Ming aralia help?

Question

I just bought a ming aralia last week and it is turning yellow in some branches but i see little buds of leaves. I place her three week away from an east window i live in miami beach so it is hot so not too bad, not near ac vent, i tried to put my finger in the pot but it get resistance, there are six trunks in there and i guess there is a connection between them. My mom told me to stick my finger in and if i could not it was either root bound or the soil is not porous but the person i bought it from said no to both and said it had compost. I really like this plant and want to help it but i dont know what to do. should i mist her every day? any help will be so greatly appreciated, thanks

Answer 1

She is getting used to being at your house. Changes can make yellow leaves for this plant. She may even lose quite a bit of foliage but no fear because you are doing the right care for her and she will recover.

http://www.rhapisgardens.com/ming-aralia...

Compost as a food only lasts about 6 weeks. And I am not calling the dude who sold it to you a liar but I totally would never expect him to say it WAS potbound because then it might seem like he did not sell a good plant.

They do like humid environments so misting was a good idea but you know how l*****g your lips actually makes them more chapped? i do not think occassional misting helps plants much water wise. i think only a steady change is an actual change and for me, misting 6 times a day is a real pain and i forget to do it.

a pan of water under the plant can add a little ambient humidity. The plant pot does not sit in the pan of water, it sits above it. The pan of water gets filled with sand or pebbles so the plant pot can sit on the sand or pebbles. and then just pour in more water as it dries.

if u had that east window in the bathroom it would be a nice humid place.

air conditioners make dry air.

also keeping her away from the drafts was a good move.

^^but whatever care you do, remember that if you change it then she might have to adjust all over again.

TEMPERATURE: Ming Aralias need warm conditions (65°F or better) year round. If exposed to cold or to cool drafts, they will shed their foliage.

so...i guess if it is cool they can hate life too, not only if it is drafty.

FERTILIZER: Use a flowering plant formula every three weeks from October into March.

^^that seems to indicate she may not want active growth conditions right now seeing as it is July. Also if she only ever wants "flowering" formulas, then other nutes may cause her to yellow. i do not think that is what is happening but i am just saying. Like if i have flowers that start to bloom, if you feed them nitrogen at that time they will go yellow and defoliate and then regrow..they get the message that it is time to start over again since i fed them a vegetative nute (nitrogen).

a SHORTAGE of nitrogen can also cause yellow leaves in some plants. also an iron shortage can make yellow leaves<<this makes the veins in the leaves stay green a little though.

also some yellow is disease. but, like we discussed, it is very normal for a ming to get yellow when change is occuring to her.

in this thread it sounds like they are using the nitrogen too regularly:

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load...

The flowering formulas feature high amounts of phosphorus, btw.

Last thing about what to feed her. I read this plant might have a problem with root rot, especially if she moves up in pot size too much or too quickly. So take care giving her new soil and maybe consider an oxygen additive. I say that because root rot is usually a lack of air rather than too much water. Air can come from a few places. one is pellets you put in the soil (buy at garden centers). another is hydrogen peroxide; like the stuff u get at drugstores. but using it full strength (3%) is not really good if u grow with microbes/live soil because it kills those guys (kills rot bacteria too though). If u are not going with live soil then it is VERY good. it's molecular formula is h2o2 so do you see how it can lose an oxygen and leave water? last option is an air tube<<this needs to be sealed in though or the pressure/air just goes out the bottom.

Your plant is thought to be one of the most beautiful and can be cherished as bonsai. so maybe ask bonsai dudes for more advice if u need.

one place to talk about them:

http://www.helpfulgardener.com/phpBB2/