Root Awakening: Guiana Chestnut has to be pruned gradually

Drastic cut may affect plant health

My plant is growing beyond the common corridor’s handrail. If I prune it back to the handrail, will it affect the plant’s growth?

Lim Eng Seng

Your potted tree is commonly known as the Guiana Chestnut (Pachira aquatica). You can prune it to manage its size, but do so gradually. Cutting off the entire crown of the tree may be too drastic and can affect the plant’s health.

Remove the branches successively to observe how the plant responds. Start by cutting off the growing tip of your plant, which should spur the production of side shoots on the lower parts. Select the branches to keep and prune these back gradually.

Rotate the pot regularly to promote a more symmetrical growth habit in your plant.

Lemon affected by mite infestation

My lemon plant’s fruit started out yellow, but are developing brown spots. What should I do?

Priscilla Tan

Your lemon plant has a mite infestation, though it is mainly an aesthetic issue. At this stage, there is nothing much you can do to improve the look of the fruit.

When new fruit is produced, you can manage the mite population by thoroughly and regularly applying summer oil on the developing fruit, as well as the rest of the plant. This pesticide covers and suffocates the mites. Wash fruit thoroughly before consumption.

Dracaena may be difficult to save

Why is one of my plants drying up? Both of them get filtered sunlight every day.

Kanthimathi Srinivasan

Your yellowing Dracaena will be neither easy nor practical to salvage.

Its decline could be due to a lack of filtered sunlight, of which it needs at least four hours a day, or nutrients, especially if it has been given only tap water.

For optimal plant health and development, use a water-soluble fertiliser containing the necessary nutrients, such as a hydroponic fertiliser. You may also want to keep your plant in an opaque container to prevent algae growth.

Rotting inflorescence likely holds male flowers

How can I prevent my jackfruit tree’s young fruit from rotting? I tried to save them by spraying pesticide, wrapping them in paper and fertilising the tree regularly, but these methods did not work.

Freddie Low

The blackened inflorescence likely holds numerous male flowers, which are the source of pollen. Once the pollen is shed, it is natural and normal for the inflorescence to die.

The male inflorescence tends to be slimmer, while the female is larger and club-shaped with a round “collar”. Once pollinated, fruit production should proceed as usual.

Check for root issues in Leopard Tree

Are my Caesalpinia ferra plants dead? The other plants nearby are doing well.

Julia Lee

To check if your trees are alive, scratch their bark to see the colour beneath. If they appear green and moist, the tissue is live. Dead tissue will appear dry and brown. Dead branches will also be brittle and snap easily.

The Leopard Tree (its new botanical name is Libidibia ferrea) is highly sensitive to root disturbance and waterlogging. Check if its roots have been damaged by construction or if the soil is compacted and draining poorly.

The roots, depending on the extent of damage, may or may not recover. Waterlogging issues need to be resolved by improving soil drainage.