Star of Bethlehem is a flowering weed

What is this plant? It looks too beautiful to be a weed.

Tan Pin Ho 

This is the Star of Bethlehem (Hippobroma longiflora), so named due to the shape of its flowers. It appears periodically in flower beds and flower pots. Some gardeners cultivate it for its attractive flowers.

It is said to have uses in folk medicine, but is a toxic plant. Avoid self-medicating without professional guidance.

African false hosta is an ornamental plant

What is this plant? Is this a flowering plant?

Albert Lim

This is the African false hosta (Drimiopsis maculata), an ornamental plant that produces new growth from the base and forms a dense cluster with time. When it grows larger, it will produce clusters of white flowers on long stalks.

To achieve a more compact growth habit, keep it in a semi-shaded spot that gets four or more hours of filtered sunlight a day. Do not keep it in deep shade, as plants grown under such conditions develop long, floppy leaves. Avoid overwatering, as the plant will rot if it gets too much water in dim conditions.

Cycad could be suffering from sunburn

What is wrong with my plant? The leaves have turned brown on one side. It does not get direct sunlight on the affected leaves. It gets a small amount of water daily.

Leong Tuck Sum

From your description, your cycad is probably suffering from sunburn. Was this plant growing in the shade for a long period of time before it was suddenly exposed to intense sunlight? This can happen to plants in high-rise homes that experience half-yearly changes in sunlight – that is, the plant gets sun for half of the year and shade in the other.

Leaves produced under shadier conditions will be injured when exposed to more intense sunlight. Pruning the affected leaves will make the plant look unsightly, so wait for new leaves to grow and replace the damaged ones. 

Ensure that the new leaves adapt gradually to changes in light intensity to avoid similar incidents in the future.

Discard infested plant before reusing soil

After two rounds of white growth on my plant, I removed it from my pot. I would like to reuse the soil, but am concerned about the white fungus-like material I found, which might still be in the soil. Is it safe to reuse?

See Soo Eng

The affected plant has been infested with scale insects, a type of sap-sucking pest common in woody perennial plants. If you no longer want the plant, discard it to prevent the infestation from spreading.

The type of scale insect infesting your plant is unlikely to lay eggs or grow in soil, so the old soil should be safe to reuse once the infested plant has been discarded. To be safe, grow an unrelated species from a different plant family. Check it regularly for early signs of any pest infestation and take remedial action promptly to nip the issue in the bud.