Question
Hello there -- I hope you can help me -- all of the sudden, my house plants are  dying. I live in NJ and it has been cold...but the 2 that mean the most to me are dying !

1 - my Ficus Midnight tree has now dropped all its leaves -- all while they were green.  i have not moved it at all but did notice that the self draining pot i had it in had too much water in the bottom which i have now drained...so any advise on if i can save this one would be great...do i repot it? do i just let it dry out and then start rewatering it...?

2 - my peace lily - it has big green leaves (not the little ones) that now have a bunch of brown spots on them and there is new growth on the inside but it would grow about 2 inches and then not get any taller...-- so some one at my local garden store told me to split it up and repot it which I did 3 days ago and for the last three days, both plants are wilted and not looking good...it hasnt flowered in over a year and the brown spots have been going on for about 9 months.  

any help on how to save them would be a great help --

they all sit on my dinning room table and they get watered now once a week and get miracle grow house plant fertelizer <sp?>.   They are not in direct sun light but are surrounded by windows on their left side and behind them.  The get light pretty much from 10am to about 3pm now that its winter -- all on their left side so I do turn them once a week (when i water them) but they stay in the same spot.


Answer
Heather,

This is the wrong time of year to repot and divide the peace lily because of the short days of winter. It was already traumatized and you added to it. Watering a peace lily once a week this time of year is too much. They need to dry out between waterings. If you feel the soil and it is still moist it is not time to water. In fact I reccommend that you get some long bamboo skewers at the grocery store and insert one in the soil of each pot and when you think it needs watered pull the skewer out and see if at least 2/3rds of it is dry. If it is not then do not water it. When you repotted and divided the plant did it have much roots? If not that indicates root rot has occured. Drying them out well between waterings will give the roots a chance to regrow. The brown spots on the leaves are an indication of root rot unless the brown spots are something that can be removed with your fingernail or a sharp knife tip, then it is an insect called scale. If you find it is that write me again and I will tell you how to get rid of that.

For both of your plants, never allow them to sit with water in the drain tray. Water them and empty the excess water out of the drain tray an hour later. Water in the drain tray promotes root rot. Self watering pots are very bad for plants.

As for your ficus, you answered your question yourself. It too is overwatered. It's roots are probably rotted. It needs to dry out between every watering. It also needs more sun if at all possible. It is a sun lover. If you can put it closer to a south window so it gets more sun longer it will have a better chance of survival.

If your peace lilies survive fertilize them with fertilizer for blooming plants when they are healthy. Stop fertilizing for now. Then also give them 2 tapbespoons of epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) sprinkled on top of the soil prior to watering once a year. That will trigger blooming. Plants need magnesium for blooming and potting soil does not provide it. Good luck.

Darlene