Hello Everyone, So this is my first time posting on UBC Botanical Garden Forums. I am concerned for my friends' plants. He has four plants in his apartment, none of which seem healthy to me. He waters them regularly, but I'm not sure why they look so unhealthy like this! I personally know nothing about plants, so I thought I'd post some photos and call for help :P We live in Lille, France by the way. I'd appreciate any comments, Cheers, - Azal
Pictures 1-3 are Chlorophytum comosum 'Variegatum' (Variegated Spider Plant) - they actually look not too unhappy; your friend has neglected to remove the dead leaves (dead through natural obsolescence) which is why it's looking kind of bad. If it really bothers you, you can remove the dead leaves by pulling gently. Pictures 4-7 are Musa of some cultivar; judging from their size Musa 'Super Dwarf Cavendish' is a very likely candidate. The mother plant (the taller of the two) doesn't look too happy. The skirt of dead leaves around the bottom is normal for somebody who doesn't keep their plants cleaned up, and can be removed by cutting the leaves off close to the main stem of the plant. However, the lack of new growth emerging on the mother plant is concerning. Do you know whether it's flowered or not? If it has, then the lack of growth is normal; it's on its way out. If it hasn't, then it's choking for some reason. That could be overwatering, wet feet, or simply that it wants a larger pot. The solution to the choking problem is to cut the plant just below the first whole leaf, usually on a slight diagonal. This seems drastic, but the plant will respond almost immediately by pushing up a new leaf. The pup (the smaller plant), on the other hand, is looking quite healthy. 5-6 looks like Dracaena; it's also quite healthy. I'm not sure of 7-8; somebody else here will surely chime in.
I remember we (my family) used to have a plant like this back in Toronto, and it looked much more cheerful ...
Thanks so much! As for the Musa, I don't think it's ever flowered ... Also, would you think they probably need more light? Is there a way to provide them with more (artificial) light using a desklamp or something?
Bananas are sun hogs, so anything you could do to give them more light is a plus. Does your friend have a balcony? You could easily put the pot outside during the day, and the plant would love that. Other than that, a desk lamp with a full-spectrum CF bulb is a good option. Since it hasn't flowered and is clearly choking, I'd cut it...
