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Followup To
Question -
I received a large Emerald Gem that appeared to be healthy in early Mar.  After a few weeks the bottom leaves started turning yellow.  I called the florist and asked when it should be repotted, He replied about six months.  I continued to get yellow leaves which I removed.  I decided to repot and found it to be very rootbound.  After repotting I am losing even more leaves after they turn yellow. ( mostly bottom leaves) Yesterday I found a sticky substance on the under side of the leaves.  I cleaned it off with a wet paper towel and have not found it to be returning.  I can not see any bugs on the plant.  Can you help me save this plant?
Answer - Hi Will;
This plant came in a 8" pot, I repotted in a 12" pot without disturbing the rootball.
 I had the plant in a west window (in Wisconsin) during March.  In April I moved it to a inner wall in the same room but without direct sun.  
 I water the plant when I stick my finger in the soil and it is dry for an inch or two.
I hope this info gives you enough to help me.
Hi Ginny,

Light is often the most critical element and you neglected to mention what kind of light it gets.

Plnats often go through an adjustment period when they are relocated. If the light is improper, then the adjustment continues for a long time.

The repotting was probably a mistake. This plant does best when it is kept rootbound, as long as it is watered properly. What sized pot was it in before and what sized pot is it in now?

The stickiness may be a normal emission of sap and is probably unrelated to the yellowing of the leaves.

If you can send me some additional information about the light, your watering routines, and the pots sizes, I can give you a better idea as to what needs to be done.

Will Creed

Answer
Hi Ginny,

Here is what I think happened. The light was OK in March, but you were letting it get too dry while it was in the 8" pot. That is why it was getting yellow leaves initially.

Then you moved it unnecessarily into a pot that was too big. Even if it had needed a larger pot, it should have been no larger than a 10" size. When repotting, it is also important to loosen the roots areound the outside of the rootball, which evidently you did not do. All of the extra soil that you added around the rootball has either rotted the roots or sucked moisture from them depending on the quality of the soil. This occurs because the roots and fresh soil were not well integrated. This caused further leaf yellowing.

About all you can do now is unpot your plant and remove the soil that you added. Hopefully the original rootball is still intact and the roots are healthy. If so, you can put the plant back into an 8" pot. Water it thoroughly and move it as close to the west window as possible so that it does not get more than  an hour or two of direct sun shining on its leaves. Water again when the surface of the soil feels dry.

Good luck and please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

You can E-mail me directly at: [email protected]

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