Plant Resuscitation: Tricks To Bring Dead Plants Back To Life

If a plant is really, truly a goner,
you’ll need a magic wand to help. But many plants that look dead can be
resuscitated with prompt, effective action. Here’s a short list of 7 things you
can try to revive a dying plant.

• Take a close look at the damage. Most ailing plants are suffering from improper cultural care. Your best chance of helping the plant is to figure out what’s going on, so look carefully at the damage. Drooping, yellowing leaves can indicate too much water. Brown, dry leaves and stems may mean too little water. Scorched or transparent leaves? Too much or too little sun. Deformed or nibbled leaves signal pests.
• Look for signs of lifeWhen it comes to plants, “dead” is a relative term. It may look like your plant is a goner, but when you take a closer look, that may not actually be the case. If there’s any green left on the plant, you might still be in business. “Any signs of green on the stem mean there’s a chance you’ll be able to bring it back to life,” says Valentino.

  You should also check the roots. As the plant’s support system, they provide a lot of information about the state of its overall health. Translation: Even if the visible parts of the plant are a mess, the roots may still be receiving enough nutrients and water to keep it going. “Healthy roots should appear plump and be white to tan in color with white tips,” says Jennifer Morganthaler, an agriculture instructor at Missouri State University. “The roots should still be alive and have a chance to recover for any of these tips to work to save the plant.” If you do find signs of life, the next step is figuring out what went wrong and how to revive your plant

• Prune away dead foliage. You won’t be able to assess the chance of reviving your plant if it is choked with dead leaves. Clip off all dead leaves and branches from plants that look dead and remove all fallen foliage. If you aren’t sure whether a branch is dead, try the scratch test – use a fingernail to scrape off some of the outer layers of skin. If you see green inside, it’s alive and should not be removed. Keep the faith! Any green, flexible stems make it likely you can revive your plant.

• Water a thirsty plant. A plant’s home is its container or garden bed, so dig around in the soil for evidence. If the soil is hard, compacted, cracked, and dry, inadequate water is probably the issue. This kind of damage can be corrected quickly if you catch it in time. It’s easy to rehydrate dry plants. Pour water into the plant pot until it runs freely from the drainage holes in the bottom. After that, hose or spray down all remaining stems and foliage. Plants intake water through their leaves as well as their roots.

• Let soggy soil dry out. If the container soil is wet to the touch even though you haven’t watered in a while, the plant is suffering from excess water caused by overwatering or poor drainage. Stop watering immediately and let the soil dry out. Check the pot’s drain holes. A small plant container needs a drain hole of at least ½ inch (1.2 cm.) diameter, while a larger plant container needs holes twice that size. If your pot’s drainage is inadequate, it’s time to transplant.
• Overwatered plants will have brown or yellow wilted leaves with moist soil,” says Valentino. “This will affect the roots, which can start to rot.” If you’ve been giving your plant too much water, you will need to make some changes—ASAP. “Move the plant out of direct sunlight and stop watering until the soil dries out,

• Adjust the sun exposure. Some plants need direct sun, some indirect sun, and some shade. If you aren’t sure what this particular plant prefers, find out online or at the garden store. Then move the plant into an appropriate location.

• Provide humidity. For some plants, getting enough water is not sufficient. Plants like ferns require humidity to thrive, humidity that the average living room might not offer. This can be solved quickly. Place a shallow pan filled with small rocks beneath the plant and add a little water. The water will evaporate and humidify the air near the plant.

• Consider repotting. Over time, most plants outgrow their pots. The roots may even wind around the inside of the container, making it difficult for them to uptake water and nutrients. Gently remove the plant from its container. If you see more roots than soil, or roots coiling around the inside of the pot, it is time for a bigger container. Sometimes, all it takes to revive a dying plant is a little repotting.

Trim back the stems:Of course, green is good. Anything else? Not so much. To that end, you’ll want to trim stems back to just the green tissue. “Trim back the dead leaves, and then take off dead bits of the stem as well,” says Valentino. “Ideally, you want to take it all the way back to the healthiest bits of the plant, but if the stems are dead, then leave at least two inches of them above the soil.”

This is also a good time to change the soil

Plant resuscitation isn’t always
successful, especially if it’s too far gone. However, it doesn’t mean plants
that look dead cannot be given new life. It never hurts to at least try – who
knows, you may just have what it takes to bring dead plants back to life before
it’s too late.