When is the last time you repotted it, and what kind of soil is it in?

It was repotted maybe 2-3 months ago. Lined bottom with some rocks and a general soil from the garden dept at Home Depot. It seemed to take to it fine.

I did have some Miracle Grown Bloom Booster in the water, but that has happened before.

Bloom booster is no good for a houseplant, well, it's no good for pretty much any plant. It wouldn't cause too much harm though unless you're using it all the time. Your plant appears to be having trouble absorbing water, which leads to some sort of root problem. If you overwatered in the recent past, the roots could have rotted, which ironically causes the plant to lose the fine feeder roots, thus not allowing the roots to take up water. The symptoms then appear to be under watering, which causes many to water even more, worsening the problem. Commercial peat moss based mixes are notorious for that. Also, if you let peat moss soil dry out TOO much, it repels water, so that when you water, it runs around the sides of the pot, and you never actually get the mix wet.

With that said, I would check out the roots and potting mix. If they are wet and soggy, you have overwatered. If the middle of the mix is crispy and dry, it has become hydrophobic and requires a good long soak. Your plant is not dead though, and can be saved if you figure out what the problem is ASAP.

Joe

OK...I am going digging I guess. Last time I watered, a bit much did come out the holes at the bottom I built the rocks around. Maybe the little roots died and the soil did dry out like you said. :O(

Should I replace the soil as much as possible with a certain brand? I better head to The Depot....

Well, it depends on what you find. I can't really recommend any bagged mixes, as I have stopped using them, and use gritty mix for everything now. Peat moss causes a lot of problems, and is the main ingredient in almost all bagged mixes.

Anywho, if you find that the rootball is dry and repelling water, you can get by for now by soaking it in a bucket of water. If you find that the roots and mix are sopping wet, then withhold water until dry. If you want your plant to thrive for years to come, and avoid these problems, you may want to research this forum for information on "gritty mix" and "growing trees in containers". I took that step a few years ago and it's the best thing I've ever done for my plant growing hobby.

Joe

How was the soil you potted the plant in described on the bag? I pretty much agree with what Joes said except for the fact that I think "over-watering" is probably only a part of a more complicated issue that needs attention. If your plant took a nose dive a little while after you potted up into the new soil, it's probably due to a soil that you can't water properly w/o creating root health problems. First, a couple of months is a 'little while' in plant time. Second, your plant pretty clearly exhibits its roots aren't happy.

I'd depot it, examine the roots. Saw off the bottom half of the root mass. Remove ALL of the soil. Repot into a soil you can water to beyond saturation (so you're flushing the soil when you water) w/o having to worry about roots rotting or root function being impaired for lengthy intervals because the soil retains too much water.

Once you get to that point, you'll be surprised at how easy it becomes to bring along consistently healthy plant material. If you can't water correctly, you'll forever be fighting against your soil for control of the plant's vitality. It doesn't have to be that way. A healthy plant isn't possible w/o a healthy root system. Simply put, you have to learn how to keep roots happy if you want your plants happy.

Al

Here is a link that might be useful: Some things to consider .....

So, this Gritty Mix is a recipe made up of equal parts of 1) Pine/Fir tiny bark chips- for aeration 2) Ground granite bits- to improve drainage & 3) "Turface", which is a brand name that can be replaced with a "Calcined DE" oil absorbent product from NAPA- to help hold moisture. Odd, there's no 'dirt'! Quite different from what it has spent the past 7 years in.

For the most part, the plant was growing by leaps and bounds until it went into that new pot, so I guess it really hates the potting mix and is having a water issue.

What determines water retention is the size of the particles your soil is made of, and the ratio of large particles (larger than about 1/10") to fine particles (like peat, coir, composted plant material, sand, topsoil ....). Ideally, you would have a very high % of your soil particles slightly larger than 1/10-1/8". Pine bark + a little peat + a little perlite + a little garden (dolomitic) lime can make an excellent, long lasting soil that is very forgiving of the small sins that are magnified by water-retentive soils.

More info (and guidance if you need it) at the link below.

Al

Here is a link that might be useful: A thread about how water behaves in soils ....

"...if you find that the rootball is dry and repelling water, you can get by for now by soaking it in a bucket of water."
It was extremely dry! Only the very bottom below the roots had moisture. However the roots were not black and seemed OK. (?) See image. Soak for a few hours?

This post was edited by Dorothy215 on Tue, Jun 24, 14 at 17:42

Hydrophobic dry peat moss at its best there. This is just one of many flaws of peat moss. Basically, the top half dries out and repels water, while the bottom half is still wet. The result is rotted roots at the bottom, and dry roots at the top, and a plant that can't absorb water. Rotted roots aren't always evident by sight though. Lack of aeration causes the bottom of the pot to stay wet, then creates an anaerobic (no oxygen) environment, which is perfect for root rot. You cannot get away from this problem using peat moss, unless you repot every couple of months. Before switching to gritty mix, I ran into these problems all the time, but I didn't see the light until reading these very things we're telling you. As I said, all of my soil related problems are gone, including the dreaded fungus gnats, as well as other pests.

Joe

So, hopefully this immersion in water and breaking off the old potting mix will help restore water absorption. How long must it soak? I cannot see 'bad' roots, so I did not trim. The root mess seems quite shallow for such a tall plant.

Sounds like you repotted it into a mix that was fast-draining, which was the reason your plant dried out. The fast-draining mix around the outside allowed the water to drain AROUND the rootball.

Honestly, it is never a good idea to have a more moisture-retentive mix around the roots, with a faster draining mix on the outside. You are either watering so much as to ensure rot, or not enough, and the whole rootball dries out.

If you want to use a faster-draining mix, you have to switch it all out.

That is why I always make a mental note of what soil a plant is potted in. No matter what you use, it should be consistent throughout the pot.

Anyway, he meant soak it in a bucket WHILE IN THE POT. But this is good- you can switch out the growing medium now.

It has been almost 4 years since the repotting and the plant is not dead! (It is about 15 years old now.) Plant came back and was sprouting. Now, as of the past 6 months or so, all the new growth dries up and turns brown. Individual leaves on the frawns are turning brown one by one and dropping as well. Sometimes all the leaves are gone and there is just a stick left. Plant seems droopy now.

Such conditions might indicate what?

That would be my first place to look as well. Are the roots soggy? Dried? Are there dry spots in the root ball?

I have not checked the roots. The soil at the top and the sides of the pot was quite dry even though I am used to not watering terribly often. I gave it big drink.
Unsure about taking it out of the pot to check as it is quite a heavy pot and the plant seems a bit fragile. I think the roots were a bit bound from the previous pot. Do I need to repot on a certain time frame?

I try to repot my big plants every three years. I don't necessarily move them up to a bigger pot, but I may do a root trim if the roots are overgrown. If the watering helps, that maybe what's wrong.

If the soil is very dry throughout, you can soak it in a bucket (inside the pot) for 10 or 15 minutes.

After you soak it then prop it up on it's side So it can drain at a 45 degree angle but don't let the water level touch the bottom of the pot. Mamy garden centers will repot plants for you (normally for a small fee).