Question
Thanks very much.  
I read somewhere that a newly repotted plant (I'll be repotting the chinese evergreen) shouldn't be fertilized for the first couple of months.  Is that correct?  
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Followup To

Question -
Hi Darlene,

I have an unhealthy houseplant that I'm trying to save, but I'm not even sure what type of plant it is.  Although most of the leaves that it has left are small, some had grown to be larger--roughly 6" long and 3" wide. It has medium-to-light green leaves, some of which are mottled with a darker green, and the center of the leaf is very pale green or whitish.  The leaves are longer than they are wide and come to a point at the tips.  Stems at the base of the plant are "layered" upward.  New shoots grow from inside the sheath of an existing stem and then branch outward.

Thanks,

Mae  



Answer -
Mae,

I suspect you have a Chinese evergreen, the latin name of the plant is aglaonema. You can see pictures at the following website:
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Chinese%20Evergreen&sa=N&tab=wi

For detailed growing information see the following website:
http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1500.htm

I suspect your problem is either not enough light, the instructions say low light but it needs light that is bright enough that you could read a paperback book where it is sitting without additional light on sunny days. It just doesn't like direct sun on it.

Or your giving it too much water. It hates sitting with a drain tray full of water, you need to empty the drain tray an hour after watering it. It also likes to dry out well between waterings so do not water more than once a week or when it feels very dry and light weight.

Good luck,
Darlene

Answer
Mae,

May I ask why you are repotting it? This is a bad time of year to repot any plant as the days are getting shorter and roots stop growing. It is much better to repot in the spring as the days are getting longer. Between April 1st and June 15th is best. If you do repot you should withhold fertilizer for 3 months so as not to burn bruised roots. Good luck.

Darlene