need help mothers tongue plant

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sumpmomma2000 Ironton, MO Dec 14, 2009

my mothers tongue plant got let out side in cold by mistake. now the spikes are drooping and feel soft and spongy like is there any thing i can do to save it i am not sure they cold is what is going on either

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Dec 14, 2009

The only thing you can really do is bring it in somewhere warm and hope for the best. Since you left it outside in the cold and the symptoms are consistent with cold damage I would assume for now that's what happened to it. If it didn't get super cold and if it was only left out for one night then it may recover but it's hard to say for sure. There's really not much you can do, just make sure it doesn't get left out in the cold again and be careful not to overwater it as it tries to recover (if a lot of it was damaged by the cold, it won't go through water as fast as it did when it was all healthy) Also be aware that the parts of it that got damaged by the cold may continue to look worse and worse and eventually die, but that doesn't necessarily mean the whole plant is dead, be patient and give it a chance to see if it'll put out some new growth.

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plantladylin (Zone 1) Dec 14, 2009

Is your plant in question the Sansevieria commonly called "Mother In Law's Tongue"? http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/431/ or is it Dieffenbachia which is commonly called "Mother In Law Plant"? http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/60826/

They are both considered Tropical's. I have both types of plants and both have been left out in the cold a few times over the years and have received some damage. As ecrane3 stated above, I think it all depends on how long your plants were left out in freezing temperature's as to whether or not they will recuperate. I wouldn't give up on them totally just yet! Sometimes plants will surprise us when the weather warms up a bit and show signs of new growth. They will look a bit ugly and raggedy after cold damage but I'd take the wait and see approach. If the root system wasn't totally frozen there may be hope for re-growth. Keep them in a warm location inside, cut way back on watering and when the weather warms up in spring, prune away all the droopy/dead foliage, and begin to water and feed again on a regular basis. I have been known to actually chop the tops off of my plants in spring if they've been severely damaged from the cold.

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