Most dedicated gardeners won’t confess to ever having any “forgotten/neglected plants,” but both of us know it happens to the best plant people every now and then. Take what happened earlier this week during a business trip to Blacksburg, Virginia, to attend turfgrass meetings at Virginia Tech.

Getting a haircut was a priority while we were in Blacksburg, so during a break in the afternoon meetings, we drove into town in search of a barber. No luck with signs, so we went down a one-way street and, lo and behold, a unisex barber-beauty shop came into view. The shop owner gave us a great haircut, but we were more amazed at the foliage plants scattered throughout the shop and the excellent care they were receiving. The proprietor had one of the greenest thumbs we’ve ever seen, but as we turned to leave the shop, there in a sea-shell pot of disrepute was a forgotten and neglected Christmas cactus just aching for someone, anyone to take notice. Ah, we did. We filled the proprietor with all the cultural information she need know about nursing a 20-25 year-old cactus back to health.

Well, why not a data sheet on saving forgotten/neglected plants in the home?

If you have a neglected plant at home, or you stumble on one in your travels, please share this information with the person caring for the plant. It could well be that nobody took the time to resurrect the plant up to the moment you came upon the plant. What follows in this data sheet won’t work miracles for all forgotten plants (roots on some plants will have died due to overwatering and can’t be saved), but most plants can be nursed back to full health with some tender, loving care. We hope you’re the one to make it happen!

First. Rescue the plant as soon as possible. Set a large plastic dishpan in the sink, filling it with a few inches of warm water. Fetch the plant and tap the bottom of the pot so the plant and rootball come out intact. Set the plant in the dishpan so the roots are flooded with water. Let the plant sit in the water for a few minutes. Then, use a kitchen fork to fork away most of the wet soil clinging to the roots (the soil falling to the base of the dishpan). When most of the old soil has been forked away, set the plant momentarily atop newspapers on the kitchen counter.

If we are discarding the old soil, why are we soaking the plant first? By soaking, we’re able to discard the old soil without tearing roots in the process. Healthy roots will be white in color, non-white roots should be pruned away because they are dead or in the process of dying.

Before soaking the plant, shop for your materials so the forgotten plant is repotted as soon as possible.

* Pot. Measure the diameter of the old pot. Buy a new pot, plastic of course, an inch wider than the old one. If the old pot is six or more inches wide, buy a new plastic pot two inches wider.

* Soil. If you’re trying to save a troubled plant, use the best horticulture has to offer. No matter what you
have heard or used over the years, the only soil to use is Pro-Mix Potting and Seeding Mix. Go to your nearest nursery (not chain store) and buy a plastic bag. It comes in 8, 16 and 32-quart packages For starters, buy the 8-quart package.

* Soil pH. When you’re shopping, ask the nursery manager to look up the preferred soil pH for the plant in question. If he doesn’t know the pH off the top of his head, he’ll be able to look it up for you. You can also check another data sheet on our web site for the soil pH numbers for indoor plants. If the pH is between 6 and 7, work a heaping tablespoon of ground limestone into the Pro-Mix when you transplant. If the pH is below 6, you need not include lime in the soil when you transplant.

Having discarded the old soil in the plastic dishpan, add a few handfuls of Pro-Mix to the dishpan, followed by hot water. With hot water, the Pro-Mix will wet almost as fast as lightning. Put rubber gloves on your hands and swish the Pro-Mix so everything is wet. With sheets of newspaper on the kitchen counter, spoon the Pro-Mix onto newspapers to surface dry for a few minutes.

Line the base of the new pot (a quarter-inch or so) with broken-up pieces of styrofoam or exploded popcorn; both do an excellent job of sealing drainage holes. Use your hands to spoon the wet Pro-Mix into the pot, filling the pot at least halfway or more. If the pH for the plant is between 6 and 7, work one tablespoon of lime into the Pro-Mix at this time.

With one hand, hold the plant firmly so the top of the roots (rootball) is just below the rim of the pot. This is going to shock you because there is no soil immediately below the roots, probably not for an inch or more. Holding the plant in that position, use your other hand to spoon large amounts of the wet Pro-Mix into all sides of the pot. Immediately pour warm water into the pot to settle the soil just added. Continue spooning more and more Pro-Mix into the pot, pouring more water around the plant and over the soil as you do.

Just what is the problem? All healthy roots of the plant must come in contact and be surrounded by wet soil. By spooning large amounts of wet Pro-Mix into the pot, followed by large volumes of water, all roots will ultimately be encased in wet soil. Don’t worry about all the water being poured over the roots and soil. Excess water will drain away easily without creating problems.

The plant is in a new home. Then what? This is where post-surgical care is critical. You need to know some basic facts about the plant:

What exposure does the plant need: full sun, partial sun or poor light indoors?

What is the plant’s preference for moisture: moderately moist soil or dry soil between waterings?

When should the plant receive fertilizer applications? When does the plant rest?