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andy21918

Need help with mass cane

andy21918
9 years ago

I have a mass cane that is wilting and the leaves are turning yellow/brown. It always stays inside and doesnt get much sunlight. I live in Reno so humidity tops out at about 10%. I also have another plant with the same symptoms and am not sure what it is called. It was labeled as a Peace Lilly at Home Depot but this doesnt look like any peace lilly I have seen. Any Help and advice would be much appreciated, I have a black thumb when it comes to plants as the picture tells.

Comments (5)

  • andy21918
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Heres another photo. Im so embarrassed at how these look because I read they are one of the easiest plants to take care of :(

  • patchyjack
    9 years ago

    Hmmmm. 10% is very low humidity.
    Dry patches on leaves can certainly be caused by low humidity. It can also be because of warm dry air from heating ducts blowing on the leaves.
    This problem is easy enough to remedy. Just mist the plants with a spray bottle once every few days and keep them away from heating ducts.
    You've got the right idea keeping them near each other, by the way! This will help them to make their own little micro-climate of higher humidity!

    There's another thing you should do though - dust your plants! They look very dusty in the pictures. Just wipe them clean with a damp cloth. They'll look better and grow better - dust on the leaves blocks some of the light from reaching the surface, which is no good!
    Potted plants need dusting every once in a while, just like anything else in the house.

  • lauraeli_
    9 years ago

    Both of your plants are suffering due to the low humidity. It isnt anything you did wrong. Put a cool mist humidifier near your plants. Both you and the plants will benefit from it.

  • patchyjack
    9 years ago

    Yes, that's true. A humidifier is another solution to the problem.
    I bought one of those because I have eczema, and it did wonders for me and my plants!
    I just stopped using it most of the time, because eventually I got so many houseplants that they keep the humidity up by themselves. I'm pretty sure this is an unusual case, though. My house is starting to look like an "interiorscape".

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    9 years ago

    You probably realize you're waging an uphill battle having tropical plants that like a humid environment, which I understand well, only in reverse. I have an affinity for succulent/cactus plants that find all of the rain here downright offensive sometimes. Obviously you like these plants as much as I like my Kalanchoes, Senecios, and Crassulas, which likely bore you to tears with their ubiquitousness. The grass is always greener, right?

    I'm sure, very sure that humidity, or lack thereof is a much more pressing issue in NV than steamy AL, so I'm going to stay out of that part.

    That said, in addition to whatever factor low humidity might be, Dracs are known to be sensitive to the fluoride in tap water. If you are able to provide rain (I know, you live in a desert, that would be occasional,) distilled, or condensate from an A/C, those are sources of water without fluoride, chlorination, lime, or any of the other substances that make their way into tap. Maybe not every time you water, but any time you could, it would help. Most of these substances are not able to evaporate if water is left sitting, though letting any water reach room temp before using for plants is always a good idea regardless of its' source, whenever possible.

    From the presence of the drip tray under the pot, looks like there's a hole in the bottom of the pot. If you are able, taking the plant to a sink so you can pour copious amounts of water on/through it, can help prevent a build-up of any substances that might be offensive, from tap water, fertilizer, whatever. Maybe not every time you water, but the more the better.

    Has it been in the same pot for a long time?