What plant(s) do you have that you were convinced were going to die, but made a miraculous comeback?

If you have pictures of before and after, that's great, if not, just share a picture of it in its current state.

I have two, a Chlorophytum laxum 'Bichetii' (okay, I wasn't really surprised about this one, it's a 'Spider Plant, you can't kill them!) and an 'Aloe Vera.'

I purchased the Chlorophytum laxum 'Bichetii' at a local BBS on clearance for $1.50. About 90% (seriously) of the foliage was brown, dried up, and dead. The garden center folks let the poor thing go bone dry and apparently kept it that way because it was still bone dry when I picked it up. I saw potential in the little fella, as I saw a little bit of green poking out from the center of the dead foliage.

Here's a couple days after purchase, given a nice drink and all cleaned up.


Here's a couple weeks ago:


I recently purchased this 'Aloe Vera' at the same BBS on clearance for $2 (okay, now that I type this I'm convinced they can't take care of their plants). It was soaking wet and about 75% of the roots were rotted. I cleaned it up, placed it in a tiny makeshift pot (it's in a Chic-Fil-A styrofoam cup) and stuck it outside. Three weeks later, I can see a ton of white, healthy roots coming from the bottom of the pot.

I don't have a picture from the day I purchased it sadly, but here it is today. I'm expecting it to lose two or three leaves, but it seems to be making a miraculous comeback so I don't mind.


Thanks for reading and sharing.

Planto

My Spathiphylllum made that recovery, I was away for more than 2 months in 2011 and my hubby mistakenly took it outside during our summer heat wave thinking it needs more sun. Did not understand it needs more shade. When I returned I quickly put it in shade and kept watering, keeping it moist and eventually came back.


My flapjack always gets the bad end of cold weather during our winters, especially if it rains often:


But given time to return to warm and dry temps..it makes complete recovery:

Tarev,
Wow, those look amazing! My MIL left her PL outdoors one year where it froze. Suprisingly, it came back the next year.

Planto

As long as I see some amount of green, I try not to give up yet...sometimes

Yeah, Peace Lilies are toughies in their own way, as long as kept cool,, moist, in shade..it will return.

Here is another almost dead..you may have seen it before in one of our C & S threads, but will just show it here again:
Feb 2012- Crassula ovata 'Gollum' very bad winter damage


Repotted, trimmed, and moved nearer to the house afterwards:
May 2012


Summer 2014

Tarev,
I don't remember seeing your Jade. That's amazing! I think I'm quick to give up sometimes, you remind me to not give up on someone so fast.

Planto

Yes, that gollum taught me quite well how resilient succulents are, given the time to heal and dry, in time...just need your patience a lot.

I don't have patience. That would be my problem.

Planto

There is always opportunity to start doing it..

Planto

Calthea Dottie. Brought it almost back but it still died.

Oh I love Calatheas...too bad...

Cinta,
Oh, I love how dark that one is! Don't feel bad, Calatheas are known to be fussy.

Planto

Cinta, are you sure your calathea died? I think I read somewhere that they grow from rhizomes. Could it have gone dormant? I have a prayer plant that dies back in the winter (the air is too dry in the house). The leaves just dry up and turn brown. In the spring, it starts putting out new growth. I give it some fresh soil and fert and place the pot outdoors in the shade. Soon I have a full pot again.

I do group planting and it was in the pot with another plant. I thought it was dead and it did come back. The pic is when it was coming back after I put it outside. It started to die in the middle of summer. I thought it was taking a rest but it really did die for a second time. I think the second death was too much for it to come back to life.

I loved that plant too. It had the prettiest colors I have ever seen in a plant. The deep purple and pink was stunning. Would you know it the one plant I paid full price died. I would not have felt as bad if it was one of my dollar plants but nooooo it had to be the 20 dollar plant that died.

Whenever I buy from the BBS, I save my receipts, especially for the more expensive plants. If the plant dies within the year, I take it back to the store in it's original pot for a full refund or replacement. Lowe's has a 1 year guarantee. Home Depot and WM offer a 90 day guarantee.

Cinta,
Isn't that how it always works?

For me, it's the plants that I really like that don't always do the best. The plants that I don't like as much... they thrive!

Planto

Hi, I had this combo cacti abused (uncared) for years and this summer when I started growing houseplants I found it near dead. In another forum here, some pointed out it's dead and some suggested to look at their roots see if intact... So I pulled them out, checked their not much alive roots, threw one (with roots gone) away, and re-potted it put under summer sun... Now I am still not sure if it actually survived (I do see them grow a lot more 'hair' though). Let you guys give the verdict:
9-14-2014 (near dead)

9-26-14

Today

I hate to say it, but they look dead (today).

Planto

Agree with Planto.

If you really want to truly test if it is still has some life there..try to make a slice at the lower end, if you do not see any fresh part there, then it is truly gone, I do not see any green at all in your cacti.

Typically you should see something like this when you slice it..kind of like a cucumber flesh, so it is still alive and salvageable, allowing the cut portion to dry and scab over, it will grow new roots there:


Otherwise, brittle and dry..dead cacti.

I brought my Aloe pictured above in for good yesterday (Well I say that, the weather here might decide to be 80 degrees in a couple weeks; we have the strangest weather!).

Here's a picture of the root growth since I purchased and repotted it exactly one month ago today. I'm excited!


Planto