Question
I got really involved in landscaping my yard last summer so for Valentine's Day amidst the blizzard-like weather outside (Missouri) my husband decided to buy me a bunch of "lost cause" plants from a local home and garden store. The Mass Cane he got me is missing a bit of the dirt from the pot. The soil is very dry, and the ends of some of the leaves are blackened. It's leaning sideways (from lack of dirt in the pot) and the pot is I'm guessing about a 3 gallon pot for a 3 foot tall tree. What can I do to bring it back to health? Where's a good spot to put it as for as lighting goes? Should I fertilize it? A lot of the information I've read so far has said that house plants need to acclimate to their new environment so I don't want to do too much to it during its acclimation period but I'm afraid it's going to die. I successfully killed one of these plants a few years ago and I'd hate to be a repeat offender.

Answer
Michelle,

Buy a small bag of potting soil and a bag of perlite and mix them and fill up the pot so the roots are well covered and the soil is down about 2 inches from the rim of the pot. Make sure there are holes in the pot and there is a drain tray under the pot so there is good drainage. This plant can't sit in water constantly. When you water it you need to empty any excess water out of the drain tray an hour after watering it. You can do this by suctioning it out with a turkey baster. The black leaf tips indicate it has been overwatered and allowed to sit in a drain tray full of water for long periods. It should sit in front of a window that faces north or a ffew feet away from a window that faces east or west. It needs bright light but no sun. Fertilize it once a month with a water soluable fertilizer like Miracle Grow (generic is fine). Be sure to let it get dry before watering it again. Do not keep it constantly wet, it is not a swamp plant, and it will be fine. You kill more plants with too much water than with too little. If you have more questions write again. Good luck.

Darlene