Cheese plant dying Help Please

Hi guys I reported my cheese plant into a nice big ish pot with muticompost and put some pebbles on top, places it in a semi sunny place but the leaves are yellowing, had to cut off 3 leaves already and now 4 more are on there way out.

do you think I should change the compost and add some perlite or just let it dry out? the shop said to water it once a week so have been

any advice would be good please... Thanks

 

Hi @Lowrider, it's perfectly normal that lower leaves die off gradually, and that's what the smallest yellow leaf seems to be doing. It is not however normal for the top leaves to die out.

The green leaves look very healthy to me, they are not drooping which would have suggested over- or underwatering. Is there any new growth visible in the top? It could just look like a swelling.

If there is anything going on at the growth point, and it's the lowermost leaves that are dying off I think everything is fine. It's probably just adjusting to it's new home and light.

Increasing humidity and some light might help it to retain lower leaves longer. Misting every morning will do it a lot of good. Careful with the walls and the art though... A cheapy mister bottle is fine for the job



I'd suggest to take the decorative pebbles out for now so that you can see at a glance when the top of the compost is drying out. (Or even better, poke your finger into the compost to feel if it's moist)/ Once you are familiar with the watering frequency you can replace the pebbles. They look nice

 

I have had to cut 3 leaves off already and 4 more are on there way to going yellow the small leaves are new though I think I had been watering it to much as the garden centre said to water it weekly but I have not gave it any water now for around 2-3 weeks, the compost is moist, think I will mist it once a day and see how it goes

should I cut off dieing leaf or wait till they are totally yellow?

 

I do wish people, (garden centres), would stop coming out with advice like "water once a week", watering needs to be varied to the conditions and to the time of the year, and definitely to when a plant has been repotted.

It looks ok, and only water if it feels dry below the surface of the compost and then not excessively.
Just cut off the yellow leaves and as long as it puts out a new larger one every month or so in the summer , it is doing ok.
Train the aerial roots down and into the pot if you can, but be careful they are brittle.

 

I did wonder why I had a foot long root going up into the air will put a light weight on it and see if I can tease it to go down wards.

are we meant to wet the stick down in the middle?

 

Well normally the moss stick is for the roots, its a climber that uses it aerial roots to hold it up, but it will cling to anything, mine has taken over the wall, but I still train them downwards to the pot, even have a second pot for them.

 

For training the roots down, in nine when I notice a new one starting I take a 2 litre pop bottle that has had the very top ( the stiff bit) and bottom cut off (and a cut right up the side so it opens out) and open it out then let go ( gently) so it wraps the plant, position it so the emerging root hits the curved part of the bottle (at the top, just under the stiff part) and leave it (maybe sellotape in place). The root doesn't cling to the plastic and will generally grow downwards along the wall of the bottle. Bottle can be removed later when it has changed direction

I also find Johnson's baby wipes, stretched out widthways, make great ties for training; they're soft so they don't damage the plant but very strong and hold well with just a single over-under-over knot

The tips of the roots are flexible but after a few days/weeks the outer layer of the root hardens and dries. The bendy root is still inside but they really don't like it if you bend them TIL the outer layer/casing breaks so try to bend only the flexible root tip

When it gets down to soil poke a finger in to give it a starter hole; quite often the roots turn sideways and circle the pot before digging in if you don't