Mother-in-law tongue question...

[lesa]

I have a large mother-in-law tongue that was my Mom's. It has been neglected for many years. The leaves are right on top of the soil- and want to tip over. I would like to transplant it. Can I bury the leaves down in the dirt- or do they stay right on top? They are too tall to be sturdy, the way they are. Any suggestions?

 

[Ridgerunner]

It’s been a lot of years since I grew Mother-in-law’s tongue, probably about the time I got married. Yeah, a lot of years.


I’m pretty sure I buried those tubers just under the soil, but maybe you could try a couple of different things. It’s a real good bet it needs be split anyway. Try dividing it and do it both ways, one on top and one buried. That plant is so easy as long as you don’t overwater I bet both work.

 

[Nyboy]

I don't think you can hurt them if you tried.

 

[NwMtGardener]

I got mine as a few sparse leaves out of a dumpster that were way too long. It was only 3 or 4 leaves, but they were probably 4 feet long!! When i potted them, i chopped the leaves in half so they would stay upright. I put them pretty far in the soil. The plant is doing fabulous now, but it took a while to look "normal." if you can put up with it looking rather ragged for a while, i'd take it out of its current pot, divide the whole plant in half, and then cut the leaves in half. Mine is pretty happy in a small, shallow pot that drains quickly, so i dont think you would need to get a great big pot. It bloomed for me a while back!

 

[lesa]

That's a good idea, NwMt. I think trimming them might be the answer. So you buried some of the green part into the dirt?

 

[NwMtGardener]

Ummm...it was a while ago, but i think i did, because i remember having a hard time getting it to stay upright, even after i chopped it so it wasnt so tall.