Question
I have a pleomele reflexa. It's been slow growing because I didn't know the lighting condition that it had to be in but once I corrected that, it went from a short little 1 footer to a nice lush 3.5 foot tall plant. The other day, my wife took it to work with her to put in her office and she forgot it in the car for, at the most, 3 hours. It was hot, probably around 85 degrees outside so inside the car, it must've been really steamy. (We live in New England). The plant seems to have wilted quite a bit at the top. Some of the lower leaves are still green and leathery but the top leaves are brownish, curled up and dry.

Does this plant have a chance of survival or should I just cut my losses? If it can be recovered, what is the best course of action for helping it to recover?

Answer
Hi Phong,

Your Pleomele will probably survive, but the individual leaves that were damaged will not. So, as you say, cut your losses, which in this case means trimming off any damaged leaves. If that leaves you will some tall stems without many leaves, then cut back those stems as well.

As long as the roots are healthy - and they probably are - then new growth will emerge at the end of each stem and grow upward from there.  But patience will be required.

Do NOT repot, fertilize, or water more frequently as a result of this heat exposure. All of those will make matters worse. In this case, less is better.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions. If you would like to e-mail me some photos, I may be able to provide some additional insights.

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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

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