Thin a Snake Plant

My wife has a mother's-in-law tongue plant which is in an approximately 2 gallon pot, kept indoors at a south window. She would like to know if it would be ok to thin it out during the winter season. It seems to be overcrowded in the pot. And how we should we go about it? Thank you very much.

Mother-in-law Tongue Sanseveria

Early spring is usually the best time of the year to divide or transplant most houseplants, including this one, but the Sanseveria (mother's-in-law tongue) is a tough plant and can be successfully divided or transplanted at any time of the year. The most important thing is not to overwater the freshly potted pieces during the establishment period.

Individual 'offsets' or ' pups' are often used to propagate new plants by simply removing the plant from the container, removing the 'offsets' (smaller plants) by slicing through the rhizome which attaches it to the mother plant and then potting them up in new compost. They should be planted in a new container that is just big enough to accommodate the roots without overcrowding them, and at the same depth as they were in the old container. The best time to transplant these 'offsets' are when they are about 6 to 8 inches tall. The 'offsets' will establish themselves more quickly if there are some roots already developed on the rhizome.

To divide a much older, over-crowded plant, remove the plant from the container. If the roots are pushing themselves against the walls of the container, it is sometimes much easier to break or cut away the old container to remove the rootball. The next step is to simply pull the roots and individual clumps apart with your hands. Large rhizomes will have to be cut through with a sharp knife in order to divide them into smaller pieces. Each piece to be potted should have at least 3 or 4 leaves as well as some good healthy roots attached to the rhizome portion. All rotten, withered or dead roots should be removed at this time. The tall, old leaves should not be cut back because once the growing tip is removed from the leaf, it can no longer grow. The plants may have to be tied loosely to a stake that is set in the pot at the time of planting in order to hold the plant upright until it becomes firmly established in the new pot. Sulphur can be brushed on the cut ends of the rhizomes before repotting to discourage rot.

For the potting medium, use a commercial succulent and cacti soil or any gritty, porous compost that drains freely. To this soil, add one or two tablespoonfuls of bonemeal per gallon of soil to provide the necessary nutrients. The plant rarely requires fertilizing between repottings and can go 3 or 4 years before repotting is required. Crocks (broken pieces of clay pot) can be placed on the bottom of the pot to help provide good drainage, but this is not entirely necessary as long as the pot is not allowed to sit in the drainage water after the plant has been watered.

To repot the individual pieces, fill the pot with only enough soil so that when the plant is potted up, there is at least 1 inch of space between the soil's surface and the containers rim. This makes watering the plant much easier. The pieces should be planted (covered with soil) at the same depth as they were in the old container. The new container should be just big enough to accommodate the roots without over-crowding them, otherwise, if the new pot is too large for the new plant, the soil remains too wet for too long and rotting of the roots is more likely to occur. Spread the roots over the soil in the pot and then add more soil to the pot, working it in and around the roots with your fingers. Firm the soil around the roots as you go, continually adding more soil until the roots are covered. Do not pack the soil around the roots.

Water each pot thoroughly and set them in a bright spot out of direct sun until they are well established. Do not water the plants again until the soil's surface is quite dry. Over watering the plants before they have become established (well rooted) is the main cause of failure. Once the plant shows signs of growth, it can be returned to its sunny location.

Prune Poinsettia

I have a poinsetta plant from last year that is thriving outdoors in a pot. It's now quite tall. Can I prune it? and if so when? now? in the spring?

Euphorbia pulcherrima

The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima), blooms naturally in the wild during the month of December. The buds are formed when the nights become progressively longer during the autumnal equinox. Therefore, the plant must be in full growth by September in order to form the buds which develop into those beautiful colored bracts. The true flowers are very small and hardly noticeable. Even so, when purchasing a new poinsettia from a floral shop, one should choose a plant whose little true flower buds have not yet opened. A plant with un-opened flower buds will give the longest period of bloom.

So, to answer the question, the proper time to cut back the poinsettia is as soon as all the flower bracts have faded or fallen. If the bracts fade or fall quite some time prior to May, cut the plant only part way back (about 1/3 of the total height), keep it on the dry side, and store it in a dimly lit spot with a temperature near 50 to 55 ° F.

When May arrives, cut the plant back even more, leaving only 4 to 6 inch stubs ( if you have been lucky to have the plant bloom until May, it's also time to cut it back leaving only 4 to 6 inch stubs). Remove the rootball from the pot and remove some of the old potting soil from around the roots. Repot the plant in fresh commercially prepared potting soil being sure that soil has good draining properties. Place the pot in a spot that receives at least 4 hours of direct sun per day and resume watering. Let the media dry slightly between thorough waterings. The poinsettia is a bit fussy, so be sure there are no drafts where it is growing. The plant flourishes when night temperatures are near 60° F. and daytime temperatures near 70° F. or higher. If the potting media is a soilless mix, fertilize only in spring and summer with a complete balanced fertilizer. Miracle-Gro 15-30-15 is a good plant food when used according to the manufactures directions.

When the new shoots are at least 4 inches tall, remove all but 4 or 5 of the strongest. These will develop large flower bracts. Use the remaining shoots to propagate new plants by inserting them into either a moist peatmoss and sand mixture or vermiculite. Try to keep the medium near a temperature of 70° F. and place the potted shoots in a clear plastic bag to keep them warm and humid until they have rooted.

Starting around September 21st, the plant must be given 14 hours of total darkness per day for approximately 8 weeks ( or until flower buds have formed), at which time it can again be treated like a normal houseplant. Covering the plant with a lightproof cover is the safest way of insuring this total darkness. Any interruption in the schedule of this dark period can prevent bud formation.

Arborvitaes with Yellowing Leaves

I planted 145 Emerald Green Arborvitaes in the spring and they now have a yellow cast and not the deep green. I am concerned for them to make it through the winter. We have had temperatures in the 70's and 2 frosts thus far. I used Miracid 2-weeks ago because someone told me they needed the iron to stop the yellowing. Now they look like they are turning more yellow. Help.

Thuja occidentalis

It is common for many of the Arborvitae, including Emerald Green ( Thuja occidentalis 'Emerald Green' ) to turn yellowish, bronze or brownish with the arrival of autumn. It is a natural occurring condition which is triggered by the shortening daylength (photoperiod) and cooler temperatures. This would seem to be the cause with all of the trees turning at the same time. ' Emerald Green' has a tendency to turn yellowish-green and sometimes even brownish with the arrival of autumn. Thuja plicata and its cultivars are the most resistant to this browning. If it were another cause such as a disease, insect infestation, chemical spray or drought for examples, it would be more likely that only the odd tree or perhaps a few patches would appear discolored, not the whole lot all at once.

As for adding iron, this would only be necessary if the trees were showing signs of an iron dificiency, and there is an actual shortage of iron in the soil. Adding any type of fertilizer when a plant is dormant or going into dormancy usually does more harm than good. Nitrogen fertilizer helps prevent conifers from winter browning as long as it is applied to the soil in time for the plants to take it up before they go dormant. This can be risky at the best of times as well. Trees can put out a serge of new growth which will not have time to harden off before cold weather arrives, resulting in cell damage and death to those tender shoots.

With a mild iron dificiency, interveinal chlorosis of the leaves is obvious. The leaf veins will appear usually dark green in color, whereas, the leaf tissue between the veins will appear yellow ( chlorotic ). With a severe case of an iron dificiency, the entire leaf will become chlorotic, completely yellow to almost white in color. In either case, an iron dificiency is first noticed on the new leaves of the plant. The older fully developed or mature leaves are not generally affected.

Quite often 'Lime- induced Chlorosis' could be the problem, in which case adding iron to the soil or to the plant as a foliar spray would not help the plant or solve the problem. Without going into too much detail, if a soil has a very high pH ( normally a calcareous soil with a high concentration of lime (calcium carbonate)), a high concentration of bicarbonate ions can build up in the plants tissue. These ions (negatively charged) prevent iron from moving within a plant from the older plant tissue to younger plant tissue. So, if lime-induced chlorosis were the problem, the soil may have ample amounts of iron, but the plant would not be able to use it. Taking soil samples and having them analized (or getting your own soil testing kit) is the only way of knowing the pH of a soil. A soil's pH can be lowered by adding elemental sulphur or spaghnum peat moss.

Arborvitae must always have a moist soil for their shallow root system, but at the same time the soil must be one that has good drainage. The soil should be thoroughly soaked prior to winter to supply the leaves with much needed moisture to help prevent desiccation of the leaves from the sun and drying winds. In late winter, warm spells cause the tree to thaw and moisture is lost through the leaves, but because the ground is still frozen and the roots are inactive, this moisture cannot be replaced. Many parts of the plant than simply dry out and die. Mulching the soil with a 4 to 6 inch layer of organic mulch is a good practice at any time of the year.

I hope this is the answer to your question. You may want to inspect the trees more closely for signs of disease or insects, or check to see if any spraying has been done in the area. If chemicals such as Round-Up have been used to control weeds near the trees, the trees can absorb the chemical and die within a year. Excess amounts of fertilizer can soon kill a tree. Dried out roots (in the containers) before the trees were planted can result in yellowing of a tree and eventual death several months after they have been planted. Hopefully, it is just the natural yellowing of the tree. After a few warm weeks in the spring, the trees should regain their natural green color.

Trees for Partly Shady Locations

What tree can be planted when there is some shade from a willow oak and a maple tree? There would be some sun available to the new tree.

Prunus laurocerasus

Almost any tree will grow in this location if it receives at least 4 - 6 hours of sun per day. Of course, when choosing a tree, other factors such as soil pH, shelter and drainage must be considered as well for optimum health of that particular tree. A tree that does not receive a full days sunshine will grow at a much slower rate than normal until its top growth is above the shade of other trees.

The amount of available space must also be considered when choosing a tree. The new tree should be planted far enough away from the other trees so that when they have all reached maturity, the widest branches of each tree should only just touch each other. If the new tree is planted too close to the other trees, it will probablly develop into a very unbalanced specimen. Most of the branches will grow on the side farthest away from the other trees where there is more light and no interference from other tree branches. The new tree would also have to compete with the heavy feeder roots of the established trees, so proper watering and feeding must be administered to get it off to a good start.

So, if there is ample room, soil conditions are o.k. for the specimen chosen, and the tree will recieive at least 4 to 6 hours of direct sunlight per day, there is an unlimited variety of trees to choose from. If however, there is very little sun during the day (less than 4 hours), the following trees and tree-like shrubs will grow in partial shade. Very few trees or shrubs will survive in dense shade. One small tree that will perform well in deep shade is Prunus laurocerasus. The other trees listed perform well in direct sun or partial shade. There is, of couse, many others that will do well in partial shade, but the following list describes some of the finest ornamental specimens available.

A note on hardiness zones of trees and shrubs is that the zones mentioned are only guides as to the hardiness of a plant. Trees and shrubs will often survive winters in colder zones than the ones listed if micro-climates, good shelter from prevailing winds and snow cover prevail.

The height of the tree given is also an average size as trees will vary in size depending on the growing conditions of that location.

Prunus laurocerasus (Cherry laurel)

Hardy 6 US, 7 Canada Height 20' (') indicates feet

A very shade tolerant broad-leaf evergreen. The leaves are large, dark, leathery and shiny. In mid-spring, single white flowers appear on racemes (typical of cherries) and develop into small red cherries which eventually darken to a purplish-black color. All parts of the plant are harmful if eaten.

There are many different Cornus species and their cultivars which grow well in shade, with some species performing better in shade than direct sun. The ones listed make excellent small trees.

Cornus controversa

Cornus controversa (Giant dogwood)

Hardy 4 US, 5b Can Height 60'

The branches grow horizontally or in tiers. Clusters of cream-colored flowers appear in late spring. Fruits are bluish-black in color in autumn. Leaf color in autumn is purple-red. A very beautiful tree. C. controversa 'Variegata' is slower growing than the species and has pale yellow, white or silver margins on the more pointed leaves.

Cornus florida

Cornus florida (Eastern dogwood or Flowering dogwood)

Hardy 5 US, 6 Can Height 40'

This tree is often considered one of the very best ornamental small deciduous trees. An attractive feature of the tree is the horizontal positioning of the branches, giving the tree a flat top appearance. The flower clusters which appear in late spring are made up of four notched white bracts which surround the true inconspicuous flowers. Autumn leaf color is a brilliant scarlet red. Clusters of brilliant red berries are striking in autumn. There are many available cultivars of Cornus florida including these examples:

C. florida 'Apple Blossom' - pink and white flower bracts
C. f. ' Cherokee Chief' - ruby red or deep rose red flower bracts
C. f. 'Cloud Nine' - large, showy white bracts
C. f. 'Fastigata' - upright habit of tree while young, later bending back to the horizontal position common to the species.
C. f. 'First Lady' - yellow variegated leaves
C. f. 'Gigantea' - very large flower bracts
C. f. 'Magnifica' - flower bracts are 3 1/2 - 4 inches across
C. f. 'Pendula' - as the name suggests, the tree has stiff pendulous branches
C. f. 'rubra' - young leaves sometimes reddish, flower bracts rosy red to pink, not as hardy as the species.
C. f. 'Rainbow' - large white bracts, deep yellow and green variegated leaves turning to purplish-red with scarlet in autumn
C. f. 'Spring Song' - rose red bracts
C. f. ' Sweetwater Red' - foliage often reddish, red flower bracts
C. f. 'White Cloud' - very showy with a large number of large creamy-white flower clusters. Young leaves are bronze colored in the spring.
C. f. 'Xanthocarpa' - notably different with yellow fruits

Cornus kousa

Cornus kousa (Japanese dogwood)

Hardy zone 5 US, 6 Canada Height 21'

This is a very elegant dogwood which has flower bracts that are pointed at the tips instead of being round and notched like most dogwood flower bracts. The numerous white flower bracts appear on the upper sides of the horizontal branches in June. Leaf color in autumn varies from crimsom to scarlet to bronze. The interesting fruits that hang from the stems in fall resemble either raspberries or strawberries. A very interesting feature of this tree is the trunk bark which exfoliates (peels) and exposes patches of lighter colored bark. A variety of C. kousa, chinensis (Chinese dogwood), is not as dense, is taller, and sometimes has slightly larger flower bracts and larger leaves than the species. 'Milky Way' is a beautiful, heavy flowering cultivar of the variety chinensis. Cultivars of Cornus kousa include:

C. k. 'Snowboy' - grayish-green leaves variegated with patches of white or yellow
C. k. 'Gold Star' - The leaves are blotched with golden-yellow in the center. Autumn leaf color is red and purple.
C. k. 'Satomi' - pink flower bracts, purple-red leaf color in autumn

Cornus mas

Cornus mas (Cornelian Cherry)

Hardy zone 4 US, 4b Can Height 24'

This interesting small tree produces small yellow flowers on its twigs in winter. The bright red cherry like fruits are edible. Autumn leaf color in tones of purple or red. Cornus mas 'Variegata' has leaves margined with white and C. m. 'Flava' has yellow fruits.

Cornus macrophylla

Cornus macrophylla (Largeleaf dogwood)

Hardy to zone 6, this beautiful tree often reaching a height of 45 feet is noted more for it's beautiful foliage than the small flower clusters. The leaves are often 3 1/2" wide and 3 1/2 - 7" long. Nevertheless, the flowers appear in July and August when most trees are not in flower, making it an outstanding tree in summer. Bluish-black berries follow the flowering period.

Viburnum Lantana (Wayfaring tree)

Zone 2 U.S., 2b Canada

This small tree averaging 15 feet in height produces creamy white flowers in late sping followed by red, oblong fruits which blacken at maturity.

Viburnum lentago

V. lentago (Nannyberry)

Hardy to zone 2 U.S., zone 2 Canada and reaching a height of 30 feet, the tree produces shiny green leaves which turn purplish red in autumn. The small flowers are in large, flat clusters and are very showy. The fruits which follow turn from green to yellowish to red to blue and black.

V. sieboldii (Siebold Vieburnum)

Hardy zone 4 U.S., zone 5 Canada Height 30 feet

The tree is beautiful with it's lustrous, 3 - 5 inches long, dark, wrinkled leaves. Clusters of white flowers are followed by bright red fruits which turn black at maturity and fall off, but the red stalks remain on the tree for several weeks, giving the tree a red tinge.

Viburnum rufidulum

V. rufidulum (Southern Black Haw)

Hardy zone 6 U.S., zone 7 Canada Height 30 feet

Beautiful lustrous, dark green leaves turn a rich red in autumn. White flowers followed by dark blue fruits.

V. prunifolium (Black Haw)

Hardy zone 3 U.S. and zone 4 Canada. Height 15 feet

Flat clusters of white flowers followed by blue to black edible fruits. The leaves turn shiny red in autumn.

Thuja occidentalis (American Arborvitae)

A shade tolerant tree, the height of this species is 60 feet and the tree is hardy to zone 2.

Thuja orientalis

Thuja orientalis (Oriental Arborvitae)

Hardy zone 6. Height 50 feet.

Now more popular in mild climates than T. occidentalis.

Tilia americana (American Linden)

Needs moist soil, but is shade tolerant. Hardy to zone 2 and grows to a height of 120 feet. The leaves are large, coarsely toothed and turn brownish quite early in the season. Flowers are small and fragrant. Not a tree for a small yard.

Ilex verticallata

Other trees tolerant of some shade include Amelanchier sp. (Serviceberries) - zone 2, height 25 - 55 feet; Cercis canadensis (Eastern Redbud) - zone 4, height 36 feet; Ilex sp. (Hollies) - zones 5 -7, depending on the species, height 20 - 70 feet; and Prunus pensylvanica (Pin Cherry) - zone 2, height 30 feet.

Different Kinds of Ponytail Plants

A friend of mine has a house plant which she calls a "ponytail plant". I ordered one for myself from a local florist but it did not look like my friend's when it arrived. The leaves on hers curl around and around like curling ribbon on a wrapped present. Do you know what her plant might be? Are there different varieties of the ponytail plant and maybe I got the wrong one? Thanks for any help.

Beaucarnea recurvata

I could only guess at what her plant might be without actually seeing it or a picture of it. There are indeed other plants whose leaves curl around and around at the ends as you describe. One very easy recognizable characteristic with the genus Beaucarnea (and there are several species), is that they all form a caudex at their base. This caudex is round or globular (like a softball) and it is either woody or fleshy. The caudex develops either below ground level or at ground level. If both of the plants have this round structure at the base of the plant, chances are you both have 'Ponytail plants'. Yours may not necessarily be the wrong one, just a different species.

Beaucarnea gracilis

Beaucarnea recurvata has thin, smooth edged, 3 to 6 foot long leaves (at maturity) which taper and recurve at the ends such as you describe, though with most specimens, not quite as curly as you describe. B. longifolia and B. bigelovi are quite similar to B. recurvata.

B. gracilis is quite different, having short, broad leaves with rough edges, grey in color and growing straight out from the stems. B. recurvata var 'glauca' has leaves which are blue-gray in color. There are other species of Beaucarnea as well.