re-Grafting: To save a plant from death, you need to save some of its healthy parts. If the stem still has a green supple core then it can be grafted to a new pot. This can be done for plants than can grow roots from the stem. In case of root growing plant, you need to place the healthy roots into another pot and allow it to grow.

5. Sunburn: When your plant gets a sunburn (over exposure to direct sunlight), it is best to keep it indoors for a couple of days. When you notice too many yellow leaves, you need to place the plant indoors under electronic lights (for photosynthesis) or build a shade over your it. After a few days, introduce the plant to indirect sunlight and after a few days of acclimatisation, to direct sunlight.

By saving a plant, you are saving the planet. Do share your personal gardening tips with us.