To bleach or not to bleach...that is the question.

My Night Blooming Cereus has a definite problem!  I was out wandering around the hillside and stopped to check my houseplants.  These had been moved into the yard once the threat of frost passed and I more or less forgot about them.  I feel so guilty now!  My once lush green Night Blooming Cereus has developed a serious...sunburn? The leaves are red...bright red!  I have no clue if this is due to receiving too much sun or is the result of pure neglect.  Perhaps it is a combination of the two.  I have two of these unique plants.  Both are from one that was originally owned by my grandparents and "babies" have been passed down through the family.  They are sort of like some family heirloom!  Now..I am killing one!  This make me feel a bit like I am letting the family down in some weird way.

A healthy Night Blooming Cereus with multiple dinner-plate size blooms.

These two plants are not the original start that I got from Granddaddy long ago.  That plant grew huge and each year was covered with hundreds of blooms.  It was the showpiece of the neighborhood and something that was a source of pride.  Then along came Hurricane Katrina.  Since the plant was far to large to tote inside, I tied it to an oak tree next to the house.  The thirty-five gallon pot was far too heavy and I figured that the plant would be safe tethered to a sturdy tree.  I was wrong. Once the storm had passed, my plant was nowhere in sight!  All that remained was the rope wrapped around the oak tree.  Later, we found the large pot a good thousand feet from the house.  It had washed down into the creek but was sans the plant.  As we cleared debris, I found one small leaf and poked it in a flower pot trying to salvage what I could.  Remarkably, it rooted but grew somewhat slowly.  Later in the year, my sister shared a small plant rooted from her stock.  I was elated!  Now I had two Night Bloomers!

This is what an "unhealthy" leaf looks like..not good.

A healthy branch showing glossy, new growth!  

Neither of these plants have grown like my original monster!  They are still small although each year they put on a few blooms.  Now..the red leaves.  I am not sure what I should do to combat the severe case of "embarrassment" that my leaves have developed.  Tomorrow, I will rip the plant from the pot and check the roots.  Perhaps some fungus has taken hold of the roots and is making the plant ill.   I read where I should "bleach" the roots, rinse, air-dry and replant.  This seems a bit harsh but if that is what it takes to heal my favorite plant..hey, I am game!  Bring on the bleach!