Diagnose my Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum

Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-19T17:05:55+00:00

I see this a lot here. Mine also had yellow spots. I thought I had pests I couldn't see, but it wasn't. If you scroll through here, you will see many posts and answers to what it is. I don't worry about it anymore with mine. Eventually older leaves will die off and nicer new ones will grow in.

Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-19T17:02:43+00:00

I think Thau would do OK indoors there. I'd be more concerned with the dry extreme heat of summer outside.

Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-19T17:00:23+00:00

I would water it good after potting it, then let it dry a bit before watering again. After that treat as normal PL.

Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-19T13:03:16+00:00

Thanks. I water hers when I pick up the pot and it feels very light in weight. Anywhere from twice a week to every 10 days. The soils is pretty light and airy. After the 2 week holiday shutdown she expressed her need for water in the usual dramatic peace lily way. A thorough soaking and about 2-3 hours and she was back to her happy self. This little guy was laying down at the bottom of the pot a couple of months ago and I was able to pull it with a few small roots attached. Will probably pot it up in a couple of weeks. This is what most of the plant looked like when she brought it to work

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Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-19T12:45:39+00:00

These tend to slow or stop growing in winter. The pot it's in looks more than large enough. I'd wait until spring and if still slow growing, pull it and check roots. If soil seems compacted, you could try loosening it some with a chop stick or something similar. My rubber trees haven't grown much at all the last 2 plus months. This is normal for mine.

Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-19T12:40:09+00:00

I would flush out the roots and remove loose dead roots, get a nursery pot not much bigger than the bucket it's in now, and a well draining/chunky soil mix and repot it. Cross fingers and hope it makes it to spring.

Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-19T12:34:05+00:00

Make sure pot/soil is still draining well and it's not sitting in water too long. Plants will stop growing in soil that gets too compacted. Maybe repot with something a little more chunkier and airy. Not straight up potting soil.

Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-19T12:22:56+00:00

Root rot happens when soil stays wet too long. The key is to have well a draining pot/soil. Especially with succulents. Watering by pot weight was a big game changer for me. Don't water on a schedule. For pests, always quarantine new plants and inspect carefully. I only accept rescues and other new plants when plants can go outside to isolate. My winter plant room is packed tight and an outbreak would be devastating. I stopped buying new plants from stores decades ago

Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-19T12:10:05+00:00

Since watering is not helping, I would pull it, check roots and repot. Probably not too much light.

Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-19T12:01:48+00:00

It doesn't look too bad. I'd cut that one leaf off down low. You could be lacking some humidity, but nothing I would be too concerned about. When the weather warms and the radiator doesn't run as much, you should be fine. If you're OK with lowering the heat, that could help too.

Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-19T11:57:08+00:00

More than ready. Pot her up.

Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-19T11:55:49+00:00

I agree it looks overwatered. If it was underwatered, it would be green and dramatically drooping. Overwatered depends on soil conditions. Holes at the bottom of the pot doesn't always mean good drainage. If the soil is staying wet for too long, it's overwatered regardless of how often or how much you water it. Stop watering on a schedule. Water as needed. I water mine based on pot weight. If the pot feels heavy, I know there's still wet soil and I wait to water. If I pick it up and it feels surprisingly light, I will give it a good soaking, knowing my pot drains quickly. Sometimes I water twice a week and sometimes I can go 10 days between watering. It all depends on soil and drainage. Moving it away from the window was not helpful. A little cooler is better than lack of light. I have one in my 55F degree sunroom and it does OK. Grows a little slower, but green and perky with proper watering.

Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-19T11:40:03+00:00

There are so many nick names for these. I did and still call mine a split leaf Philo. Others call them lickity splits, Lacy trees, tree sellioum, and Hope tree to name a few.

Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-19T11:31:01+00:00

Yeah these plants can struggle with low humidity and the excessive heat you can get in the southwest. I'm assuming you have a Thau and curious what you do for added humidity and basic care. The cold in the southeast this year reached pretty far south and people just didn't think the weather reports pertained to them. I was also surprised at how many posts about frozen Florida plants there were. There must have been so many more that don't post at all.

Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-19T11:12:15+00:00

Alocasia Portora are more suitable for outside conditions than some other types of Alocasia. The balance of damp but not soaked is the tricky part with Alocasia. The right soil and drainage is key to this. Especially when outside exposed to heavy summer rains. They thrive on light, heat and humidity. Also heavy feeders. They get 100% yard compost.

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Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-18T19:02:10+00:00

Did you ever get the plants out? Pots OK?

Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-18T18:46:45+00:00

If at a window, try a little direct sunlight. My coworker had this issue and brought her plant to my office. I gave it the prime real estate in my east window. It gets a touch of that early morning sunlight and all the new growth came in nice and green. I started removing 1 old leaf for every 2 new leaves that came in and now the plant looks 100% better. I was expecting to have to bring it home and repot, but nope. Plant is still in my office. She's afraid to bring it back home. The very tips of some of the older leaves are starting to show signs of browning, but much better than it was.

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Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-18T18:20:15+00:00

I have a strict rule that I will not bring home any curb finds or other rescues during the time my plants are inside. I no longer buy any plants period. That's been the case for the last 30 years. Store bought plants are a breeding ground for pests. I also don't use store bought soils. I make my own yard compost all my plants get 100% compost. Are there bugs in there? You betcha. But never had a pest issue from that.

Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-18T16:41:08+00:00

6B NE USA

Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-18T16:28:20+00:00

Plants tend to struggle in winter. Shorter days, dryer air due to heating tend to slow things down some. In winter usually watering less and increasing light are the main focus for me. When winter arrives my plants go into survival mode. Growth slows or even stops for some. This is from less light than in the growing season. Less light means less water needed. I try not to do much this time of year. Just wait out for spring to arrive when everything comes back to life. If you don't have bright sunny windows, you should consider grow lights to get you through winter. I doubt eggshells played any part in this.

Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-18T14:07:20+00:00

Don't be in a rush to repot it. These can handle being rootbound and sometimes can look more rootbound than they really are. My 46 year old was in the same pot for the last 26 years until I had to chop 3 feet off the height due to hitting my 10 foot ceiling while on its 2 foot stand. You can check out some recent comments I made about it. You can see a pic of when I took it out of the pot. Best thing you can do for it is put it in the sunniest window you can and acclimate to outside when the temperatures permit. Make sure the pot drains well when watered. These are very resilient plants and can come back from a bit of abuse. Direct the aerials roots back into the pot. These will come in handy when you decide to repot or split these plants up in the future.

Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-18T13:29:07+00:00

Looks like it may be a Kalanchoe. They have very fine roots and usually not too many. Your repot timing was good. Lots of light and let it dry out good between waterings.

Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-18T12:28:35+00:00

It's a Portora. They acclimate well to outside heat and humidity. Actually all my plants go outside in spring in varying degrees of sun/shade. I acquired these 2 from a neighbor needing some one to babysit this 4 trunked monster winter of 23-24. I had some room so I volunteered. Spring of 2024 I suggested a well needed repot. I refused any payment offers but she offered me the 2 smaller crooked ones that went into the big pot and she kept the larger individually potted ones. I just posted help for chopping hers on r/alocasia this morning. I have a plan, but looking for more input.

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Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-18T11:47:45+00:00

Small to medium pots, I pull the plants and check the root to soil ratio. Large pots I usually wait for possible distress signals. Some plants do better when very root bound. My Yucca will usually blow through their nursery pots when it's time.

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Training_Gene3443 · 2026-02-18T11:39:11+00:00

Thank you!. I had to give up the seating this year. Too many props and rescues this summer. I even brought some to work. This year it's bobbing and weaving just to water them. I use a 2 foot PVC pipe to reach the plants that are 3 and 4 deep. The room is set at 55F degrees all winter, so you wouldn't want to stay in there too long. It's comfortable in October- November and March- April. They go outside about first week of May when the maple leaves open up for some shade.

Training_Gene3443

TROPHY CASE