Growing "houseplants" is not gardening? What is it then? Ballroom dancing?

well i appreciate your responses regarding the plants, as they are helpful,
but let me expain that i went to a newsgroup with plants in the title and
was redirected to present my questions somewhere else, so i was merely
trying to be respectful of the topic and i saw only *outdoor* gardening
issues here and thought my questions were to be relegated to outdoor
gardening and not houseplants.

"It is very difficult to overwater a Diffenbachia since they like to have
wet
feet and will even grow in standing water. Your problem is probably that
the
soil has become rancid. Replace ALL the soil and treat with a fungicide."

ok. . . if they grow in standing water and if it is dificult to overwater
them how did my soil become rancid? did i or did i not overwater this plant?

regarding the citronella--or possibly pelargonium cultivar--i haven't
overwatered it in the traditional sense of the word. i never took it out of
water. i forgot about it. i will try the sand as you said.

thanks. ginger



"Cereoid-UR12-" wrote in message
...

It is very difficult to overwater a Diffenbachia since they like to have
wet
feet and will even grow in standing water. Your problem is probably that
the
soil has become rancid. Replace ALL the soil and treat with a fungicide.

If by "citronella plant", you are referring to a scented pelargonium
cultivar, you have a real problem. They prefer bright light and to go dry
between watering. If the cutting are rotting, you have been overwatering
them. Remove the rotting part of the stems. Treat the wound with rootone
and
try rooting them in moist sand (not soil). Keep the sand moist but not
wet.

Bottom line is that you should stop overwatering your plants.

Be sure all your pots have drainage holes in the bottom.


gingerobyn wrote in message
...
i have houseplant questions and don't know if they apply here, since
it's
not gardening per se, but thought i would give it a shot to see if
anyone
can help me.

first question:
i overwatered some plants and ended up with actual mold on the top layer
of
soil. white hairy mold. i noticed more dropping yellow leaves on the
plant
(diffenbachia) than usual. i scooped out the top layer of soil taking
the
visible mold away. i was wondering if the mold is very bad for the
plant,
and also if scooping off the top layer and letting the soil dry was
enough
to take care of it.

2nd question:
i took cuttings from a citronella plant. they have been in water for at
least 2 (maybe 3 months now). the didnt grwo roots right away, but
finally
started to. the stalk from which the roots are growing however seem like
they are rotting. the leaves of the plant look and smell fine. the
stalks
are still sturdy, just brown and have a gooeyness on them. can i
successfully plant them? is there a specific way i hsould have rooted
and
planted this?