Question
QUESTION: I can't believe I overwatered my beautiful and (til now) healthy plant.  Now 80% of the leaves are badly drooping and curling.  Do I need to take it out of its pot ?  Can it be saved?? I really love this plant. Its a STROMANTHE BURLE MARX  Please help

ANSWER: Cynthia,

If it is in a pot with no drainage hole then yes, remove it from the pot immediately and put it in a pot with one or two drainage holes and set it in a drain tray. Then leave it sit in the sink without the drain tray to drain all the water off ASAP. In the future always empty the drain tray an hour after watering the plant so you never have this problem again. You can remove some of the soggy soil and replace it with dry. Sorry I did not answer sooner but yahoo sent it to my spam folder. Good luck.

Darlene

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Darlene--my plant was in a pot with drainage holes but that pot was sitting in a b asket with no drainage.  I have taken it out of the basket and ;let all the excess water drain out but its been about 4 -5 days and its still badly drooping.  Do tyou expect that it will eventually dry out and perk up or do I need to get rid of all the soil that its ihn and repot it with new soil.  (I hope not)

Answer
Cynthia,

Do not repot it. The roots have been damaged by the overwatering. You have some root rot. Be sure to not let the plant dry out too much but do not water it until the soil surface has been dry for a day. Then water it half as much as you have in the past. The leaves on the plant may not perk up but if you are patient the plant will grow new leaves and as the old damaged ones dry up and turn brown you can carefully trim them off with small nail scissors. This plant has a sort of tuberous root along with some fine roots. You damaged the fine roots but unless you kept it too wet for more than a month you did  not damage the tubers. So it will come back, it will just take time. Good luck.

Darlene