wilting china doll tree after repotting

China doll tree received in August 2007, placed in front of window that did not allow direct sunlight. Tree was growing beautifully. It was out growing pot that I had it in, so I repotted to a bigger pot, and let it set on my covered deck outside, There it received a few hours direct sunlight daily. It began to wilt, so I moved it back inside in front of the same window. The tree had "slumped" over so I staked it and tied it with old panty hose. The leaves continue to wilt. The soil is moist. What did I do wrong? Do I need to start over the repotting process, using all brand new planting soil? I will appreciate any advice. I am unable to post a picture of the plant at this time. It is a China Doll Tree, green leaves that are wilting, and after I left it outside for those few days, after repotting, it would no longer stand erect, I had to stake it and tie it up as noted above. PLEASE HELP!

It sounds as if it could be root damage or shock.I would try letting the soil dry out before watering again.You may have to replant it or prune it,but first,after the soil dries out some,place it in indirect light and cover it with clear plastic and see if it revives.You will need to open the plastic tent for awhile each day or punch some holes in it to let in air.Be careful not to cover it when the soil is too wet.That could lead to rot.

I think it could be too much water, but it could also be some combined stress from repotting it plus moving it outside in the sun (and probably warmer temperatures than it was used to indoors). Repotting is sort of like transplanting, it puts the plant under some stress so you need to give it a place without too much sun to recuperate, and since your plant was used to being indoors where the light is not as strong, just moving it outdoors where it got some direct sunlight might have been a bit much for it anyway even if you hadn't repotted it first. If you want it outside, the best thing to do is put it in a shaded location at first, then gradually expose it to more sun so it has time to get used to it. But I'd wait until after it's recovered from the stress of transplanting first before you even try taking it outside again. As far as the soil and whether you should repot again--stick your finger down in the soil and see how it feels a couple inches down--if it's sopping wet then it's probably best to dump out that soil and get it some fresh drier potting mix. But if it's just a bit damp then I'd leave it be.

Did you re-use the old potting soil?
bre

Yes, I did reuse some of the old potting soil. The leaves conntinue to wilt, and some are dry. I pulled the root ball out of the pot I had put it in and the soil was soaking wet. I gently sat it on top of the large pot I had put it in. Tomorrow, I will be repotting it to it's original pot with all new potting soil/ I will cut back the branches approx. 2/3 as directed by another gardening site. The main stem (trunk) of the tree is not dry and brittle. I do hope the plant can be saved and brougt back to it's original beauty. I am assuming that when I am potting the plant that I use very little water in the repotting process as I did last time, so as not to cause "root rot" to the root ball. I can water a little after the potting is complete. How do you feel about putting peat moss around the plant after it is repotted or do you mix it up in the potting mix? I look forward to your reply. I will certainly look for your reply prior to starting the repottng process. Any helpful hints will be greatly appreciated. I will have pictures for you soon. Thanks!

If you're going to use peat moss, I'd mix it in with your potting soil. It is very hard to rewet once it dries out, so if you put it as a layer over the top of the pot where it's bound to dry out all the time, it's going to be harder to water your plant. If you're using something like Miracle Gro potting mix or another brand like that you don't need to add peat to it, I never do and my plants are fine but it probably wont' hurt anything either as long as you mix it in.

Glad to hear it is still hanging on! When you repot you should use all new potting soil. I use the M Grow potting soil and I do mix peat into it. I also mix in Perlite & Verm. The peat will make the soil lighter.
You should give it good watering before you repot - it helps the roots be more flexible so they dont snap off in the process.
After I repot anything I always water the plant with a transplant formula or Super Thrive to reduce transplant shock.
Do you have drainage in the bottom of your pot? That could be the reason for the wet soil.
good luck!
bre

Thanks to all of you for your wonderful suggestions. I have taken a little from everyone I think. I did repot, using brand new miracle gro potting soil. The leaves dried, most of them fell off, the others were very dry so I was able to just gently snap them off with my hands, requiring no garden tools. The stem (stalk, trunk) no longer required being staked and tied, it is now standing erect, no leaves, but it is not dead. I did have to snap off all limbs, as they were dead or dying and taking away from the tree trunk. I cut it back and it is one green stem approx. 12 inches high with no leaves or stems. My mother in law looked at it today and suggested that I cut the tree trunk back even further to where there would only be approxiamtely 3-4 inches sticking out of the soil. I think I will do this and see where the plant goes from there. I so terribly want this plant to revive somehow. I am cutting it back today. Does any one have any ideas on how soon and how quickly the tree will sprout back out and begin to grow? I look forward to your reply. Thanks again to everyone. I love this website.

It sounds like it's been through a lot with losing all its leaves and getting all its branches chopped off, there's a chance it won't come back at all, but plants can be very resilient so definitely don't give up on it yet, plants can surprise you sometimes. I hope you didn't remove any leaves that still had some green in them--even if they were ugly and brown on the edges they could have helped the plant in the recovery process. A lot also depends on how much damage was done to the roots with all the previous watering issues, if they're still pretty healthy then hopefully it will sprout new leaves, but if they were badly damaged then it may not. Make sure you're really careful about the watering now--a plant that doesn't have any leaves isn't going to go through water nearly as quickly as one that does so it'll be very easy to overwater. The good news is this is a very common houseplant, so if this one doesn't make it chances are you can run by Home Depot or Walmart and pick up a new one for under $10.

Mine is actually potted and has been in full sun to occasional shade from neighbor's tree at certain times of the year. Get's watered along with other plants depending on weather. Less in winter, more in summer. It was a Lowes dead rack plant and is now 4 feet. I'm going to plant it in the ground and see if it adapts.