Question

Mass Cane/Pothos Plant   This is my first indoor plant. Mass Cane/Pothos Planter . I have Always been afraid to buy and see them die because of my little knowledge. I bought this plant about three months ago & top leaves use to be green. They are brown at the tips now. went out and bought a larger pot and new soil for my plant. But what else should I do to help it along ?

Answer
Hi Rhonda,

I do wish you had contacted me before you made the decision to move your Mass cane to a larger pot with new soil. That is the most common mistake that people new to plants make. Unfortunately, new plants do not like their roots disturbed and Mass Canes have quite small root systems and rarely ever need larger pots. If you removed some or all of the original soil, that is even bigger problem because the tiny roothairs that do most of the work are easily damaged when soil is removed or replaced.

Unfortunately, moving your plant back to a smaller pot is probably not going to help at this point. I will give you the best advice I can given the circumstances.

I hope that the new pot has drain holes. If not, then excess moisture has no place to go and you will probably end up rotting the roots.

Remove any loose soil on the top that is not in immediate contact with the roots below. Then, allow the top 1 to 2 inches of soil to dry out before adding any water. Keeping the soil too moist is the biggest hazard for your plant at this point so be very careful with your watering. Add just enough water so that the soil reaches that same level of dryness again within about one week's time. You will have to experiment a bit to find out just how much water is needed each week.

Mass canes need protection from direct sunlight. Keep yours inside and close to a north or east facing window that is completely uncovered during the daylight hours. Trim off any leaves that become mostly yellow or brown as they will never regain their green color.

You can expect to see continued leaf discoloration as a result of the trauma your plant has already experienced. However, if you provide proper light and get the watering under control, you may see gradual lessening of leaf discoloration. That will be a good sign and the best you can hope for.

I have written detailed articles on repotting and on Mass Cane care that I will email for free to you (or anyone else) who emails a request to me at [email protected]. I have also written an indoor plant care book in a PDF format that I can sell you if you contact me at my email address.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

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