I was given a rubber tree that is growing really well, but it is in a very small pot. Do these plants like to be root bound, or should I move it to a slightly larger pot? If not, how long to let it go before I do?? Thanks for any help!

I also have a snake plant that I had to repot due to over watering, and root rot. (I replaced all of the old, saturated soil.) It has been since February, and the main larger leaves just keep dying. I am not watering it, except maybe once every two weeks. It was a beautiful huge plant, that has been wilting and dying! PLEASE HELP!! (I almost feel like starting over with a new plant!)

Mandy N.
i copied and pasted this for you
Rubber plants like bright light, but never hot sun. When your new leaves are emerging, even less light is advisable, as this will promote larger leaves..Rubber plants are very susceptible to changes in environment, such as warm to a cool room..Keep them out of drafts, and away from heat sources.
Keep your plant evenly moist during the growing cycle in spring and summer, but on the dryer side during the rest of the year. They really appreciate having their leaves sponged off with a damp cloth. When you fertilize your rubber plant in the spring and again in early summer, use a weak mixture of a soluble house plant food.
Rubber plants have a tendency to lose their lower leaves, usually from environmental reasons. If this happens very often, new shoots will emerge from the old leaf node. A very light nick, with a sharp,clean knife, right above the old node will often speed the new growth process from that point, but be sure to not cut to deeply.

hope this helps you. i'll go and see what i can find out about your snake plant. i had some real nice looking ones too. i recently repotted them but i clipped off the longer and older leaves to benefit the new younger leaves

hello again mandy,
i found an informative post/reply that Mike57 posted for another member that had a snake plant question
the Snake plants also know as mother inlaws toungs. thrive in full sun. they will tolerate low light but color variegations will not be as pronounced. Snake plants are able to tolerate periods of drought but will not tolerate wet conditions since root rot may occur.it sounds like it may have been in the cold i would cut away all the bad shoots since there already damaged.let the new growth start from there the plant comes from a rizom witch is a tubber type root system.it should grow back but will be slow as they are a slow growing plant
hope this helps you

AND THANKS TO YOU MIKE FOR YOUR GREAT POSTS!!!!

This did help me. Thank you so much. I am not patient enough to grow new leaves, so I will just go buy a new snake plant! I know that is terrible, but-- it wasn't a sentimental plant anyway. Thanks for your help!

no problem sweetie!!
maybe you can give the old one to some one with patience good luck with the new one and your rubber tree

HA! Maybe I'll just stick the old one in the corner next to the new one to give it inspiration! HAHA!

there ya go
the "old one" will come back so you should hang on to it. i kept mine cause (ready for this) my mother in law gave them to me

HA!
That is a good one!

just glad i could help ya!!

HI phoenix you beat me to it lol.thanks for giveing me credit on the snake plant.they like being root bound and if you repoted it just water it once a mounth it should make quick rebound and start puting up new shoots soon.mine that i have had for 5 years bloomed this year.its the first time i have seen one bloom it put up one stalk and lots of real small frilly blooms on it.MANDY N.just set it some where out of the way the risome will put on new roots then it should start to grow again as long as the risome itself was not rotted good luck with bouth of your plants.your friend in gardening.mike57

Thanks Mike! I think I will repot it into a smaller pot (since all of the leaves fell off ) Like I said before, I will leave it to be by itself for a while, and quit worrying about it. Thanks again.

Do you water it thoroughly as well? Until the water comes out the drainage hole? I just bought one last night. lol... My apartment is turning into a jungle. My husband says the only thing missing now is a monkey...

I heard that you aren't supposed to water them that much, so I haven't. But hey- if you are supposed to water them like that then I will. Let me know! (I know what you mean about being a jungle!!)

Only I DO have a monkey!! (a 2 year old son!! HA!)

Hi Mandy,

Like most plants, rubber plants do best when left potbound. If it reaches the point where it requires water every couple of days to keep the roots properly moist, then move it up one pot size. If in doubt, it is better to wait. If you post a photo, I can probably tell you.

Snake plants don't tolerate wet roots. In the best of circumstances, monthly watering is adequate. Repotting never cures root rot. I wouldn't waste much energy on it. If the stems have a nasty smell to them, then definitely toss it.

Can you please let me know how to post a pic?

Also, the leaves of the snake don't smell, and when I repotted it, most of the tubers (?)still had roots growing from them (they looked like Iris rizomes) anyway... some of the leaves still seem to be falling over like they are too heavy, others shrivel up like they are moldy. I know the moldy ones need to go, but what about the others. Thanks for your help!

Hi Mandy,

To post a pic, you need to upload your pic either on photobucket.com or if you don't wanna register, tinypic.com. Both are user friendly. After you've hosted your pictures, just copy and paste the IMG link to your post here. The picture should come out. You can preview it and it should appear. If the picture doesn't come out during preview, that means its not done properly.


Tifflo.

Use as tight a pot as possible, Mandy. Plant it deep in the pot. The close sides of the pot will help support the leaves. The small pot will help prevent inadvertant overwatering.

Okay Will, (thanks Tifflo for showing me how)here are pictures of the two different plants. The first picture of the snake was in March. This was after I first re-potted it, and put branches up to help the leaves so they didn't fall over. The second is a close up of the leaves so that you can see the scars on them. The last picture of the snake is today's sad display.

http://tinypic.com/70v1j6.jpg (Rubber Tree)

http://tinypic.com/70vnnk.jpg (1st Snake)

http://tinypic.com/70vpyf.jpg (2nd Snake)

http://tinypic.com/70vtrb.jpg (3rd Snake)

http://tinypic.com/70vujn.jpg (my cute son! Had to add this one HA! )

Okay, now that you have seen the wreckage, let me know what to do! I won't feel bad if you say to toss the snake plant. HA! Thanks so much for all of your help everyone!

Hey Mandy, cute monkey you got there! Good luck with your snake plant!

Tifflo

Thanks tifflo!

Hi Mandy,

Your Rubber tree is beautiful and the pot looks fine. I wouldn"t change anything about it. You are doing a great job with it.

Your snake is suffering from either lack of light or too much water or both. You can tie a string around all of the stems at their base. If you pull it tight, it will pull all the stems upright. Then pack the soil in tight to help hold them in place. Try to find a sunny location and wait at least a month in between waterings.

Your son is adorable! What a wonderful smile he has. I bet he is a happy kid. Great job, Mom!

Thanks so much for all of this help!! I do think it could be from lack of light. It is in a west facing room, but back always from the window. I heard that it would adapt to less lighting, but I will move it back toward the window more. I will also tie a string around the base of it. One last question though... should I repot all the stems closer together, and then tie the string around that? Thanks again!

My son is definitely a happy kid (and even more mischievous!) Thanks!

They always promote snake plants as good in low light. This is true for about a year or two and then they fall apart. They thrive right in front of a sunny window.

I wouldn't mess with the roots any more. Without removing the plant from the pot, use your hands to move the stems closer together and pack the soil in tight around the perimter so they will stay upright.

Happy kids need to get into mischief!

Great! I will do this tomorrow! Thanks again for all your help. No more questions! (for now)