Root Awakening

Pomegranate seedlings need direct sunlight to thrive.
Pomegranate seedlings need direct sunlight to thrive. PHOTO: ELIANA TIONG
Song of India Dracaena may have fungal disease.
Song of India Dracaena may have fungal disease. PHOTO: JOE LAU
Fancy leaf aglaonema thrives in bright and cool environment.
Fancy leaf aglaonema thrives in bright and cool environment. PHOTO: TAN ELAINE
Elephant Bush needs full sunlight to thrive.
Elephant Bush needs full sunlight to thrive. PHOTO: TANNY TAN

Pomegranate seedlings need direct sunlight to thrive

I have been trying to grow the pomegranate plant, but every time, it grows to only a certain height and its leaves start to turn yellow. Why is it so? How do I maintain it?

Eliana Tiong

Your pomegranate seedlings look rather lanky and stretched. This is a classic sign of a lack of sunlight.

Pomegranate is best grown under direct sunlight. In an apartment setting, ensure the seedlings are exposed to at least four to six hours of direct sunlight.

The media to raise these seedlings appears quite compacted and clayey. You may want to incorporate some organic matter, such as good quality compost or peat moss, into the mix to make it more friable.

A good starting point is to mix one part sifted soil and one part organic matter. Portions need to be adjusted accordingly to achieve the desired end product.

Organic matter can help to loosen the mix, increasing aeration and drainage, so that the mix allows the fine roots of seedlings to grow and develop.

Some fertiliser can also be given to boost the growth of the plants.

Song of India Dracaena may have fungal disease

I bought these two pots of Dracaena reflexa about three months ago and I water them on alternate days. They are placed in my balcony and get full sunlight. Recently, the leaves started to have brown patches. What is wrong with the plants?

Joe Lau

The leaves of your Song of India Dracaena (a cultivar of Dracaena reflexa) appear to be infected by a fungal disease.

You may want to prune affected leaves and spray a contact chemical fungicide such as Captan, which is available from local nurseries.

Fungal diseases can be a secondary infection that affects plants that have suffered injury.

In your case, check whether the sunlight which the plants are exposed to is too intense and if that could have caused sunburn and allowed infection to occur.

Often, new plants are produced in production nurseries under shadier conditions.

Such plants will need an acclimatisation period to get used to their final, growing environment.

Fancy leaf aglaonema thrives in bright and cool environment

What is the name of these plants? I bought them on the eve of Chinese New Year and was told to water them with a cup of water every five days. However, the next day, I noticed the leaves started to curve backwards. Is it due to a lack of water? The plants are placed on a table in my balcony, which experiences relatively strong wind during this time of the year.

Tan Elaine

The plants are a hybrid cultivar of aglaonema, commonly called the Chinese Evergreen. They are sometimes regarded as fancy leaf aglaonema which have attractive leaves in a range of colours.

These plants are best grown in a location where they can get four to six hours of filtered sunlight. Direct sunlight can be intense and can bleach and burn the leaves. Excessive heat can cause the leaves to curl as well.

The plants should not be grown in dense shade as they will not be receiving enough light to grow well. Plants will then be lanky and produce weak, floppy stems.

The frequency of watering will depend on factors such as the growing conditions, type of growing media and size of pot and plants.

You will need to water each plant thoroughly each time, such that excess water flows out of the drainage holes at the base of the pot.

In the case of the fancy leaf aglaonema, you should water once the growing media feels slightly dry. Do not allow the plants to totally dry out to the extent that they start to wilt.

Conversely, wet conditions can lead to the rotting of these plants.

Elephant Bush needs full sunlight to thrive

What is this plant and how can I care for it? Some leaves are dropping and roots are growing out of the pot.

Tanny Tan

The plant is a drought-tolerant succulent that is botanically known as Portulacaria afra. Its common name is Elephant Bush.

It requires full sunlight to thrive and can be difficult to grow in high-rise apartments, where sunlight is limited.

It should be allowed to dry out slightly between each watering. Grow it in very well-drained, gritty growing media to reduce the incidence of root and stem rot due to overly wet soil conditions.

• Answers by Dr Wilson Wong, an NParks-certified practising horticulturist, parks manager and ISA-certified arborist. He is the founder of Green Culture Singapore and an adjunct assistant professor (Food Science & Technology) at the National University of Singapore.

• Have a gardening query? E-mail it with clear, high-resolution pictures of at least 1MB, if any, and your full name to stlife@sph.com.sg. We reserve the right to edit and reject questions.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 05, 2019, with the headline Root Awakening. Subscribe