Dead or Dormant?

An enormous number of living plants are thrown away every winter. Dormancy and death look almost identical from the outside, and the difference is not something you can judge by appearance — it has to be tested physically.

The first test is the scratch. Take a thumbnail to a stem and remove a sliver of the outer surface. Green underneath means living tissue. Work from the top downward, because many plants die back from the tip and remain alive lower down — a brown top does not condemn the whole plant.

The second is the squeeze. Firm is alive. Mushy is rotting. Hollow and papery is dead. This applies to stems, leaf bases, rhizomes and corms, and it is more reliable than color, because a healthy dormant corm can look thoroughly unappealing.

The third is the roots. Tip the plant out of its pot. Firm, pale roots mean a living plant regardless of what is happening above the soil. Brown, soft roots that slide apart when pulled mean the plant has already gone.

Some species get thrown out alive far more than others. Alocasia drops every leaf in winter and regrows from the corm in spring. Moth orchids are discarded when the flowers finish, though the plant is perfectly healthy and will bloom again. Caladium and oxalis both die back to nothing by design. Snake plants and ZZ plants can sit unchanged for months and be entirely fine.

Before you throw anything away, scratch it, squeeze it, and look at the roots.