QuestionMy Spath is healthy but it isn't flowering. It had sported up to 12 blooms at once for a while then their replacements were all green rather than white. Now it's not flowering and I suppose it's going thru a dormant time. It is located with indirect natural light and sheltered from western sun. Has plenty of new green foliage developing consistently. Is watered about twice per week as in Airconditioned Office where very dry atmosphere seems to dry soil out and plant goes limp if I don't keep the water up to it. Winter in Aust presently. What do you think?
AnswerChris,
It does go dormant when it runs out of nutrients to produce blooms. You need to be fertilizing it with a water soluable fertilizer for blooming plants at 1/4 strength every time you water it. Also sprinkle a tablespoon of Epsom Salts (magnesium sulfate) on top of the soil under the plants then water it into the soil. Doing both will force it to bloom within 3 months.
However, if you are watering it twice a week you are risking rotting the roots. The plant needs to dry out between waterings so the roots have a chance to breathe. You should remove it from the pot when you think it is dry and light weight so you can examine the roots. If the roots hold the soil ball together and look white and wiry the plant is fine and you should probably move it to a pot with a diameter 2 inches larger than the diameter of the pot it is in now. Put some fresh potting soil under it and around it then it should not need watered more often thann once a week.
If the roots do not hold the soil ball together and some of the roots are black and mushy then you already have root rot. You need to trim off the rotting roots so all you have left are wiry healthy looking roots. Then repot the plant in the same pot with fresh soil. When you water it do not leave any water in the drain tray, that quickly rots the roots. I hope you find healthy roots and then it will be back to blooming quickly with blooming plant fertilizer and magnesium sulfate. Good luck.
Darlene
