A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 Zebra Plant Help

I bought a zebra plant a few months ago. It had four light green pods sticking out of the top which the gardener I bought it from said would drop off...indeed they have, along with a bunch of leaves. And the leaves that are still attached are developing a nasty brown tinge to them. Granted, these are the lower leaves, but I have always regarded myself as a decent gardener, at least with my own plants, and I am perplexed as how to make my zebra plant grow better. I water it about every 3-4 days and have given it fertilizer tiwce in the past 4 months. I give it city water, which I realize is nasty for most plants, but my other plants are doing fine, and I am very poor, so I can't constantly afford distilled water. Thank you so much.

Erich,

Zebras require lots of bright, indirect light - a few hours of direct sunlight each day is better. They are fussy about watering, preferring constantly moist (not soggy) soil. Water thoroughly as soon as the soil surface dries. Even an occasional lapse in watering can cause leaf drop.

Fertilizers are food, not medicine, and are not beneficial to ailing plants which don't uptake many nutrients.

You might find this thread helpful. Feel free to ask if you still have questions. I doubt using city water the cause of the Zebra's problems. Most plant problems arise from improper light, watering practices, or overpotting. Did you recently repot the Zebra?

Cricket