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Firstly we will look into How to tell if a plant is dead or alive and secondly on How to revive a dying plant that is How to recover or save an almost dead plant or a dying plant with a scientific basis.
First of all, we will look into the important signs and symptoms to declare a plant dead or alive and if alive – how critical its condition is and whether its resuscitation or revival is possible or not and should be attempted or not. At the end we will look into the hacks to save a dying plant.
The question – Is my plant dead? seems easy question to answer, but the truth is that telling whether a plant is truly dead can be a difficult task sometimes. Plants do not have vital signs like a heartbeat or respiratory movements and out that would make it hence difficult to tell if it is truly dead or alive. Instead, you have to rely on some subtle clues or signs.
1. First Sign is your plant should have lost all of its leaves or the leaves have all gone brown and dry. But wait Do not Panic Here, we will go on checking the next vitals of the plant.
2. Check the stems. The stems of the plant should be pliable and firm and will have a green cast on the inside if they are still alive. Check by scratching the stem, if its green and juicy, its still alive and If the stem is mushy or brittle, then am afraid, you have to go and check the next sign.
3. Check the roots for the same. The roots, too, should be pliable but firm. If both the stems and roots are brittle or mushy, the plant is dead and no point in wasting time on reviving these plants.
4. And one more question is Is the Plant Really Worth Saving? The next step is to decide if you really want to make the effort of nursing the plant back to health. Keep in mind that a plant may still die despite your best efforts. Also, the plant will look utterly pathetic for weeks, months or even years. Is it worth spending the time to recover or are you getting a similar healthy plant at your local nursery or store for a reasonable price? If this is a plant that has sentimental value or is hard to find, than it is certainly worth saving. Otherwise, you should just drop it.
Now on the Plant Reviving Hacks:
1. What to Do When Only the Roots are Still Alive?
If the roots are still good, but the stems are dead, you will be hoping that the plant re-grows from the roots.
1. Cut away the dead stems by scratching and checking its alive or not and also checking its pliability. Sometimes as you get closer to the roots, the parts of the stem may be still alive. If you do find living stem, try to leave as much as possible above the roots. But here you are seeing there is hardly any living stem in this plant, But the roots are still looking pliable and not brittle. But the stem looks completely dead and this plant might be difficult to save. But still I shall continue the revival process just for the sake of demonstration in this video.
2. Well, If you find no living stem, leave at 2 inches of the stem intact above the soil.
3. Now I shall apply two hacks on this poor plant. Firstly, Soak the roots in a solution of Hydrogen Peroxide for few hours. I will let you know the exact concentration of this solution shortly. Hydrogen Peroxide is H2O2 and water is H2O, so its has an extra atom of oxygen in it and its really great for plants. By soaking your plants in hydrogen peroxide solution, it actually replicates this natural substance found in raindrops . You can watch my detailed Video on the Top benefits of Hydrogen Peroxide in gardening from a link at top right corner of this video – but after you finish this video.
4. Well, the concentration for this solution is 1 part of hydrogen peroxide in 30 parts of water.
5. Then repot this poor plant in a good well draining regular potting soil or mix you use for your plants.
Then the second hack is whenever you water this plant, of course after checking the soil surface for dryness. You add Epsom salt of about 2 teaspoons in 500 ml of water. Epsom Salt contains hydrated magnesium sulfate and Magnesium helps strengthen the plant’s cell walls which helps in absorption of nutrients from the soil by these roots.
6. Then few more tips to follow are:
7. Place the plant in conditions where it will get roughly less than half the amount of sun that is normally recommended for that plant.
8. Water only when the soil is dry to the touch.
9. Finally If the plant is recovering, you will see new stems sprout from around the remaining stem in one or two months, otherwise you can declare as completely dead and perform it last rights. If you still do not want to give up, recheck the roots to see if the plant has died completely.
So there we have it folks, That was our interesting topic on saving a dying plant.
