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Please help save mum’s houseplants! 🪴

aatika.ayoubaatika.ayoub Posts: 8
edited December 2023 in Problem solving

Hello, everyone! And a belated merry Christmas and in-advance Happy New Year!

I’m come to seek help here because I don’t know all that much about plants and thought I best ask people more familiar with this area.

I’ve come from abroad to find some of my mum’s houseplants suffering. For climate context, she lives in Qatar. 

The problem plants in question are a Swiss cheese plant and a Zanzibar Gem (or so a Google search told me!)

PROBLEM PLANT #1: THE MONTSERA

In terms of the Swiss Cheese plant, some leaves are yellowing on the outside and are turning brown and dry on some of these yellow parts. A new leaf has formed but it seems pale and a little wilty and has been engorged by brown on some of its tips. I read the yellowing can be due to overwatering and that the browning can be due to underwatering so I am a little conflicted. 

The sunlight isn’t too strong as it’s indirect with a building in front of us.

I’m also not sure if the new leaf is curling of if it is common for new leaves to look like this. Is it possible it needs a looser, better-draining potting mixture? 



PROBLEM PLANT #2: THE ZANZIBAR GEM

In terms of what I suspect is a ZZ plant, some leaves are paler compared to the rest with some going on to turn yellow. As you can see, there’s also a stem that looks healthy up to a point before it dries up, browns and shrivels to look like a twig. The stems also have to be tied as they keep falling over. I read all these symptoms can be chalked up to overwatering but we’re quite careful not to do that. The light is also quite moderate so i don’t think it could be a light issue. There also seems to be no pest issue with regards to any of the plants. 

 

Do you have any ideas as to how these problems can be dealt with? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!!

- Aatika :)

Posts

  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    I think it could be overwatering.

    It is normal for new leaves on a Swiss cheese plant to start curled. They uncurl as the leaf gets bigger.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    I think the ZZ plant is over watered they thrive on neglect.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • Balgay.HillBalgay.Hill Posts: 1,089
    I agree re over watering and the compost seems to be too water retentive.
    I water my ZZ plant once a month, and once every two months over winter.
    Sunny Dundee
  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,698
    Are the plants in an air conditioned room?
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    CAVEAT: I don't keep those house plants, so it's a general comment; yellowing leaves is often an indication that plants need food. So possibly one has had too much water and one hasn't had enough feed - both could be a result of the wrong sort of compost
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • aatika.ayoubaatika.ayoub Posts: 8
    @Ceres they are, as it happens! We can’t afford to not have it on in this climate. Shall we shelter it from the draft? 
  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,698
    According to online lore, both the monstera and the ZZ plant should tolerate air conditioning but it might be an idea to keep them away from the unit if the draught is particularly icy.
    With my larger plants, I like to give them a good soak once a week (providing the compost has dried out enough) and they also need regular feeding. Any watering regime is entirely dependent on where the plants are growing, how warm it is, how much light they are getting and it's just a question of tweaking things until you get it right. My monstera takes a fair bit of water but my aspidistera seems happy with hardly any even though they are growing in similar conditions.
    I water the plants from the base and usually leave them to suck up the water overnight, then I tip away the excess water left in the outer container. They get fed at the same time as they get watered during the growing season, which must be all year in a hot, sunny climate. Just follow the instructions on the bottle or packet. The monstera and the ZZ plant are both plants that can be kept in bathrooms because they like the steamier atmosphere so if the air conditioning is drying them out too much, they may need misting.
    If your plants have been overwatered then they may have root rot. https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/root-rot-house-plants/
    If everything fails then it could be that your plants are just in the wrong place, or to put it another way, you have the wrong plants for the conditions available. Sometimes moving a plant to a different room can make all the difference (sadly that difference is sometimes not a happy one).

  • coccinellacoccinella Posts: 1,428
    I can't speak for the zz plant but the monstera might have been overwatered. The brown and scorched looks of one of the leaves tells me that the air is too dry, you could try misting the leaves. I would also transplant to a bigger pot, that way you can check for rotting. If there is no rotting, your plant might just be hungry and/or too big for that pot. Good luck. 

    Luxembourg
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